Do you wear a snorkel when teaching open water students? I have been diving for 30 years and ditched the snorkel right after open water class. Now that I’m instructor guess who’s back good old snorkel. And now I’m so use to it it feels weird not to have it on. Nice presentation on the subject and I often tell my students there’s no scuba police. Do what makes you comfortable and feel safe. Cheers my friend and safe diving.
@@souswes no I’m not. I’m course director told us to teach the snorkel and leave it up to the students . I have stolen techniques from Padi, Naui , SSI and SDI. I’d like to be able to give my students the greatest opportunity to learn.
Hello troop1026, great question. The short answer is, it depends. because I use the cargo snorkel, I use it the way it is designed to be used. I stow it away until I need it for certain skills. If our students purchase a cargo snorkel, we allow them to do the same. For the times I have a standard snorkel, I will simply wear it during training, as its easier for me to do so, instead of trying to stow it under my waist strap. Most training agencies today, are very vague on how standards are written. Most state you have to have a snorkel, but it does not say wear it. If I have a student who is struggling with a skill, and the snorkel is the reason, I instruct them to remove it to complete the skill, and then they can reattach it. The same would apply with any problems underwater. If something is causing a diver stress, we eliminate the stress, and move on. Unfortunately, for all professional level courses, I wear it at all times, unless I'm teaching an Instructor Course that it is forbidden on (Overhead Environments, Public Safety, etc.). I did have a student show up to his Full Face Mask Course with a Snorkel attached. I wish I would have filmed that for a video.
In Queensland, Australia, all divers are required to carry a snorkel. I have mine rolled up in my butt pouch. Don't generally bother with clips or a snorkel keeper, shoving it under the mask strap works well enough.
Hello psarmstr, thanks for sharing that with us. I was unware that Australia had such a law. I like the idea of just sliding it under the mask strap for the limited use at the surface.
I mostly shore dive, and use the snorkel on surface swims. I switched *from* a clip to a snorkel keeper. Handy tip: spray a little defog on the snorkel keeper and it'll slide easily. Of course, this only works if you leave the snorkel on for the whole dive like I always do. :)
When i was doing my open water training (in the sea) we all used snorkels. Especially in surface swims and practicing the reg to snorkel skill. But i had a big surprise when on my first dive post certification none of our setups had snorkels. We really never have used it ever in my years of diving.
It's a requirement to have a snorkel in all padi training sessions. it's not mandatory to use post training but even now as a DM I still use my snorkel for surface swimming
Hello John Job, most divers gravitate away from it as soon as their training is completed. This is why we advocate for the cargo snorkel. It's there for when you need it, and not when you don't.
I usually have one attached because most of my diving is Wisconsin lakes. We often have a long surface swim on the way out and back. Especially when the weed beds grow to the top of the water. Or we’re going in at a boat launch, and have a channel to swim through. If I’m doing a Lake Michigan, dive off the back of a boat, I generally won’t use it.
Hello Dave Gink, thanks for sharing with us. This is the consensus with most divers here. Boat dives, the snorkel rarely gets used, but for shore dives, they are taken with us.
I learned snorkeling long time before SCUBA, and that was 34 years ago. I still use it because I don't like using air from the tank on the surface, and I leave it hanging from the mask while diving because it doesn't bother me
Great video! This is the best SCUBA shop. Even though I'm in florida, he almost always answers the phone and answers every question. His repair work is top shelf.
Agreed. I only have one available if I'm likely to be in rough water at the surface for a significant period, which is rare. Otherwise it just stays in the box.
Hello Tim Gosling, locally, I rarely carry it with me, unless I'm in Sidemount, for which I have my Sidemount pouch. In the ocean, I will usually stow it rolled up under my waist strap.
Fun fact, I just learned recently that free divers don't keep the snorkle in their mouths after descending, so when they surface, they get maximum inhalation and limit potential for blackouts.
Hello john metyk, this is true. Most of the time, I remove mine as soon as I go under. Also, fun fact, I rarely attempt to clear it once I reach the surface. The majority of the time, I will perform my recovery breathing, then replace the snorkel in my mouth.
