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Learn How To SnorkelLearning how to snorkel is actually pretty easy, once you get past your body's very sane disbelief in your ability to stick your face in the water and breathe. While it may feel daunting at first, there are some wonderful surprises about snorkeling that make it both easier and more fun than it may first appear. First, you may not realize it, but floating in salt-water is ridiculously easy, even effortless. The high salt content means that your body will float much higher than in fresh-water, and you will not have to try to stay afloat. And the fins make it much easier to swim. The most important trick to almost everything with learning how to snorkel, is learning how to relax in the water. Relax your body, and relax your breathing. The next most important thing is to keep aware of your surroundings! And what a joy it is to learn how to snorkel. Not only are the underwater sights just simply mind blowing, but also floating easily in salt-water is a revelation akin to flying in your sleep. It is very freeing. Now, as for the basics of how to snorkel, I could not do much better in telling you than to have you watch this video by Simon Bell, a professional snorkeling and diving instructor. VideoJug: How To Snorkel Safely And Successfully What a great video! So here are our added comments. Take note, we are not trained instructors. We are just going to tell you some of the things we have learned, but go into the water at your own risk. Unlike Simon in the video, we don't use wetsuits, probably because we snorkel in warmer waters. But we do often wear lightweight long sleeve skins, that are very thin and stretchy. They provide a tiny bit of warmth, but mostly we use them as sun protection. We also do not use any flotation devices, but you should if you feel the need. Probably the most important thing we have learned over the years is to get a correctly fitted face mask. When a mask fits correctly it will not leak (or not much), and you will not have to have it on very tight. If after an hour of snorkeling you come out with big red marks on your face, your mask is probably too tight. We have found that if our masks are leaking it is more often because they are too tight than too loose. And as far as your snorkel goes, we really like the ones that have a self-sealing valve on the top. These are a little different than just a splash guard. When you dive underwater the valve closes on the top so that your snorkel tube does not fill with water. When you come up, it opens. Ours have worked well. If you don't dive, you don't really need this. But we would recommend that your snorkel does have at least a splash guard. Also make sure the mouth piece is very comfortable with no hard spots. Silicone is best. The next most important thing is getting fins that are neither too tight, nor too loose. Many fins available are made with hard plastics. We greatly prefer all rubber fins. After kicking around for an hour or two, or even a week, any little hard spots that rub on your feet are going to turn into painful sores. This can happen because the fins are too tight or loose, and because the materials and fit are not correct for your feet. We prefer simple fins that go completely around your feet, covering our heels. But you could also wear booties, and have an open heel fin. Either way, it is important to have full protection around your feet when you are entering and leaving the water (you don't want an urchin spine in your foot, and coral is also very sharp). Once you have those basic tools, your mask, snorkel and fins, then it just takes practice. When learning, by all means start in a swimming pool. And one of the great things about snorkeling is that if you get uncomfortable you can just pop your head out of the water and take a break. Why not take a local class? Most dive shops offer beginning snorkeling classes in swFirst, you may not realize it, but floating in salt-water is ridiculously easy, even effortless. The high salt content means that your body will float much higher than in fresh-water, and you will not have to try to stay afloat. And the fins make it much easier to swim. OK! Ready to get in the water and learn some more snorkeling tips about wave sets?
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