can u snorkel without knowing how to swim ?

[rh71]

We can put this into the category of "stupid" question. I can't really tread water (stay afloat standing up), but I can swim a pool length with my head above water (but get really tired)... because I don't know how to swim and breathe correctly.

I don't know the first thing about snorkeling except that you breathe through a tube that sticks above water. Must I know how to swim... even for beginner level snorkeling?

 

[Sluggo]

Your chances of drowning drop drastically if you can actually swim while snorkeling.

 

[jjones]

Actually snorkeling is very easy. We get tourists down here in Cancun that can't swim but we can get them out in the water snorkeling no problem.

 

[notfred]

<< can u snorkel without knowing how to swim ? >>



Only if you have a really long snorkel.

 

[Jzero]

I'd say it's generally not the best idea to go snorkelling if you can't swim that well.
OTOH, most touristy snorkeling tours will require you to wear a life jacket, in which case it's not much of an issue...you just stick your face in the water and kick your feet

 

[rh71]

Ahh see.. it was a good question after all... can I wear 2 lifejackets ? Kidding aside, I also learned today that wetsuits provide buoyancy... do people wear these for snorkeling usually ?

 

[fatbaby]

YES

It is very easy if you are using a wetsuit (keeps you afloat). In fact, you can be dropped from a helicopter into the middle of the ocean wearing a wetsuit and you probably won't drown (as long as you keep face-up).



<< you just stick your face in the water and kick your feet >>



Well not exactly so, I thought you move your feet as you would when you were swimming, i ended up losing my flippers =|

In snorkeling, you move your feet as if you were climbing steps

Snorkeling is usually quite enjoyable if you get used to it. When i say "it" i mean the wetsuit, that pos is tight and the "happy strap" (tight strap that goes over your crotch to your buttocks) will fscking piss you off...i had to get help for that =D

EDIT: added another quote


<< Only if you have a really long snorkel. >>


As long as you don't go below 3 (or 4, i dunno) feet underwater (above 3 feet, you can practically stay underwater forever as long as you are breathing through some sort of tube)...
Below 3 feet, the lungs can't really use the air because of the water pressure, you will need pressurized air if you want to stay under 3 feet forever...

 

[Jzero]

Really....
I never found much buoyancy from wetsuits aside from the little bit of air trapped inside...never enough to keep me afloat.
Then again, my wetsuits have all lacked this "happy strap" of which you speak *shudder*
It is correct, though, that flutter-kicking with flippers on isn't helpful at all....perhaps "kicking your feet" wasn't the best phrasology, but I still can't come up with something more descriptive.
Ah well.

 

[McPhreak]

Strap on a life jacket and a pair of fins and you'll be ok. You couldn't drown yourself if you wanted to with a life jacket on. The fins will help you get around easy regardless of whether or not you can swim well.

 

[rh71]

Hmm... let me weigh my options...

1) wetsuit with a "happy strap"
2) life jacket

 

[fatbaby]

<< Hmm... let me weigh my options...

1) wetsuit with a "happy strap"
2) life jacket

>>



No matter what, you will need fins, snorkely mask, and diving weights (if you plan on going to the ocean floor, but most snorkels never go beyond 30 ft depth)

 

[notfred]

Wetsuits are only slightly bouant. WTF is a happy strap?

<-- surfer

 

[illusion88]

uhh... yeah to need a wetsuit and it will not help you one bit except for cold water. It may een weigh you down because, if loose, could fill with water.

 

[fatbaby]

<< Wetsuits are only slightly bouant. WTF is a happy strap?

<-- surfer >>



Well when i went snorkeling @ catalina island, we had to put on a wetsuit

It consisted of a vest (very tight!), pants (very tight!), and a shirt (very tight!)to go over the vest.

There is a special strap hanging from the front shirt (it defaultly[<--not even a word i think] hangs over your "hung area") that crosses over your crotch area to some hook on the back of your shirt.

A saying often went that if you get too cold in your wetsuit, just take a piss and you'll feel all warm inside =D

 

[911paramedic]

<< uhh... yeah to need a wetsuit and it will not help you one bit except for cold water. It may een weigh you down because, if loose, could fill with water. >>



Uhhh, waaaayyyyyyy wrong. Wetsuits are made to insulate you, the side effect is buoyancy. I have been teaching scuba for many years and I know what I am talking about (perhaps for the first time ever). The actual buoyancy is dependant on the type of wetsuit you are wearing, shortie on one end, and drysuit on the other. It also depends on your natural buoyancy, some people just sink, others can float without treading water.

Fill with water and make you sink, Bwaaaaahahahahaha. Sorry, that was funny.

