What You Need To Know About Snorkeling?

Snorkeling is a thrilling underwater activity where you swim along the surface of the water with a mask, snorkel, and fins. To maximize your snorkeling experience, focus on three key aspects: snorkeling skills, best places to go snorkeling, and snorkeling gear.

To ensure a successful snorkeling trip, stay calm and relaxed, swim slowly, take deep, steady breaths, and avoid overanalyzing. Optimal conditions for snorkeling include calm, smooth seas, and a group with a tour guide. Ensure your goggles fit and learn to clear your snorkel of water using your remaining breath. Avoid touching anything, and avoid fogging your mask.

To avoid fogging, check your equipment (mask, snorkel, fins), breathe in, breathe out, and stay calm, and float without flailing. Remember to stay relaxed and calm, as you can wipe yourself out quickly if you are not careful. Only swim at a speed that allows you to breathe.

For beginners, follow a Snorkeling Guide from our team to find the best place to snorkel. Remember to stay calm and not overanalyze, as you can wipe yourself out quickly if you are not careful.

What is the trick to snorkeling?

Stay Relaxed and Reduce Effort. The key to a successful snorkeling trip is to stay calm and relaxed. Swim slowly, take deep steady breaths, try not to overanalyze and simply enjoy the experience.

Snorkeling is a fun activity and one of the easiest ways to peek into the underwater world. Unlike scuba diving, it requires no formal training, minimum equipment and is something almost anyone can try. That being said, poor first-time snorkeling experiences are pretty common. Anxiety, leaking or fogging mask, uncomfortable fins and water flooding your snorkel can all make the activity a bit miserable or even potentially dangerous for you. So here are a few tips that will help you avoid the most common beginner mistakes and enjoy snorkeling to the fullest.

A simple test to check the mask fit is to place it up against your face (without using the strap), suck gently through your nose and then let go of the mask. If it has made a good seal it will stick to your face for a couple of seconds. Don’t suck too hard as that will just distort the skirt and give it a false seal. A properly fitting mask will seal with a gentle touch. Then you can wear the mask with the strap behind your head and see how that feels. Try moving your face muscles. Check the strap release system.

As for the fins, they should fit snugly, without hurting your feet. Fins that are too loose are likely to cause chaffing and painful blisters or even fall off in the water. Start by choosing fin size based on your shoe size. Try the fins on and do the shake test. Sit down and shake your foot around in all directions. The fin should feel secure but not rubbing or pinching anywhere. If it feels too tight with no movement at all, you should try the next size up. If there is a lot of movement when you shake your foot, go down a size and start again. If you think you’re in between sizes, get a pair of neoprene or lycra socks to wear under your fins. They will add padding and eliminate uncomfortable rubbing.

What color should you not wear snorkeling?

Shark expert, George Burgess, refers to bright colored yellow as “yum, yum yellow,” to a shark. Since sharks see contrast colors, anything that is very bright against lighter or darker skin can look like a bait fish to a shark.

For this reason, he suggests swimmers avoid wearing yellow, white, or even bathing suits with contrasting colors, like black and white. Burgess suggested divers who wear wet suits with bright colors, switch to all black. “When I go diving, I wear black gloves with my black wet suit,” explained Burgess.

How to avoid a shark encounter. Burgess said anyone going into to the ocean should remember the following:

Never swim in the ocean between dusk and dawn, this is when sharks are more likely to be swimming close to our beaches for fish.

How do you breathe underwater with a snorkel?

So you can take your next breath. In don’t forget to keep a tight streamline off the wall. So you don’t lose the snorkel as you push off.

Can a non-swimmer do snorkelling?

This is one of the most common questions we get from people interested in diving or snorkeling for the first time. The answer is a big YES!

All introductory dive and snorkel programs are perfectly safe and specially designed for non swimmers but any type of diving certification would require basic swimming skills. The first and most important thing you need to realize is that our bodies are naturally buoyant (they float) and are unable to sink the way a rock would. Now that we have established that, we move on to look at the different types of activities that can be easily undertaken by a non swimmer.

Snorkeling involves the use of a diving mask that also covers your nose, attached to a long pipe (snorkel) from your mouth to the surface that allows you to breathe with your face turned down into the water. It is the easiest of activities that is enjoyed by divers, people who know how to swim as well as those who don’t. All our guided snorkeling activities involve the use of a ring buoy or life jacket to provide you additional buoyancy as well as a professional guide within an arm’s reach to swim for you and show you around the reef. This activity doesn’t involve going underwater and takes place on the surface.

All our introductory scuba diving programs such as a Try Dive or a PADI Discover Scuba Dive (DSD) are designed keeping non swimmers in mind. The program first involves putting on full scuba gear and training with your designated instructor in shallow chest deep water, till you are comfortable. You will be wearing a diving mask, fins and a scuba kit that consists of a full tank of compressed air, a regulator that allows you to breathe that air and a Buoyancy Control Device jacket that serves as your additional buoyancy on the surface. This underwater activity is tailored to your comfort level and if you don’t know how to swim, your instructor will be swimming for you on your dive. You are accompanied by an experienced PADI certified instructor at all times in water and can rely on him/her for your safety.

How to go deeper when snorkeling?

Breath-hold Diving. Breath-hold diving is an exciting technique that allows you to explore deeper underwater areas without scuba gear. To master breath-hold diving, practice proper breathing techniques, such as exhaling completely before diving and inhaling slowly and deeply. Additionally, practice equalizing your ears to prevent barotrauma.

By increasing your breath-holding capacity, you can dive underwater and immerse yourself even deeper in the underwater world, getting closer to coral reefs and marine life, almost as if you could breathe underwater. Just remember to always dive with a buddy and be aware of your surroundings for safety.

Equalizing Ear Pressure. Equalizing ear pressure is an essential technique to prevent discomfort and pain in your ears while diving. There are several methods for equalizing ear pressure, such as:

How long can you stay underwater with a snorkel?

Conclusion. How long you can snorkel underwater with a full face snorkel mask depends on a number of factors, the quality and fit of your face mask, the weather conditions, currents & swell, your snorkelling experience, how comfortable you are in the water and your overall fitness level. In most cases, we don’t recommend diving underwater for any more than 2 minutes with a full face snorkel. Even if you are an experienced snorkeler who is going out in perfect conditions, we don’t recommend diving for more than 2 minutes. Remember, snorkels are designed to be used floating above the water, with only limited time to be spent actually underwater.

Passionate about the ocean & its beauty, John has been a passionate Snorkeler for over 10 years. Educating people on snorkelling techniques and equipment.

Is snorkeling hard for beginners?

But the idea of snorkeling can be daunting, especially for those who haven’t tried it yet. The good news is, learning how to snorkel is not difficult. Yes, I repeat, it’s not difficult.Below we have listed some simple stepson how to snorkel and some snorkel tips to help you with your snorkeling experience!

• Here’s how to snorkel. Use a mask and snorkel that fitsproperlyTry your mask on and check if the straps fit on you. If not, then adjust the strap but don’t overtighten it. You might want to immerse your head underwater to ensure there are no leaks. If you have bad eyesightor perhaps you’re using corrective lenses or contact lenses, you can use a prescription-adjusted mask if it is available to you. Here’s a trick totest if your mask fitsproperly: Hold your mask onto your face without using the straps and simply breathe in through your nose. If the mask stays in place, that means you have a mask that properly fits to your face.
• Seal the snorkel mouthpieceBefore emerging in the water,place your lips aroundthe mouthpiece of the snorkel and make sure that your leaps seal around it. This will help ensure that water does not leak into the snorkel.
• Now float!Slowly, submerge in the water, float, and let your stomach lay flat on the surface of the water. Place your head in the water at about a 45-degree angle. Make sure the end of the snorkel tube will not immerse in the water while you snorkel. We highly recommend a dry snorkel with a purge valve to help keep water out of your snorkel. With the purge valve, if water does get inside the snorkel, it can easily be cleared out without even taking your head out of the water.
• Breathe in, breath out, relaxUsing your mouth, breathe in and out through the tube. And remember, just relax. Feel your breathing and be mindful of it. No need to panic at all. Float and let your feet direct you. Enjoy your snorkeling experience!

No doubt, snorkeling is a fun, relaxing activity. And learning how to snorkel is pretty simple. But you might come to some trouble while snorkeling. For example, your mask might get fogged up, or water might have gotten into the snorkel tube. These things can cause you to panic which can then lead to other serious problems. Hence, we want to avoid these experiences and to know what to do if they do happen. Below we listed 10 helpful tips for first time snorkelers:

What are the basics of snorkeling?

We’ve compiled a few things to remember on your first time snorkeling.Don’t go alone. … Make sure your goggles fit. … Make sure your fins fit too! … Snorkeling is more floating than swimming. … Make sure to keep your snorkel above water. … Relax. … Don’t touch anything.

Snorkeling is a fun way to escape the everyday “above-water” views of the island so you can get an unforgettable view of the underwater wildlife the area has to offer. We have several snorkeling excursions that offer stunning views of everything from sea turtles to coral reefs and interesting underwater habitats. However, if this is your first time, it’s smart to study up on tips and tricks to make your first Virgin Islands snorkeling excursion the best that it can be. We’ve compiled a few things to remember on your first time snorkeling.

• Don’t go alone. It is always best if you can go with a group and a tour guide on your first ever snorkeling trip. You never know what kind of interesting issues could come up, including muscle cramps, feeling panicked, leaky gear…so make your first trip safe and memorable by going with someone who is an experienced snorkel guide.
• Make sure your goggles fit. You think that’s a no-brainer, right? Well, getting equipment that is fitted properly will help a lot. Your mask should seal perfectly in place when you wear it, it should not move, and no water should be seeping in on the sides. Adjust the straps on the back of the mask if water is still making its way in when fully submerged. If your mask gets too tight when you are making these adjustments, ask your tour guide if you can try on a larger mask. Basically, there should be an airtight seal and you should be able to see everything around you very clearly while maintaining a great level of comfort. If the mask is too tight, it can hurt after a while (and you want to be out there for hours having fun).
• Make sure your fins fit too! Speaking of gear fitting right, take our advice and make sure those fins fit nice and snug as well. If you have to curl your toes to make the fins fit, get a larger size and see how that feels. When your fins are too large, they can give you blisters on the top of your feet, which is NO fun. Many of our tours visit ecological sensitive areas where fins are prohibited, but if you are snorkeling with fins (or “flippers” as some call them), the right size will make your first snorkeling trip so much more enjoyable.
• Snorkeling is more floating than swimming. It might be surprising to some, but you really aren’t “swimming” a lot when you are snorkeling. You are mostly floating and skimming across the top of the water, looking down. It’s really smart to find a small body of water to “practice” in before you hit the larger bodies of water. More advanced snorkelers can hold their breath, dive down deep, and then “blow out” their snorkel when they get back to the top. This is a more advanced move that will come in time, but on your first snorkeling trip we suggest just skimming and floating and enjoying all that is beneath you.
• Make sure to keep your snorkel above water. Again, another no brainer. Sometimes explorers forget that they are snorkeling, and they dive too far down. You might see something really cool and then have the desire to get closer, but trust us – breathing in water will put your trip to a pretty fast halt. Again, there is a tactic that you can use where you hold your breath, dive under the surface, and then let out a really large breath to “blow out” your snorkel when you get to the top. This is a more advanced tactic, but feel free to practice this on your first trip out! If you have a guide, ask them for some pointers.
• Relax. Hey – just relax. Sometimes first-timers will panic a bit, and that will cause you to over-exert yourself and wear out too quickly. Snorkeling is a really safe way to enjoy your vacation, and you will find that the more you relax and let yourself glide through the water, the more enjoyable time you will have. Feeling a bit panicky? That’s okay! Just talk to your guide or someone from your group. If you follow lesson #1, you will always have this option if you’re starting to get a little scared.
• Don’t touch anything. It seems crazy that you shouldn’t touch anything, but it’s true. The oils on our skin can hurt the delicate ecosystem, so it’s best to be a passive observer of this underwater world. Stay away from touching coral, fish, sea turtles, or anything else, really. We love being respectful to nature, and you’ll leave your first snorkeling trip feeling as though you were PART of the ecosystem.

