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.
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.
Our special guest blogger is Danny Teel who works at U.S. Divers.
All dry snorkels have an inherit design quandary that is usually only experienced by the high skilled snorkelers, or so it use to be. Most experienced divers and snorkelers do not use submersible snorkels since they can be challenging when diving to depths greater than most recreational snorkels venture to.
Note; most of our snorkeling customers are not frequent snorkelers and the submersible snorkel, (dry snorkel) which keeps water out of their mouth, is a desirable safety blanket that helps a snorkelers confidence. When the submersible snorkel is taken to depth the air in the tube is compressed. This compressed air creates a vacuum which seals the tube to prevent water from entering the barrel to fill the void. This vacuum affect can draw in the users lips or tongue. There are tricks to resolve this.
If the snorkeler is not familiar with using this technology, they may absorb, in their lungs, some of the original volume of air from the tube. This will cause the tube not to fully equalize upon returning to the surface and therefore the vacuum affect is still engaging the Dry-Top seal. I too, dive down to depths of up to 35’ and have done so with our entire submersible dry snorkel collection. I have learned how to manage my lung capacity so as not to further add to the vacuum affect, therefore the top opens fine upon surfacing.
Tip; when you hold your breath for 30 seconds or more you desperately need air. Upon surfacing instead of an immediate inhalation of fresh air the snorkeler must first exhale the old air. This will resolve the vacuum affect if done at the surface.
At SnorkelingOnline.com, we strive to bring you the most innovative products to make your snorkeling adventure more enjoyable. Our new snorkeling line is Body Glove and their newest product is… well continue to read.
The newest dry snorkel on the market comes with a new twist, with a built in whistle. Body Glove was thinking with this one, the Alert Whistle Snorkel has a silicone mouthpiece, totally dry so no water will enter from the breathing passage and a built in whistle is on the base of the snorkel. (See the picture to the right, to see where the whistle is located.)
What a great feature to the Alert Whistle Snorkel and it offers a safety element if needed. Just take the snorkel mouthpiece out of your mouth and blow on the whistle as hard as you can, which can be heard 200 feet away. Watch for updates on our snorkel blog and our snorkeling newsletter.
If the World Bog Championship isn’t challenging enough for you, the folks of Llanwrtyd Wells also have another annual event which is the World Mountain Bike Bog Snorkeling Championship. The trench for this event is 45 yards long and 5 feet deep and contestants must ride specially modified bicycles in which the normally hollow tubing of the frame is filled with lead. The tires of the bicycle are also filled with water and the riders themselves even don scuba diving weight belts to help keep them from being too buoyant. The Bog Aqua Cyclists wear a masks and snorkels to keep from ingesting the water from the bog (I sure hope they know about dry snorkels).
For the true athlete, there is always the Bog Snorkeling Triathlon which involves a 12 mile run followed by a 2 length snorkel of the bog and finishing up with a 25 mile mountain cycle. So the next time you are feeling bogged down by life, you might want to head over to Llanwrtyd Wells in Wales and participate in one or more of the annual events, whether it is the bog snorkeling, the mountain bike bog snorkel or the bog snorkel triathlon, you are sure to have a (pun intended) Wale of a time.
At SnorkelingOnline.com, we strive to bring you the most innovative products to make your snorkeling adventure more enjoyable. Our new snorkeling line is Body Glove and their newest product is… well continue to read. 
The newest dry snorkel on the market comes with a new twist, with a built in whistle. Body Glove was thinking with this one, the Alert Whistle Snorkel has a silicone mouthpiece, totally dry so no water will enter from the breathing passage and a built in whistle is on the base of the snorkel. (See the picture to the right, to see where the whistle is located.)
