Thanksgiving is here again, but if you are like us, we celebrate thanksgiving every day.
Doing a little research on Thanksgiving, since it has been so many years since I went to school, the Plymouth Colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared their harvest feast for the first time in 1621.But it wasnt until 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln announced a national Thanksgiving Day to be held in November. So this will make it the 148 Thanksgiving, this year.
Here is a video from the History Channel on the history of Thanksgiving.
As you sit around the table and take turns and discuss what you are thankful for, it really makes you think. As I continue to get older, I have to laugh because I am thankful everyday for when my feet touch the bedroom floor when I wake up in the morning, because we all know the alternative. ;-)
And anther states tradition is when it comes to Thanksgiving, it also starts out the holiday shopping season. But let not forget those that are not as lucky as we are. There are so many non-profit organizations out there, including our local house of worship or even our neighbors next door who are not that fortunate.
At SnorkelingOnline.com we like to support a few non-profit organizations and one being local. DiveHeart Foundation is a non-profit company and the purpose of DiveHeart is to provide and support educational scuba and snorkeling experience programs that are open to any child, adult or veteran with a disability with the hope of providing both physical and psychological therapeutic value to that person.
For the next 10 days, DiveHeart has an auction that offers a snorkeling experience with the manta rays in Hawaii, Three nights at Sonoma, California (airfare included) in the wine country at The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn. Also being auctioned is a Top Gun Experience as a Fighter Pilot. So take a peek at the auctions for DiveHeart and support a child or veteran today.
When it comes to selecting a snorkel mask the styles that are available are almost infinite. The most obvious differences in the styles out there is the number of lenses or windows that a mask has.
The most common choices for a snorkel mask can include a single lens up to and including a four lens mask. (and yes there is a single lens and three lens snorkel mask, although we dont talk about them in this article.)
The number of lenses can affect the amount of light that enters the viewing area on the snorkel mask as well as having an affect on peripheral vision. Three and four window masks are usually larger masks over all because the side windows are added. This configuration increases adds additional peripheral vision. This could also be a benefit to those people with a higher nose bridge because the front of the lens is farther away from the face.
Before I go into the differences between a full foot snorkeling fins and a strap fin, it probably would be a good thing to let you know of their aliases.
Full foot fins are known as shoe fins, closed heel fins, slip on fins or barefoot fins. Strap fins are also known as opening of fins, adjustable fins, barefoot adjustable fins and even barefoot strap fins. (I am sure we missed more aliase names)
Traditional strap snorkeling fins, for the most part, are made to be worn with additional footwear such as a water shoe, wet suit boot or booty. The reason for this is that the foot pocket usually made of a stiffer material which can cause irritation on the heel and the top of the fit due to rubbing. The exception to this is the barefoot strap fins which is why they call them snorkeling fins. The barefoot strap fins are usually softer material in both the strap and the foot pocket eliminating need for additional footwear.
The full foot snorkeling fins are in all instances designed to wear with barefoot. These fins are little less forgiving in the fit department as they are based on regular shoe sizing. They can be uncomfortable for those with high arches or wide foot sizes (which we have a solution for that also, but a different article).
Strap snorkeling fins are a bit more forgiving as each fin covers a broader range of sizing because the strap is adjustable.
This is a very good question. A person who snorkels with their own personal snorkel gear is going to be more comfortable while they’re snorkeling. I know this from personal experience. When I go on vacation I have always made sure that I have brought my own mask, snorkel and fins. I know whose face my mask is been on and I know whose mouth my snorkel has been in. As far as snorkeling fins go, I know that my fins fit me comfortably and I have gotten extremely used to how they perform for me while I am snorkeling.
When the airlines started putting restrictions on luggage which included number of pieces, size for carry-on and weight, it threw me in a dilemma. My original snorkeling fins were 24 inches long. They did take up a goodly amount of space in my luggage and they were a bit on the heavy side. My dilemma was to take them or do I rent a pair of fins while I’m on vacation? I thought long and hard about this.
Snorkeling manufacturers did come to bat by making “travel fins” such as the U.S. Divers Trek Fins and Cressi Palau SAF Fins. These fins were touted as lighter in weight and shorter than traditional snorkeling fins and from the reviews by users, people are actually preferring the travel size fins over the traditional length fins.
Now the question changed to, do I buy a pair of the new travel fins to take with or do I rent what they have there?
My answer actually came from a telephone customer who was purchasing mask, snorkel and fins for his upcoming vacation. He relayed a story of being on his last vacation where he chose to rent his snorkeling gear. His experience was having a mask that leaked because it didn’t fit. They didn’t have another selection because most of them were already rented and it was the best of what was left. It came with a snorkel but he realized that the snorkel was going in his mouth and he wasn’t sure of whose mouth it had been in before and wasn’t sure if it was sanitized. And they were out of the size snorkeling fins he needed. He was told that he could come back in an hour or two and they would probably have a lot of the previously rented gear back. If that didn’t add insult to injury, then the fact that he had already waited 45 minutes in a line to rent the equipment did.
Needless to say I bought my travel fins shortly after I finished processing his order.
Lets start with a basic question on snorkels, ‘what is a snorkel?’
A snorkel is a breathing tube which allows a person to take in air while their face is submerged in the water. The basic components of a snorkel is a breathing tube (bore), mouthpiece, flexible or fixed connector, and a snorkel keeper. A snorkel may have additional features which are designed to add more comfort factors for the user. These additional features on a snorkel can include, but are not limited to, a purge valve, replaceable mouthpiece, dry or semi dry top attachment and convenient quick release snorkel keeper. (Here is a Snorkel Comparison Chart, that we found on SnorkelingOnline.
The breathing tube is usually available in two different sizes, one specifically for an adult the other specifically for a child. The bore of the kids snorkel is traditionally smaller in diameter than the bore size of the adult snorkel. The reason for the size differential is primarily due to lung volume differences between adults and kids. When breathing through a snorkel you have to breathe through what is called “dead air spaces”. These are air spaces and both the snorkel and the human body where there is air, but that air is not being utilized. The snorkel tube is once such air space. When breathing through a snorkel, the user needs to inhale a little more deeply and exhale a little more forcefully to avoid rebreathing their exhalation.
