Snorkel Equipment is a big part of snorkeling. Actually without it, you can not say you were snorkeling. I dont know what you would call it. That is just one question that we receive.
Our job is to make your snorkeling experience an enjoyable one and answering emails and the phone is part of our job. And I do have to giggle with some of the questions that we receive. Besides the common questions and comments about snorkel equipment, here is one of my favorites and I asked Roy to answer this. The common question is “Why am i so afraid of the ocean?”
It is quite common to have a “fear” of the ocean. It is huge and can be very intimidating. I am a scuba diver and did a lot of diving in lakes and freshwater bodies of water but it was a year before I did my first ocean snorkel trip with my new snorkel equipment.
I walked out onto the beach the first day and went “wow that’s big” (talking about the ocean not anything else LOL). You start thinking of things like how deep is it and what’s in there and until you actually go and do it, it can make you nervous. I have turned my fear into a healthy respect for the ocean and the more I snorkel it, the more respect I accrue.
The night before leaving for my ocean trip, I was too excited to sleep and ended up watching JAWS and JAWS II which really isn’t advisable before leaving for your first Ocean snorkel trip. When I got into the water though I was a little disappointed at not seeing a shark. I said “a little” disappointed mind you. I saw a lot of other neat critters thoughand am happy that I am one of those people who are able to explore the other 78% of this earth’s surface.
Find out the neat stuff about the ocean, grab your snorkeling mask and snorkel, begin to explore the shallow areas where you are comfortable. You will be surprised at some of the neat stuff you will see.
With summer upon us all, vacations are being planned. With the economy, well the way it is, drive vacations are very common. I came across this website that I would like to bring to your attention and could be valuable to all snorkelers in the Midwest.
In 1992 through 1997, Nancy Washburne drove in the spring, summer & fall, over a 1000 public access Michigan inland lakes and kept notes off every experience with detailed information of the vegatation, names of fish and the locations. Included with the print, she took over 80 hours of video in which PBS TV aired 3 programs, Michigan Out of Doors.
Another part of our job is to go on the internet and answer snorkeling questions that we find and we will now share some with you, as you may have the same questions.
Going snorkeling and Im not the best swimmer, should I be worried? I know how to swim, float, backstroke, etc. But Im not sure how to tread water. I have been snorkeling before, but never without a flotation device. Im worried about staying afloat. Should I be or is it not even a big deal? Will I figure it out, sink, drown, etc?
One thing that is in your favor is that people are more buoyant in salt water than they are in fresh water. I would suggest using a snorkeling vest which is different than a divers’ flotation device (called a BCD). The snorkeling vest is usually worn deflated while snorkeling and is orally inflated when the snorkeler needs to rest. It can be worn partially inflated as well. There is nothing wrong with wearing the snorkeling vest as I feel, even those that swim well should wear one. It adds to a higher degree of visibility in the water because of the color and lends a hand when a hand is needed. Read, Snorkeling Vests – How to Select the Right One.
Why am i so afraid of the ocean? I like the beach and i can sit in the really shallow bits, I’m fine in pools to ???
It is quite common to have a “fear” of the ocean. It is huge and can be very intimidating. I am a snorkeler and did a lot of snorkeling in lakes and freshwater bodies of water. The first time I went to the ocean, I walked out on to the beach the first day and went “wow that’s big” (talking about the ocean not anything else LOL). You start thinking of things like how deep and what’s in there and until you actually go and do it, it can make you nervous. I have turned my fear into a healthy respect for the ocean and the more I go into it, the more respect I accrue. The night before leaving for my ocean trip, I was too excited to sleep and ended up watching JAWS and JAWS II which really isn’t advisable before leaving for your first ocean snorkeling trip. When I got into the water though I was a little disappointed at not seeing a shark. I said a little disappointed, mind you. I saw a lot of other neat critters though and am happy that I am one of those people who are able to explore the other 78% of this earth’s surface.
SNUBA… have you heard of it? If you have traveled to a warm water destination or been on a cruise ship, you have seen or maybe experienced the SNUBA program. But for those that have not, SNUBA is Snorkeling & Scuba put together. “SNUBA was created for those who enjoy the simplicity of snorkeling and would like to experience the wonders of breathing underwater”, says SNUBA.com.