I’ll post my opinion since I seem to be in the minority! I always dive with a snorkel. Scubapro apnea, so its light and small. I don’t even notice it, and I use it exclusively on the surface to save precious air. As a bonus, the apnea snorkel can be used for rescue mouth to mouth in rough seas (I admit this part is entirely theoretical for me, but I like having the option).
Hello Talbot McInnis, thanks for sharing. I use to teach students all the time on how to do rescue breaths with a snorkel. This of course can not be done with a Dry Top model. As far as saving air, though I do teach this to my students, personally, I have never really found that it saved that much air, based on my personal SAC rate. And given the restrictions of most charter services, after an 1 hour long dive, I still have plenty of air for my dives (even following the rule of thirds). There have been times, like when I dive in Curacao, where we may have a 500 to 1000 yard swim to the dive site, where the snorkel has been very beneficial to me. That's a tough swim for me, while trying to conserve air. I encourage divers to always do what's best for them.
My personal experience of 250 dives: I never used one and never felt the need, even in rough waters where i had to clear distance. What I saw was people loosing them all over the place, having them flimsy on the masks, being in the way when they needed to do something close to their head like replacing the mask, adjusting the mask an so on. I understand the idea of having one but the real world to me so far was: it is more or less dead weight on you mask for most of the times and I mean 99,9% of the time. So if I decided to carry one, it would certainly be in a pocket. That rollup thing seems to be the best choice for me as a backup piece in case I really end up on the surface with close to no air in my tank and needed to clear a larger distance to the boat.
I use mine hanging low to not bug me... as much .. but I've been looking at those put away snorkels it is just something more hanging from you (like we don't have enough already) as you dive and is useless unless on the surface so I agree with you.
One advantage of having a certain snorkle with you on a dive trip is the ability to switch out your reg mouth piece for the one on the snorkle if need be.
This is true Patrick Jones. Its a great way to solve that issue underwater if need be. Switch to your alternate, fix the problem, then switch back to your primary. This way you would have to necessarily switch to your alternate and abort the dive. Great tip, thanks for sharing.
After my first certification i never use a snorkel using diving. For long distance surface swim: set compas and just swim backwards, waves go over and you wouldn't get water in. Never ever needed it during a dive.
Hello Lex van Lith, we too prefer swimming backwards. It's more relaxing at times. The sun can definitely beat down onto you face though if not careful. I find that I changing my swimming from time to time.
I have rarely used a snorkel except when required for instruction. So,, I carry one of the very small roll up snorkels in my pocket. And use it on the rare occasion I need one. Yes, they can be helpful for some surface swims. Example: clear water and you can see the bottom and you are searching for something. Divers that have high air consumption rates can use at the surface with higher sea states. For higher sea states, I leave my second stage in my mouth. Only bite down on one side of my mouth piece and breathe through the side of my mouth.
I was tempted to jump into the water with the snorkel in my mouth to preserve air if I have to wait for the rest of the group. But I've heard of people almost jumping in with empty bcd and unattached inflator. I'll definately have a look at the cargo version to avoid stupid ideas :)
Hello john metyk, have you found that it saved that much air. For me personally, because my SAC rate is so low, I never found it to be beneficial in saving that much air. This of course can be dependent on how far of a swim I have.
A city where i dive had a law that you had to dive with a snorkel. The rolled ones were popular. Just shove it in a pocket and you technically comply and don't tangle it in the kelp. They finally realized that scuba divers aren't there to go snorkeling and dropped it. I'll wear a snorkel if I'm going snorkeling. I find it useful for that. A bc failure for a long surface swim would be the only other reason to have one.
Hello Lars Dennert. You mentioned the BCD Failure. I preach to my students that any type of BCD failure at the surface should be immediately handled by ditching weights. This way there is not issue with them staying positively buoyant. Of course if this happens, there would be no reason to continue diving, thus they could choose to breathe from the snorkel or cylinder. There need to conserve the remaining air in the cylinder if they have made the decision to abort. In calm water, the snorkel. If the seas were not so calm, the regulator all the way.
@@LakeHickoryScuba Yea good points. I suffer from the malady that I use zero lead (and a composite plate) if diving steel doubles with a drysuit. I have no lead to ditch. Being arrogant and not diving with a snorkel, maybe I need to add the surface swim time back to shore times SAC to my min gas calculation, lol. Actually not a laughing matter in hindsight!
