A purge valve is a simple one-way valve that helps to expel water they may have gotten into the snorkel mask. It is located at the base of the nose piece of the mask skirt. It is activated by simply exhaling through the nose while the snorkel mask with purge valve is in place. The air that rises to the top of the snorkel mask and ends up pushing the water out.  Avoid forceful exhalation when using the purge valve because air can also escape or break the seal at the top of mask. If you find that your exhaling too hard, hold the snorkel mask firmly to your face with one hand.  A snorkel mask with purge valve is a nice feature that really is not necessary for snorkeling. Scuba divers actually are the ones that find purge valves more beneficial.

There are several reasons for using a snorkel vest while you are snorkeling. One of the more important reasons is because water is 800 times denser than air. Moving through this denser environment requires more energy as compared to moving through an air environment.

Because you are having so much fun in the water, you are focused on the stuff you are seeing in the water that overexertion can creep up on you without you noticing it. The snorkel vest allows you the opportunity to rest and relax and recover from an overexertion situation. By simply adding enough air to the snorkel vest will help to offset any negative buoyancy which, in turn, allows you the opportunity of not having to kick to stay at the surface.   Once rested you can continue on at a slower pace. Ideally, the snorkel vest is meant to be worn totally deflated adding air only when it is needed. Some snorkelers prefer to have a little bit of air in the snorkel vest the entire time and this is true for people who are considered “sinkers” when they are in the water. Should the snorkeler want to go beneath the water to see something closer, they would deflate the snorkel vest before diving down. People who are not strong swimmers will benefit  by the use of a snorkel vest. A snorkel vest should be a requirement for all children.

The fully developed human head, without hair, weighs anywhere between 8 to 12 pounds (3.5 to 5.5 kilograms). Click here for the source of my knowledge. Using a snorkel essentially saves on energy. Rather than having to lift 8 to 12 pounds out of the water every time you need to take a breath, the snorkel allows you to rest your head in the water. Bet you did not know that!

This question is one that I heard many times throughout the years that I have been in the business. The answer is 99.9% of the time it can usually be attributed to the snorkelers kick. Snorkeler’s need to learn, understand and develop proper fan kicks. The snorkeler’s legs should be as straight as possible with their kicking and should be more from the hip rather than from the knees. Kick should be slow and wide in an up and down motion which is called a flutter kick. Improper kicking with the snorkeling fins can look as if the person is riding a bicycle or trying to crawl across the floor.

If you find that you’re bending your knees during the proper flutter kick, it is a sign that you are kicking too hard and you need to slow your kick down. To make your snorkeling adventure more enjoyable, please wear your snorkeling fins.

The better quality snorkel masks all have “tempered glass” lenses. The reason for this is that tempered glass is more scratch resistant than plastic and when it breaks, it shatters in relatively harmless pieces of glass rather than larger jagged pieces. A snorkel mask with tempered glass lenses is also suitable for scuba diving because it is more resistant to water pressure. Use of tempered glass is not solely restricted to a snorkel mask but can also be found in car windshields, glass shower enclosures, as well as many other household products.

Quite the contray, snorkeling vests and life jackets are totaly different from each other. Under no circumstance is a snorkeling vest to be used in situations where a life jacket is required. Life jackets are designed to keep the wearer as vertical as possible in the water. Proper positioning for snorkeling is horizontal. Life jackets get their positive buoyancy by using a buoyant foam material while a snorkeling vest relies on exhaled air blown into the snorkeling vests bladder to increase positive buoyancy.

Snorkeling vests come in a variety of styles, over the head or jacket style and a variety of colors and patterns. Bells and whistles are now the new thing.

This is an age-old problem with a simple solution. For those snorkelers with long hair, a single braid or wearing high ponytail can help. But sometimes your hair is not long enough. The addition of a strap keeper or as we call it, a neoprene mask strap wrapper is an excellent and inexpensive solution. The snorkel mask strap wrapper is a neoprene-based cover that has a nylon II material laminate to which hair does not stick. The best snorkel mask strap wrapper to purchase is the neoprene with velcro because it is much easier to put around your silicone mask strap. Here is a video on how to put the Deep See Mask Strap Wrapper on your silicone mask strap. (The beautiful model is my niece Melissa!! )

With all the restrictions imposed by travel industry it is becoming increasingly difficult to take everything that you want with you on vacation. Extra fees for weight restrictions and size restrictions are beginning to force people into deciding whether or not they should take their snorkeling fins with them.

The travel fins are an excellent alternative and the travel fins are usually much shorter than the traditional snorkeling fins but don’t let that fool you. Their design still provides excellent propulsion in normal snorkeling situations. The U.S. Divers Trek Travel Snorkeling Fins are actually only 15 inches in length and weigh in at a mere 2 1/2 pounds compared to a traditional fins of 4-6 pounds.

The U.S. Divers Trek Fins do not fit wide feet as the foot pocket is narrow and will not fit with boots. But a manufacturer was listening and Tilos made a travel fin, the Getaway Fins and is for feet that are up to a size 14 and even a EEE in width. For those with long but narrow feet, wear a neoprene boot. The Tilos Getaway Fins are 18-21″ in length.

This is a question that is asked often. What is the difference between dry snorkels and a semi-dry snorkel?

A semi-dry snorkel employs and mechanism which is designed to deflect splashed water away from the breathing tube. When the semi-dry mechanism on the snorkel drops below the surface of the water there is nothing that would keep the breathing tube from filling with water. A dry snorkel, not only deflects the water droplets but when the mechanism is submerged below the surface of the water closes off the breathing tube. When the mechanism goes above the surface water it reopens. Here is a great article, Snorkels, Select the Right One.

Guess what… they do make snorkeling vests in fun colors and they have even begun making them with great patterns and prints. The old orange color was originally based on the coast guard orange which was easy to spot in the blue water. The newer colors  with the snorkeling vest are an exciting addition to the world of snorkeling because it allows more individualism and freedom of expression. After all, we snorkelers of the world do not want to end up getting a ticket from the snorkeling fashion police now, do we?