Are Snorkels In Open Water Really Necessary?
Before we tackle the issue of the need for a snorkel, let?s first differentiate between taking part in a scuba class versus post-certification diving. Agency standards currently require a snorkel for the Open Water Course. Therefore, it doesn?t matter if the snorkel is useless or not, you?ve got to follow standards until they are changed or you get certified. Agency standards also require instructors to wear snorkels for Open Water training. So there isn?t much leeway in this. In addition, I think it?s a good idea for soon-to-be certified scuba divers to first learn how to use a snorkel. For example, you should know how to submerge, resurface, and clear your snorkel without lifting your head from the water.Divers typically stick to whatever they were taught in their classes. However, once your class is over, you then have a choice as whether or not to carry a snorkel with you on scuba dives. I personally do not carry one. There are several reasons that I don?t. The only time I would ever carry one was if I planned to use the snorkel as part of my dive (i.e. I was going to continue looking around after the dive while waiting on others to surface.) Otherwise, I?d leave the snorkel at home.
I once heard the Dive Master of a boat in his pre-dive briefing say, ?Once you surface, your reg should be in your mouth until you reach the boat, not a snorkel. We are scuba diving today, not snorkeling?. If the Dive Master is saying not to use the snorkel when you surface, then what would be the point in carrying it with you in the first place? Plus, given that you still have air in your tank, wouldn?t an authority figure like a Dive Master know whether or not you should use the snorkel? His directions should give you a hint about snorkels.
Many divers wear snorkels on their mask straps. Others place them in pockets, etc out of the way. If you wear yours on your mask, it?s doing nothing more than adding drag and has become an entanglement hazard. From a minimalization point of view, if you carry your snorkel with you at all, whether on your mask or in your pocket, it?s an additional piece of useless gear. Why not leave it at home?
Some proponents of snorkel carrying suggest that it?s easier to return to the boat using a snorkel if you surface far from the boat. Well, if you follow your dive plan then you should have at least 500 PSI in your tank. That?s plenty for a surface or 15 ft deep swim to the boat. Even Rodale?s Magazine reported in an article once that the best option is to descend to 15 ft and swim to the boat using compass navigation in this situation. By snorkeling back to the boat you have to stop and lift your head from the water to be sure you are still going in the right direction thereby loosing momentum. Your ears are underwater, so how are you going to see boats approaching which could potentially run you over? It is true that you can hear boats better underwater since sound travels much faster, but you could also do that from 15 feet below the surface. Also, your fins are breaking the surface with every stroke. So you are loosing some of your effort.
A better option, if you can?t descend, is to take a compass course, flip over onto your back, use the reciprocal heading, and kick to the boat. At least your fins will be submerged for the entire kick cycle and your head is above water to see and hear oncoming boats or instructions from YOUR boat. If you are really that far from the boat, perhaps the best thing to do is signal OK and let the boat come pick you up. Besides, carrying a snorkel for use in swimming back to the boat is not solving the REAL problem. The real problem is your navigational skills. Had you done better on your compass reading and paid attention to where you were on the dive, you wouldn?t have had to surface without the anchor line and thus far away from the boat. Carrying a snorkel is a surface solution to a surface problem on an underwater rig. It doesn't belong.
Snorkels are also CO2 trappers. With all that ?dead space? in the snorkel, it is possible for you not to exhale all the stagnant CO2 built up in the tube from your last exhale. I?m sure you know the implications of this. CO2 build up adds to fatigue, increased risk of bends, or blacking out.
Lastly, other proponents of snorkel carrying say that they are useful in rough seas where waves splash in your face often. Well . . . what if a wave sneaks up from behind and crashes on top of your snorkel? You?re still going to choke. Again, the best option is to submerge and swim with that 500 PSI I know you left in your tank from the dive. Or leave the reg in your mouth at the surface. Even if a wave hits you, you can still breathe underwater. Besides, how often does a dive boat go out in rough seas? I've had just about as many cancellations as I have trips.
Whatever you decide to do with your snorkel, remember this ? Don?t ever carry a snorkel into a cavern or cave. This is the dumbest thing. You obviously aren?t going to use it in a completely submerged cave, so don?t carry it. And if you do decide to enter a cave, hopefully you have enough sense to get training first. And in that training, they will tell you to leave the snorkel at home.