 

[Jfrag Teh Foul]

If I were you I would wear water woobies or something!

 

[Red Dawn]

rh71

<< I don't know the first thing about snorkeling except that you breathe through a tube that sticks above water. Must I know how to swim... even for beginner level snorkeling? >>

No not at all, that's why they give you the snorkel to breath out of. Go ahead and jump in, you'll be totally safe even if you don't know how to swim..trust me on this!!




yeah right!

 

[cavingjan]

For warm water, I've used wetsuits more for protection from cuts and scrapes than for its insulation value for short snorkelling excursions.
I, unfortunately, am someone that still has to work to stay afloat even with a nice thick wetsuit. A shorty and I still sink like a rock. 140 lbs of mostly bone and muscle with very little fat or brains.

 

[Jzero]

<< It consisted of a vest (very tight!), pants (very tight!), and a shirt (very tight!)to go over the vest.

There is a special strap hanging from the front shirt (it defaultly[<--not even a word i think] hangs over your "hung area") that crosses over your crotch area to some hook on the back of your shirt. >>


I don't know what that is, but it's definitely not a wetsuit....at least not any like I've seen or worn (I'm also a surfer)
What was the vest like? Did was it made out of some sort of buoyant foam?
I have seen 2-piece wet suits, though.
But I've never worn a wetsuit buoyant enough that you could float.
Believe me....wet suit or not, I wouldn't shove off (I actually surf on a kayak these days) without my PFD (life jacket). The wetsuit just ain't gonna do it.

 

[ErmanC]

I'd go ahead and learn to swim, you'll enjoy it more. As for the wetsuit thing, that's the best way to go to me. It'll keep you afloat for the most part and another reason to wear one is because of the temperature. The idea is to get a layer of water next to your skin that equalizes close to your body temperature. It doesn't matter if you're in water that's 80 degrees and feels warm, if its colder than your body temperature, you're going to get cold eventually. You'll just enjoy it more if you stay comfy while you're doing it. As for diving while snorkeling. Don't do that man, you'll mess yourself up seriously. I've scuba dived and doing a deep snorkel dive takes a far worse toll on you than scuba. The pressure from a snorkel dive screws my head up, while in scuba you can equalize as you go. If you try it anyway, just remember, I told you so. If you really like snorkeling, you'll love scuba.

 

[911paramedic]

<<

<< It consisted of a vest (very tight!), pants (very tight!), and a shirt (very tight!)to go over the vest.

There is a special strap hanging from the front shirt (it defaultly[<--not even a word i think] hangs over your "hung area") that crosses over your crotch area to some hook on the back of your shirt. >>


I don't know what that is, but it's definitely not a wetsuit....at least not any like I've seen or worn (I'm also a surfer)
What was the vest like? Did was it made out of some sort of buoyant foam?
I have seen 2-piece wet suits, though.
But I've never worn a wetsuit buoyant enough that you could float.
Believe me....wet suit or not, I wouldn't shove off (I actually surf on a kayak these days) without my PFD (life jacket). The wetsuit just ain't gonna do it. >>



The "strap" you are all talking about is called a "beaver tail" . It is found on cold water wetsuit tops that are part of a two-piece combination suit. You would put on the bottom portion that covers the legs and chest, and is called a "farmer john". You put on the jacket piece, zip it up, and pull the "beaver tail" that is attatched to the top, through your crotch and secure it to the front of the top. It covers the groin and helps to hold the top in place. I have worn them many times.

I used to teach on the Northern CA coast in water from 45-55 degrees year round. Dry suits are the way to go with water that cold, but a properly layered 7mm suit with hood, booties, and gloves will do the trick. I used to wear a hooded vest, one piece 7mm oneil, booties, and gloves. I had to wear ~25-30lbs (with all my scuba gear on) just to be neutrally buoyant, had to exhale to sink.

 

[rh71]

<< I, unfortunately, am someone that still has to work to stay afloat even with a nice thick wetsuit. A shorty and I still sink like a rock. 140 lbs of mostly bone and muscle with very little fat or brains. >>



That's me... 148lbs of skin & bones... and I do sink quick... some people who float without treading water just don't understand...

 

[SpecialEd]

If you don't know how to swim, your not going to enjoy any activity that involves water that goes over your head. Trust me, i was a life guard for 5 years. Bad swimers have extremely bad water techinques. Flippers and a snorkel aren't going to teach you to tread water or surface dive to the bottom to explore the wonders of the deep. Realize that almost everyone probably breathes in more water with a snokel than without. They are an extreme false sense of security.

If you gonna go snokeling, do the life guard and yourself a favor and do it in shallow water, where you can stand on the bottom when you get tired. Trust me, i'll have a better time than in deep water.