Snorkel Buying Guide

You need a good snorkel. Here we give you our advice from years of experience on what types work best (we buy new ones almost every trip to test them out). There are a decent number of options and things to consider. The comfort of your snorkel is very important. So make sure and get one that is a good fit for your mouth size, body size, and activities.

First let's just look at the basics. Your snorkel is how you breathe with your face stuffed in the water. It has a mouthpiece that is soft and comfortable and that seals out any water. It attaches to the side of your face mask strap, and will allow you to breathe in a variety of head positions common to snorkeling.

Flexible Purge
The next level up of a snorkel has a partial flexible silicone tube and will most often have a purge valve. Both of these are nice features that I describe more below.

Benefits of a Flexible Tube
A snorkel with a flexible tube below the strap attachment point is often more comfortable than a single piece of hard tube. A snorkel with a flexible tube also has the advantage that when you are above water and don't have the snorkel in your mouth, it will flip out of your way. I have also found that a flexible tube gives me the ability to fine tune the angle between the snorkel tube and my mouthpiece better because I can rotate them separately, top and bottom.

Benefits of a Snorkel Purge Valve
This is a common feature of a many snorkels. Basically the snorkel will have a sump area where any water that has come down the tube will collect (it is lower than your mouth and keeps small amounts of water from entering your mouth). And there is a purge valve at the bottom of this sump area. So when you go to blow out and clear your snorkel, most of the water quickly shoots out the bottom of the snorkel, instead of having to be blown out the top. It takes much less effort. Generally I think these are an excellent feature, but they do very rarely have a failure.

Semi Dry Snorkel
A semi-dry snorkel has a splash guard on the top, and will most often have a flexible tube and a purge valve.

Benefits of a Snorkel Splash Guard
This is simply a guard that prevents splashed water and spray from easily entering the tube. Each company has their own method of protecting the opening. This is a worthwhile feature to have. Choking on water is not fun. A splash guard will not stop water from entering when you go underwater or if a good sized wave covers your snorkel.

Dry Snorkel
This is the kind of snorkel we like to use. Old dry snorkels used to have lots of problems. They would not seal effectively. They would stop air coming in at weird times. But more modern designs have cured most of those problems and we have found these to be the most comfortable snorkels to use. Particularly since I freedive often to take pictures, I enjoy not having my snorkel fill with water each time.

Benefits of a Dry Valve
A dry snorkel has a special valve on top of the tube that completely seals out all water (and air) when a wave comes over, or when you dive underwater. That way you don't have to clear them when you come back to the surface. When done right, this is a great feature.

Our second favorite is the extremely well loved Oceanic Ultra Dry Snorkel (pictured at right). It is not the cheapest, but it is considered one of the best snorkels for snorkelers. It has a unique dry valve that is weighted and uses a silicone seal instead of the more common styrofoam seals by other companies. The benefit of the weighted valve is that when you inhale strongly, the non-weighted valves will sometimes be sucked closed, preventing air intake. This has happened to me a number of times (very unpleasant). The foam seals on other brands also don't last very long, as compared to the silicone seal on the Oceanic Ultra Dry Snorkel. They also make a version of it called the Mini that has a smaller mouthpiece, but uses the same tube. Good for kids and adults with smaller mouths.

And if you are buying more than just a snorkel, try to find a snorkel set with the above snorkel in it to save money.

Mouthpiece Material
Just like with your diving mask, silicone is the best option for your mouthpiece material (instead of plastic). It is much more comfortable, flexible, and longer lasting.

Removable/Replaceable Mouthpieces
I have never needed to replace one, but if you tend to chew on your mouthpiece, then being able to replace it would be a real benefit instead of having to buy an entirely new snorkel.

Mask Strap Clips
Some snorkels are very basic, and to remove your mask from your snorkel can be a small chore (a very common task when putting your equipment away). Higher end snorkels now have a quick release system where one part stays on your mask, and it quickly attaches and detaches from your mask. I would not consider this feature a deal breaker.

Big Person vs. Small Person
Besides a smaller person needing a smaller mouthpiece for comfort, a small person may also need a smaller diameter snorkel tube. The reason for this is because as a smaller person exhales, they don't have the lung capacity to drive all of their exhaled breath out of a large diameter tube. They will then be re-breathing their exhaled gases, which will increase their difficulty breathing. And of course, a big person trying to breathe through a small tube is also a problem.

Kid-Sized Snorkel
It is important for the reasons stated above for kids to have a kid-sized snorkel. They have smaller mouthpieces, a smaller diameter tube, and a shorter tube. Although it may at first appear like using an adult snorkel would not be a problem, in fact they have difficulty breathing with a large diameter tube. Additionally, a larger snorkel is more difficult to push through the water when swimming, which is tiring for a small mouth.

Snorkeling Snorkel vs. Diving Snorkel
Divers often want simpler snorkels that are sometimes smaller, lighter, and shorter than a snorkeler would prefer. And there are some specific snorkels made for divers. Don't get one of those.

Freediving & Dry Snorkel Collapse
If you freedive, and use a dry snorkel, don't be surprised if your soft silicone mouthpiece, and the flexible tube suddenly collapse once you reach about fifteen to twenty feet. That is because your tube is full of air, and the water pressure squeezes the tube. It is not really a problem, but it is a surprise the first time it happens. If you don't enjoy this maybe consider a snorkel that does not have the dry valve, because when there is water in the tube that won't happen.

Hydrodynamics
One thing that you might consider when buying a snorkel is that it is not too bulky, and that it is streamlined to go through the water easily. Because your mouth will start to get tired when you are swimming for an hour or more, pushing that snorkel through the water. The easier it goes through the water the better. Avoid gimmick snorkel products that have large surface area for this reason (like the ones that have two tubes, one for exhale, one for inhale, doubling the size of the snorkel surface area).

Continue to our Snorkeling Fins Guide

Return to our main page on Snorkeling Equipment