This is a great idea Jeff Conley. Its quick and easy to do. For the ones that are worried that it will collapse the snorkel, especially the cargo type, then their mask is probably too tight to begin with. Thanks for sharing.
As a side question since you mentioned it. Does Florida only allow snorkeling with manatees, or can you actually scuba dive with them? My sister and brother-in-law just moved down near Crystal River. I’m planning to go down and visit and would like to do some diving.
Pretty sure you can only snorkel with manatees. However, some dive ops in the Crystal River also do drift dives down Crystal River and/or Rainbow River -- at some point I'm planning to snorkel with manatees in the morning, and then do the drift dive in the afternoon.
Hey rob9876. Unfortunately, Manatee Springs does not have a fill station. The closest fill station will either be Blue Grotto or Devil's Den, both in Williston Florida, approximately 30 minutes away.
Hello DANIEL HERIBERTOZAMORA RANGEL, I was fortunate enough to dive with Sea Lions back in January while I was in California. Thankfully, I wasn't wearing a snorkel, so I didn't have any issues with them grabbing it.
Thanks for sharing Dave Pinkerton. I've definitely used mine from time to time, so I can't say I have never needed one. However, it's very rare. For most of our local diving around here, we never carry one at all. As I stated to another viewer, the only time locally I will even carry it, is when I'm diving Sidemount and I have my pouch to carry it in.
@@LakeHickoryScuba most of my diving is in flooded quarry’s and most of the time I dive ccr now so it’s just something that would get in the way for me
Snorkels are for snorkelers. Scuba divers never need a snorkel because they use tanks and regulators. I’ve never been in a situation where a snorkel would be an advantage. Dry top snorkels are dangerous because people leave them in their mouth when diving below the water….
You use it when you need to surface swimming over some distance to boat or dive site. Not usually required but when you need it, you need it. The rolling one is best for having just in case.
@@BlackPawGaming absolutely not. I’ve never used a snorkel for swimming on the surface while scuba diving. I lay on my back and kick along at a steady pace. I hear this bs all the time, what about if it’s choppy with swell….yeah still don’t need a snorkel 😆
Need is based on the situation and experience level. You may not need one but another diver might. I’ve never needed one either, but there have been times I was glad I had one because it made my surface swim easier.
@@RUclips_user3333 Like I said, need is based on the situation and the experience level. For example, if a diver has a long surface swim and doesn’t want to stare at the sky or use gas from their tank then they ‘need’ a snorkel to swim face down and enjoy the environment that has them diving.
Hello Adam; Demirs, thanks for sharing with us. Depending on how choppy the surface is, personally, I would still use my regulator. With my SAC rate, I have found that the snorkel does not conserve that much air for me. At 1 atmosphere, in a calm state, I'm only breathing 7 psi per minute. The snorkel does not really assist me much in that regards. Now for a long swim, it definitely would help out. At the end of the dive though, I choose to just stay on my regulator. The dive is over, and there is no need for me to worry about conserving air at that point.
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Do you wear a snorkel when teaching open water students? I have been diving for 30 years and ditched the snorkel right after open water class. Now that I’m instructor guess who’s back good old snorkel. And now I’m so use to it it feels weird not to have it on. Nice presentation on the subject and I often tell my students there’s no scuba police. Do what makes you comfortable and feel safe. Cheers my friend and safe diving.
Tell me you’re a PADI instructor without saying you’re a PADI instructor 😅
@@souswes no I’m not. I’m course director told us to teach the snorkel and leave it up to the students . I have stolen techniques from Padi, Naui , SSI and SDI. I’d like to be able to give my students the greatest opportunity to learn.