SNUBA divers can breathe underwater with a 20 foot hose and the air tank is on the surface of the boat. What else do you need? Your snorkel gear that includes a mask, fins and snorkel. Though you cant purchase this unit (as you need to be certificed in SCUBA to fill the tank), you can experience SNUBA through over 50 travel destinations and over 6 cruise lines that offer this program. Click to find a SNUBA destination.
View the video that shows travelers having fun on SNUBA.
Another part of our job is to go on the internet and answer snorkeling questions that we find and we will now share some with you, as you may have the same questions.
What are the types of marine life i will see from swimming from shore on beaches on the Riviera Maya?
The most common thing will be Yellowtail Snapper, you might see Turtles, Sea Anemone, Corals, Squirrel Fish, Parrot Fish, and occasional Grouper or two, Eels (green moray and spotted), Sea Cucumber. There are a couple of excellent waterproof books by Paul Humann that list a lot of the fish and marine life that you will see in the area, Reef Fish in a Pocket Guide,Reef Creatures in a Pocket Guide and there is the new Fish Flips Snorkeling Wrist Books that are quite useful also.
What is skin diving that is a water sport?
Actually there is a difference between a snorkeling and a skin diving. Snorkeling remains at the surface the entire time. They remain a snorkeler until they submerge on a breath hold dive. Snorkelers that go below the surface of the water are called skin divers. There is also more of a distinction being made nowadays between skin diving and free diving. People are starting to consider free diving more of an extreme form of skin diving.
Since I blog, of course I read other bloggers work. The best way to see what is going on in the world is to sign up for Google Alert. Put in your favorite keyword, like mine is snorkeling and bam, you get a list of blogs with snorkeling that is involved.
Not everyone is a blogger but there are times that you want to keep your travels in a journal so while you are gone, your family & friends can share your adventures. I came across this site, that I thought many would be interested in especially when you are on your snorkeling adventure. TravelBlog is a great way to log your history without having to invest in the time and money of your own blog.
What is the most cool about this site is their featured page which is on their front page. While I am writing this there is the travels of an Antarctica trip a China Adventure and and even a story of friendships. The tabs on the top of the page specifies the different continents/areas and if you click on the tab and move to the bottom of the page, you will see thousands of blogs that specify a country. And the forum is great to post your questions. What a great way to live the travel destination while in your pajamas and this is also great research for your next snorkeling adventure. Just type snorkeling in their search box and read all the snorkeling blogs. But before you pack your bags, read our article What You Should Know Before You Go. Have fun in your travels!
Not being a seafood lover (I prefer to look than eat) but scallops are very popular in the State of Florida and the Scallop season starts soon. Scallops are found in seagrass beds and normally no deeper than 4-10 feet. The more popular locations are along Florida’s west coast and even central Florida. Commercial harvest is not allowed but if you are between the ages of 16-65, all you need is a Florida saltwater fishing license to collect scallops. The limit is 2 gallons of scallops in the shell or 1 pint of scallop meat per person per day. What do you need? Mask, fins, snorkel & mesh bag (if you need equipment, just purchase a snorkeling package) and a diver down flag no matter if you are going by boat or by shore. Just Google scallop snorkeling in Florida and you will find a variety of boats for hire to take you to the locations.
Florida Sea Grant, Science Serving Floridas Coast has a great site with instructions, Recreational Harvesting of the Florida Bay Scallop for the beginner scallop hunter, along with scallop recipes. This sounds like great fun for the family! Please send us photos and would love to hear about your experience.
With summer upon us all, vacations are being planned. With the economy, well the way it is, drive vacations are very common. I came across this website that I would like to bring to your attention and could be valuable to all snorkelers in the Midwest. 
Since I blog, of course I read other bloggers work. The best way to see what is going on in the world is to sign up for Google Alert. Put in your favorite keyword, like mine is snorkeling and bam, you get a list of blogs with snorkeling that is involved. 
Not being a seafood lover (I prefer to look than eat) but scallops are very popular in the State of Florida and the Scallop season starts soon. Scallops are found in seagrass beds and normally no deeper than 4-10 feet. The more popular locations are along Florida’s west coast and even central Florida. Commercial harvest is not allowed but if you are between the ages of 16-65, all you need is a Florida saltwater fishing license to collect scallops. The limit is 2 gallons of scallops in the shell or 1 pint of scallop meat per person per day. What do you need? 
