I had someone email me and tell me that when they go snorkeling, sometimes they get a cramp in their foot while snorkeling. They wanted to know how to avoid this.

I told them there their maybe a couple of reasons  may be a couple of reasons why you are cramping up while using fins.

1. You may have fins that are too small. If you are using full foot fins and you have wide feet or high arches, you will usually cramp up in the arch of the foot or the front part of the foot. If that is the case then I would suggest getting a more correct size or switching to strap fins.

2. Another answer could be that the blade portion of the fins you are using may be too stiff. Snorkelers use fins that have a reasonable degree of flexibility in the blade area to help reduce stress on the calf and thigh area of the user. The stiffer the blade, the greater the chance for cramping.

3. Or maybe you may be using improper kicking or kicking too hard.. When using fins the legs should be kept as straight as possible and the kick should be more from the hip rather than below the knee. If your knees bend when you are kicking then you are kicking too hard. Here is a video of a good example of a good snorkeling fin kick.

4. You may be low on potassium in which case bananas or avocados will help in that respect.

Here is a good article on How to Select the Right Snorkeling Fins.

We often get asked a lot of questions and quite intelligent ones. How can I stay underwater longer was the most recent and so I went to go and research the answer.

I found a website about How to Hold to Hold Your Breath Longer that incorporates breathing exercises. You can also hold your breath longer by a process called hyperventilation. This involves taking 3 or 4 quick breaths in succession immediately before you go underwater. Place emphasis on your exhales by blowing as much air out of your lungs as possible. The last inhale before descending should be as deep as possible.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the gas that we need in order to trigger the brain to initiate the response to inhale. CO2 is the byproduct that results when the body metabolizes the Oxygen (O2) The body needs the CO2 to reach a certain level before it is triggered. Doing the forceful exhalations you are trying to get as much CO2 out of your lungs as possible. This extends the breath- hold by tricking the brain into thinking it doesn’t need to breathe.

I learned it eons ago and have taught it to a countless number of Scuba Divers and Snorkelers. I teach for Visibility Unlimited and it is extremely important that no more than 4 breaths be used because excess hyperventilation can cause you to pass out or experience what is called “Shallow Water Blackout“. Here is a link to an article I found on shallow water blackout. Being able to hold your breath longer in warm water than in cold water, is because your body works harder in colder water.

While most of us might know how to wear a snorkeling vest, there might be some who never even seen a snorkeling vest and this is why we made this video. We hope you enjoy it. Oh and the actor is Roy (actually not an actor) but many of you know him for answering our phones and answering many of your snorkel gear questions. Enjoy!

At SnorkelingOnline.com we LOVE having fun and that includes when we make our videos. We offer over 50 videos and continue to add more on a weekly basis. Click on our snorkeling video categories and sit back and enjoy todays video which is about Underwater Communications.

Snorkels not only help you breathe while you are in the water but it also helps you conserve energy so you do not have to constantly lift your head out of the water to talk. SnorkelingOnline.com has put a video to show you, the snorkelers, how to communicate with your snorkel buddy. We like to add humor in our videos so we hope you enjoy it.

We get this question all the time and the answer? It depends on the child. Taking the little one to the pool first and introducing them to snorkeling is the first step. Make sure they have all the proper fitting snorkel gear, mask, fins, snorkel & snorkeling vest.

Here is a video that you should review first before the little one uses a snorkeling mask, How To Size for a Good Fitting Snorkeling Mask.

Next, you want to make sure the kids snorkeling vest fits and make sure you that it is partially inflated at all times while they are in the water. Most of the snorkeling vests have locking rings so the kids can not deflate the vest to easily. Here is a video to show you how to wear the snorkeling vest.

Because the ocean is so big, be prepared and understand that if they chicken out when they see the ocean. This is very common so dont force the child, take it slow. When you do get them in the ocean they also may be a little intimidated by what they see as some of the fish maybe “ugly” or “big”. Before you go in the water, review with them the underwater creatures they might see. There are wrist ids, waterproof books & cards that you can do in advance or while you are in the water.

It goes without saying, that adult supervision is always required when children are in or near water. Teach your kids good habits, how we never touch anything underwater and the beauty will be there when your kids have kids.

I forgot I had this video and I cracked up laughing again, after I watched it. I had the pleasure of taking 2 new snorkelers (who have never been in the water before) and I had a blast teaching them to snorkel.

As I follow them around with my video, in their brand new snorkel equipment both were so amazed with the underwater world, they were not paying attention to where they were going and BAMMMM… they crash. (no one was hurt.)

Now most have said that I did not warn them since I saw it coming but to tell the truth, it happened so fast that I didnt have the chance. The only thing I am sorry is that I did not let the video continue to run because the 3 of us laughed so hard… well after day one, they never crashed again.

Coast Guard searches Puerto Rico waters & beaches for missing fisherman.

Headlines like this scare us all and we are immediately saddened for his family. The missing 71 year old man who reportedly had gone out snorkeling and fishing and never returned home.

The U.S. Coast Guard released some safety tips to remember before and after snorkeling or diving:

We often get asked about used snorkel equipment, like my snorkeling mouthpiece is broken, should I buy a new one? Well that depends. Is the mouthpiece on your snorkel replaceable? If the answer is no, unfortunately you need to purchase a new snorkel. The tabs on the snorkel mouthpiece keep the mouthpiece in your mouth and without the tabs, it is extremely difficult. When you purchase your next snorkel, read the description to make sure that the mouthpiece is replaceable. Another tip is to make sure that your snorkel is made of silicone versus rubber.

Notice Photo A does not have a replaceable snorkel mouthpiece whereas in Photo B, the snorkel mouthpiece is replaceable.

Read more at Snorkels, Select the Right One.