Hello troop1026, great question. The short answer is, it depends. because I use the cargo snorkel, I use it the way it is designed to be used. I stow it away until I need it for certain skills. If our students purchase a cargo snorkel, we allow them to do the same. For the times I have a standard snorkel, I will simply wear it during training, as its easier for me to do so, instead of trying to stow it under my waist strap. Most training agencies today, are very vague on how standards are written. Most state you have to have a snorkel, but it does not say wear it. If I have a student who is struggling with a skill, and the snorkel is the reason, I instruct them to remove it to complete the skill, and then they can reattach it. The same would apply with any problems underwater. If something is causing a diver stress, we eliminate the stress, and move on. Unfortunately, for all professional level courses, I wear it at all times, unless I'm teaching an Instructor Course that it is forbidden on (Overhead Environments, Public Safety, etc.). I did have a student show up to his Full Face Mask Course with a Snorkel attached. I wish I would have filmed that for a video.
In Queensland, Australia, all divers are required to carry a snorkel. I have mine rolled up in my butt pouch. Don't generally bother with clips or a snorkel keeper, shoving it under the mask strap works well enough.
Hello psarmstr, thanks for sharing that with us. I was unware that Australia had such a law. I like the idea of just sliding it under the mask strap for the limited use at the surface.
Nice video. I do not use a snorkel either. I have a deployable rolled up as a backup but so far I’ve never needed it.
Glad you liked the video David Maruca.
I mostly shore dive, and use the snorkel on surface swims. I switched *from* a clip to a snorkel keeper. Handy tip: spray a little defog on the snorkel keeper and it'll slide easily. Of course, this only works if you leave the snorkel on for the whole dive like I always do. :)
Thanks for the tip John Raley. I will definitely give it a try.
When i was doing my open water training (in the sea) we all used snorkels. Especially in surface swims and practicing the reg to snorkel skill. But i had a big surprise when on my first dive post certification none of our setups had snorkels. We really never have used it ever in my years of diving.
It's a requirement to have a snorkel in all padi training sessions. it's not mandatory to use post training but even now as a DM I still use my snorkel for surface swimming
Hello John Job, most divers gravitate away from it as soon as their training is completed. This is why we advocate for the cargo snorkel. It's there for when you need it, and not when you don't.
I usually have one attached because most of my diving is Wisconsin lakes. We often have a long surface swim on the way out and back. Especially when the weed beds grow to the top of the water. Or we’re going in at a boat launch, and have a channel to swim through.
If I’m doing a Lake Michigan, dive off the back of a boat, I generally won’t use it.
Hello Dave Gink, thanks for sharing with us. This is the consensus with most divers here. Boat dives, the snorkel rarely gets used, but for shore dives, they are taken with us.
I learned snorkeling long time before SCUBA, and that was 34 years ago. I still use it because I don't like using air from the tank on the surface, and I leave it hanging from the mask while diving because it doesn't bother me
Hello felipesanchezcuriel, thanks for sharing with us. Glad to hear that the snorkel does not cause you any issues.
Great video! This is the best SCUBA shop. Even though I'm in florida, he almost always answers the phone and answers every question. His repair work is top shelf.
Thanks for the kind words john metyk.
Agreed. I only have one available if I'm likely to be in rough water at the surface for a significant period, which is rare. Otherwise it just stays in the box.
Hello Tim Gosling, locally, I rarely carry it with me, unless I'm in Sidemount, for which I have my Sidemount pouch. In the ocean, I will usually stow it rolled up under my waist strap.
Fun fact, I just learned recently that free divers don't keep the snorkle in their mouths after descending, so when they surface, they get maximum inhalation and limit potential for blackouts.
Hello john metyk, this is true. Most of the time, I remove mine as soon as I go under. Also, fun fact, I rarely attempt to clear it once I reach the surface. The majority of the time, I will perform my recovery breathing, then replace the snorkel in my mouth.
I’ll post my opinion since I seem to be in the minority! I always dive with a snorkel. Scubapro apnea, so its light and small. I don’t even notice it, and I use it exclusively on the surface to save precious air. As a bonus, the apnea snorkel can be used for rescue mouth to mouth in rough seas (I admit this part is entirely theoretical for me, but I like having the option).
Hello Talbot McInnis, thanks for sharing. I use to teach students all the time on how to do rescue breaths with a snorkel. This of course can not be done with a Dry Top model. As far as saving air, though I do teach this to my students, personally, I have never really found that it saved that much air, based on my personal SAC rate. And given the restrictions of most charter services, after an 1 hour long dive, I still have plenty of air for my dives (even following the rule of thirds). There have been times, like when I dive in Curacao, where we may have a 500 to 1000 yard swim to the dive site, where the snorkel has been very beneficial to me. That's a tough swim for me, while trying to conserve air. I encourage divers to always do what's best for them.
