All snorkels, well at least the snorkels we sell at SnorkelingOnline, have a purge on the bottom of them. A purge is a one-way valve, that when you exhale, the water leaked out of the purge.

Here is a great article, Snorkels, Select the Right One that will help you with your snorkel purchase or here is a Comparison Chart. Below is a video from U.S. Divers, showing you how to use a purge on the snorkel.

Ok so maybe I am getting a little obsessive. I wrote a previous article about snorkels that are used for Mixed Martial Arts training. My thirst for knowledge sent me back to the internet to figure out a few things. The first thing that I wanted was to find the etymology (origin) of the word snorkel.

The origin of the word snorkel, according to The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology (Date: 1996 Author: T. F. HOAD | © The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996″, is as follows:

“snorkel, schnorkel underwater breathing device, esp. on a submarine. XX. — G. schnorchel.

Well that wasn’t quite as enlightening as I hoped, so delving deeper, I found another reference from the Online Etymology Dictionary which states

” 1944, “airshaft for submarines,” from Ger. Schnorchel, from Ger. navy slang Schnorchel “nose, snout,” related to schnarchen “to snore” (see snore).

So called from its resemblance to a nose and its noise when in use. The Anglicized spelling first recorded 1949. The meaning “curved tube used by a swimmer to breathe under water” is first recorded in 1953. ” This would mean that the word schnorchel (pronounced “shnor-kel”) had its beginnings in Germany in 1944 (during WWII) and referred to an apparatus on a submarine.

The first current english spelling of s-n-o-r-k-e-l was first seen in 1949 and it wasn’t until 1953 that the word was applied to the snorkel of which I am more familiar.

That’s a little better but if the word didn’t refer to what I call a snorkel, then how come is it listed in the 1951 August issue of Popular Mechanics?

Popular Mechanics magazine was always considered ahead of its time back in the day so I guess I will have to settle for that explanation. I am impressed that it was sold at Abercrombie and Fitch which, any teenager today knows, sells status clothing. I also found patents for snorkels dating back as far as May 12, 1863. This particular patent did not use the word snorkel; instead they called it a “Life Preserver”. I’m sure glad that name didn’t stick. I could just imagine the confusion on a sinking ship.

Well I am happy to say that I am satisfied with the information on the history of the snorkel. What bothers me now is: What in the world is a snorkeling jacket?

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.

The reason for the snorkel tube’s length has a lot to do with what is called dead air space. When you breathe in normally you take air into your lungs where it is utilized. Respiration only takes place in the lungs but there are air spaces such as the sinus cavities, mouth, and windpipe that also get filled with air upon inhalation. The air in these areas is not being metabolized or used. This is in essence “dead air”. Your lungs are able to bring enough air in past these dead air spaces to get the supply that they need in order to function. Add a snorkel into the picture and you have added another “dead air”. Air is there but the body is not using it. