A Beginners Guide To Snorkeling
Snorkeling continues to enjoy immense popularity as a recreational activity. It is an offshoot of the more seriously dangerous swimming sport of scuba diving. Snorkeling is a safe and fun activity when precautions are observed properly.
Foremost of them is never to swim alone. No matter how calm the waters are or how safe everything looks, a person can never tell when an unforeseen emergency may arise that requires the help of a buddy who can call for help immediately or render assistance within seconds. Swimmers who had just learned to swim can often get overconfident and when leg cramps develop, they panic and might drown if expert help is not nearby.
Snorkel Guide Surrounded by Fish
Adults who are not expert swimmers can snorkel and still enjoy the beauty of the sea underneath the surface. Snorkeling is particularly a fun thing to do for kids but they need close supervision to do that.
It is one way for kids to learn the various living things underneath the waves. Living things like small fishes, coral reefs, starfishes, and mollusks are the usual underwater life snorkelers can see in tropical waters.
There are also highly recommended dive resorts for the serious swimmers and divers who want to go into deeper waters and see more exotic marine life. But beyond a certain depth, snorkeling is no longer advisable since the ocean’s bottom can no longer be seen clearly.
Some Safety Precautions
Any activity whether on land or in the water should be done with safety foremost in the mind. This makes the activity worthwhile and more enjoyable. Snorkeling is a simple activity that requires the snorkeler to at least know how to float and swim on the surface of the water.
Using swim-fins can greatly improve swimming. The only other requirement besides that one is to know how to breathe via the snorkel using the mouth instead of the nose. Breathing through the mouth can be taught very easily but is important enough to prevent the snorkeler from instinctively breathing through the nose which might fog the mask or create a drowning sensation when the little air in the mask runs out.
Snorkeling Tour Guide
It is advisable not to take a dip in the ocean when one has just eaten since the digestion of the recent meal requires the body to pump more blood towards the stomach to hasten the digestive process.
This physiological reflex takes blood away from the limbs especially the legs and is the primary cause of swimmers’ cramps. This is very painful and can cause even an expert swimmer to sometimes overreact and panic.
Wait for an hour or two before taking that plunge in the sea. Cramps are also caused by colder waters hence it is recommended to wear a swimsuit that preserves body heat. Hypothermia is a real threat when swimming and snorkeling for extended periods of time.
Perhaps the most sensible advice is to wear a life jacket or an inflatable vest to guard against any untoward accidents. These vests are usually colored bright yellow or dark orange that makes the wearer easily visible to probable rescuers. When snorkeling in tropical resort destinations, always check out the local weather.
Swimming in off-seasons can be dangerous when the weather suddenly turns ugly without any warning. It could be sunny in the morning but storm clouds can gather in a very short time and makes the swimmer unprepared for strong waves and reduced visibility.
Marine Biodiversity
Snorkeling affords the swimmer a chance to view marine life in all its beauty by just skimming the surface of the water. This also affords the snorkeler a degree of safety by not subjecting him to the dangers of swimming deeper.
Diving has its risks and should best be done by professionals only. Snorkelling is best done in shallow waters just a few feet deep rather than venturing out much farther into the sea or ocean. Nothing can be gained by swimming into deeper waters since a snorkeler cannot see more than a few feet down into the sea’s bottom anyway.
A professional dive instructor can give helpful hints on what to look for in the local waters such as unique specimens of marine life endemic to the locality.
The dive instructor can also give warnings on what to look out for such as dangerous jellyfish, sharks or sea urchins that can turn a dreamy water vacation into a disaster. It is best to follow warnings about strong underwater currents or tow that can drag a swimmer so far out into the sea.
Snorkeling Equipment
Getting started in the hobby of snorkeling may be a bit easy for most swimmers, as long as you know how to swim and use the snorkel. However, an expert’s opinion from tour guides, expert divers, and professional swimmers might prove to be more helpful than we expect it to be.
Numerous tour shops, dive shops, and beach resorts also offer instructional sessions that tackle basic guidelines in using basic snorkeling gears, significant safety precautionary rules, and even protecting delicate underwater organisms and habitats. In the same way that it is much safer to cross the street holding hands with friends, it is also much more advisable to do snorkeling with at least a buddy or a companion.
Snorkeling fins and snorkel Set
The snorkel, a long J-shaped tube with a mouthpiece, is the primary gear for snorkeling. Snorkels are usually similar to the tubes and mouthpieces used in scuba diving, except that they are lighter, handier, and more comfortable to use.
Snorkels are either made of rubber or of plastic. Snorkels allow the swimmers to breathe air even when their mouths and noses, their breathing organs, are submerged underwater. More modern versions of the snorkels already have valves.
Snorkels’ tubes are usually up to forty centimeters or fifteen inches long. The snorkel is attached by a rubber strip to the diving mask, which prevents nasal breathing or breathing through the nose, thus allowing the swimmer to breathe through the snorkel.
Find the best snorkel mask you Could Find
For interested buyers of snorkels and other snorkeling gears, you may check out www.ifsogo.com. Dubbed as the Travel Accessories Superstore, it offers travel accessories and essentials that are really must-haves for all your holiday getaways.
It has a special section dedicated particularly to kids. The Kids Zone section promotes children’s beach shoes, beach sunglasses, and lotion for children’s sun protection. For snorkeling enthusiasts, this site features different snorkeling sets, snorkeling fins, swimming earplugs, and even snorkel kit bags that may come in handy for your next snorkeling adventure.