My personal experience of 250 dives: I never used one and never felt the need, even in rough waters where i had to clear distance. What I saw was people loosing them all over the place, having them flimsy on the masks, being in the way when they needed to do something close to their head like replacing the mask, adjusting the mask an so on. I understand the idea of having one but the real world to me so far was: it is more or less dead weight on you mask for most of the times and I mean 99,9% of the time. So if I decided to carry one, it would certainly be in a pocket. That rollup thing seems to be the best choice for me as a backup piece in case I really end up on the surface with close to no air in my tank and needed to clear a larger distance to the boat.
Hello @lorenzeberle987, a lot of divers, myself included, share the same experience.
I use mine hanging low to not bug me... as much .. but I've been looking at those put away snorkels it is just something more hanging from you (like we don't have enough already) as you dive and is useless unless on the surface so I agree with you.
Hello Walter Jr. I agree, we already have enough clipped off getting in our way.
One advantage of having a certain snorkle with you on a dive trip is the ability to switch out your reg mouth piece for the one on the snorkle if need be.
This is true Patrick Jones. Its a great way to solve that issue underwater if need be. Switch to your alternate, fix the problem, then switch back to your primary. This way you would have to necessarily switch to your alternate and abort the dive. Great tip, thanks for sharing.
After my first certification i never use a snorkel using diving. For long distance surface swim: set compas and just swim backwards, waves go over and you wouldn't get water in. Never ever needed it during a dive.
Hello Lex van Lith, we too prefer swimming backwards. It's more relaxing at times. The sun can definitely beat down onto you face though if not careful. I find that I changing my swimming from time to time.
I have rarely used a snorkel except when required for instruction.
So,, I carry one of the very small roll up snorkels in my pocket. And use it on the rare occasion I need one.
Yes, they can be helpful for some surface swims. Example: clear water and you can see the bottom and you are searching for something.
Divers that have high air consumption rates can use at the surface with higher sea states. For higher sea states, I leave my second stage in my mouth. Only bite down on one side of my mouth piece and breathe through the side of my mouth.
Hello Jeff Conley, I agree, to use the regulator in rough sea's.
I was tempted to jump into the water with the snorkel in my mouth to preserve air if I have to wait for the rest of the group. But I've heard of people almost jumping in with empty bcd and unattached inflator. I'll definately have a look at the cargo version to avoid stupid ideas :)
Hello Max Tee, all the more reason to do a proper pre-dive safety check before you splash in. Stay safe.
I used to use it to swim to anchor lines to save air, but since don't to be more streamlined.
Hello john metyk, have you found that it saved that much air. For me personally, because my SAC rate is so low, I never found it to be beneficial in saving that much air. This of course can be dependent on how far of a swim I have.
A snorkel...what's that; I always have a chuckle when I guide divers wearing snorkels 😂
We call them SHALLOW WATER BREATHING TUBES Jonnie Bangkok. And the snorkeling mask, we have dubbed as SHALLOW WATER BREATHING GOGGLES.
@@LakeHickoryScuba 😄
A city where i dive had a law that you had to dive with a snorkel. The rolled ones were popular. Just shove it in a pocket and you technically comply and don't tangle it in the kelp. They finally realized that scuba divers aren't there to go snorkeling and dropped it. I'll wear a snorkel if I'm going snorkeling. I find it useful for that. A bc failure for a long surface swim would be the only other reason to have one.
Hello Lars Dennert. You mentioned the BCD Failure. I preach to my students that any type of BCD failure at the surface should be immediately handled by ditching weights. This way there is not issue with them staying positively buoyant. Of course if this happens, there would be no reason to continue diving, thus they could choose to breathe from the snorkel or cylinder. There need to conserve the remaining air in the cylinder if they have made the decision to abort. In calm water, the snorkel. If the seas were not so calm, the regulator all the way.
