Snorkels are designed to allow the user to breathe while keeping their face under the water. In order for this to happen, the mouthpiece end needs to be in the mouth and the non mouthpiece end of the tube needs to remain above the waterline. Should the entire snorkel go below the waterline, one of two things will happen:

1. An open end snorkel or semi-dry snorkel will fill with water, cutting off the access of air to the user.

2. A dry snorkel will close off the top portion of the snorkel meaning that no water will get in but again the access to the air at the surface is cut off to the user.

For more information on how to chose a snorkel, read Snorkels, Select the Right One.

Boat that aground off Kahe Point successfully removed… this article is about the winds that picked up in Hawaii and pushed the sailboat towards the shore and left the snorkelers behind.

This reminds me of the time we were on a snorkeling boat in Turks & Caicos and having a great time. We were suppose to be in the water for an hour and then we were to go to a beach for a picnic lunch. Well when we turned around to go back to the boat, it was gone. I laughed but there was many who were in the verge of panic. And all of a sudden the theme of “Jaws” was playing. We could see the shore but it was far and I am making excuses for the captain of the boat, he had an emergency at home or he went to get the lunches and wanted for us to continue to play in the water… so everyone calmed down and we continued to have fun. We figured that someone will see us eventually since there was at least 10 of us in bright yellow jackets and a boat would be coming by soon.

A boat did happen to drive by (2 hours later) and picked us up but it was not our original boat or our captain… it seems that our captain fell asleep (which is a HUGE NO NO) and the line that was tied to the mooring, came untied and the boat drifted off.

Whenever you find your self in a non-planned situation, DO NOT PANIC… and everything will turn out fine.

It is that time of the year that so many people are on their snorkeling vacation or a vacation with a little snorkeling. Either way it is important for you to take care of your snorkel equipment so when the next time you use it, your snorkel equipment takes care of you and your family.

Although the following is important after each snorkel adventure, it is more important that before you put away your snorkel gear in your closet or your garage, that you carefully know how to clean your snorkel equipment which includes your snorkeling vests.

The most important aspect of clean snorkel gear is USE FRESH WATER TO RINSE, repeat with fresh water and repeat again. This is the case whether your snorkeling adventures took you into salt or fresh waters. I want you to start reading our snorkel guide, Snorkeling Gear, Care & Maintenance which will cover all topics for keeping your gear clean.

If you just used your snorkel, here is how to Snorkels, Clean it and Store. And for your Fins, Clean & Store, and for your mask, click to Masks, Clean & Store. For those who use a snorkeling vest, we also have a topic on Snorkeling Vests, Clean & Store and we even have a topic on Snorkel Equipment Bags and Wetsuits & Lycra Suits.

It is important to take care of your snorkeling equipment because if you dont, you will be purchasing new snorkel gear before your next trip at SnorkelingOnline.com.  Please email us or call us on our toll free, 877-460-9515 if you have any questions, we are here to help.

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.