Keep these tips in mind when you’re snorkeling the Virgin Islands. If you forget any of them, don’t worry! We have trained professionals who will take care of any issues or questions you may have while on your excursion. Take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy yourself!

What not to touch while snorkeling?

Don’t Touch Coral While Snorkeling. The corals are absolutely breathtaking. No matter how robust they may seem on the outside, they are incredibly fragile. Whenever someone touches the corals with their hands, they unintentionally disrupt the protective mucous layer that contains its microbiome, similar to the one we have in our gut. Inflicting damage or removing the coral’s mucous layer can severely hamper its health and well-being.

Even though corals may seem like stones or plants, they are actually the homes of fragile invertebrates. These colonies are easily damaged, so standing on them or touching them is a big NO!

Avoid standing on corals even if you’re tired of swimming. Rather, rest on your back and float for a short while until you regain the strength to move again.

How far underwater do you go when snorkeling?

The average snorkeler can swim down 3-4 meters (12-15 feet). Experienced snorkelers may reach 7 meters (25 feet). By comparison, experienced divers can explore down to 40 meters (130 feet).

Both scuba diving and snorkeling are excellent activities for anyone who enjoys seeing marine life in its natural environment. The main difference between snorkeling and scuba diving is the air supply. Breathing from a scuba tank allows you to stay underwater longer and dive deeper, but it requires additional training.

If you enjoy snorkeling and are curious about scuba diving, read on! Even if you don’t like snorkeling, you should still keep reading. You don’t have to like one to enjoy the other.

Difference #1: Air Supply. Scuba divers carry tanks on their backs (or alongside their bodies) and draw air from the tank via a mouthpiece attached to a sturdy hose. Snorkelers, by contrast, breathe air from the surface through a tube.

What skills do you need for snorkeling?

Swimming. Safety is the primary rule of snorkeling. First, of course, you’ll need basic swimming skills to stay afloat, move through the water and keep going for a while. If you’re not confident in your swimming skills, take a basic class or wear a floatation device like a snorkeling vest or water noodle. Above all, never snorkel alone; emergencies can arise quickly and you may need a buddy. If you’re just starting, try snorkeling off the beach where you can stand up and rest a bit before continuing on. Snorkeling in shallow, sandy areas will also let you get the swing of entry and exit from the water and management of your equipment more easily.

Gear. Basic snorkeling gear consists of a mask or goggles, snorkel tube and fins. However, this simple trio comes in a mind-boggling range of styles, prices and sizes. Keep in mind that you’ll be mainly concerned with fit; no one wants to be in the middle of a thrilling Key West snorkeling adventure and find themselves with a constantly leaking mask, lost fins or endless mouthfuls of water. An occasional leak in the mask or snout full of water is inevitable, but with properly fitted gear, you’ll minimize these problems.

First Attempt. When starting out, get your gear on and try it out first in a swimming pool or sandy-bottomed beach with a good shallow area. This way, it’s easier to learn to relax while breathing through the snorkel with your face down in the water. Make sure your mask is free of fog and is on snugly – not too loose or too tight around the eyes and nose. Adjust the height and angle of your snorkel and make sure it’s comfortable where it attaches to the mask strap and doesn’t break the mask seal around your face. Once your face is in the water, practice purging your snorkel by blowing hard into the mouthpiece, forcing water out the top.