@@LakeHickoryScuba Yea good points. I suffer from the malady that I use zero lead (and a composite plate) if diving steel doubles with a drysuit. I have no lead to ditch. Being arrogant and not diving with a snorkel, maybe I need to add the surface swim time back to shore times SAC to my min gas calculation, lol. Actually not a laughing matter in hindsight!
For the rare occasion I need a snorkel, I pull out my rolled up snorkel and just tuck the barrel under my mask strap.
This is a great idea Jeff Conley. Its quick and easy to do. For the ones that are worried that it will collapse the snorkel, especially the cargo type, then their mask is probably too tight to begin with. Thanks for sharing.
As a side question since you mentioned it. Does Florida only allow snorkeling with manatees, or can you actually scuba dive with them? My sister and brother-in-law just moved down near Crystal River. I’m planning to go down and visit and would like to do some diving.
Pretty sure you can only snorkel with manatees. However, some dive ops in the Crystal River also do drift dives down Crystal River and/or Rainbow River -- at some point I'm planning to snorkel with manatees in the morning, and then do the drift dive in the afternoon.
Hello Dave Gink, we routinely get to dive with them at Manatee Springs State Park. Crystal River charters will only allow you to snorkel with them.
@@LakeHickoryScuba Do they rent tanks or do gas fills at the State Park?
Hey rob9876. Unfortunately, Manatee Springs does not have a fill station. The closest fill station will either be Blue Grotto or Devil's Den, both in Williston Florida, approximately 30 minutes away.
I only use one when teaching a course that requires it. I have long hair now and it’s not worth the trouble.
Long hair can definitely cause issues Blake Barnett.
The snorkel can pull on your mask in strong current.
Great point. Adds so much drag.
This is very true Shawn Skiver.
Sea lion Love them. They take the snorkel and mask from divers 😂
Hello DANIEL HERIBERTOZAMORA RANGEL, I was fortunate enough to dive with Sea Lions back in January while I was in California. Thankfully, I wasn't wearing a snorkel, so I didn't have any issues with them grabbing it.
Never use one never needed one
Thanks for sharing Dave Pinkerton. I've definitely used mine from time to time, so I can't say I have never needed one. However, it's very rare. For most of our local diving around here, we never carry one at all. As I stated to another viewer, the only time locally I will even carry it, is when I'm diving Sidemount and I have my pouch to carry it in.
@@LakeHickoryScuba most of my diving is in flooded quarry’s and most of the time I dive ccr now so it’s just something that would get in the way for me
Snorkels are for snorkelers. Scuba divers never need a snorkel because they use tanks and regulators. I’ve never been in a situation where a snorkel would be an advantage. Dry top snorkels are dangerous because people leave them in their mouth when diving below the water….
You use it when you need to surface swimming over some distance to boat or dive site. Not usually required but when you need it, you need it. The rolling one is best for having just in case.
@@BlackPawGaming absolutely not. I’ve never used a snorkel for swimming on the surface while scuba diving. I lay on my back and kick along at a steady pace. I hear this bs all the time, what about if it’s choppy with swell….yeah still don’t need a snorkel 😆
Need is based on the situation and experience level. You may not need one but another diver might. I’ve never needed one either, but there have been times I was glad I had one because it made my surface swim easier.
@@brianc5212 That kind of diver who can’t surface swim without a snorkel….should stick to snorkelling. No diver “ needs “ a snorkel.
@@RUclips_user3333 Like I said, need is based on the situation and the experience level. For example, if a diver has a long surface swim and doesn’t want to stare at the sky or use gas from their tank then they ‘need’ a snorkel to swim face down and enjoy the environment that has them diving.
I use mine while diving, especially in the ocean to breathe while in the choppy surface. It also conserves air.
Hello Adam; Demirs, thanks for sharing with us. Depending on how choppy the surface is, personally, I would still use my regulator. With my SAC rate, I have found that the snorkel does not conserve that much air for me. At 1 atmosphere, in a calm state, I'm only breathing 7 psi per minute. The snorkel does not really assist me much in that regards. Now for a long swim, it definitely would help out. At the end of the dive though, I choose to just stay on my regulator. The dive is over, and there is no need for me to worry about conserving air at that point.
👍😎🇵🇭🤿Very seldom used!
Thanks for sharing Joseph dracula.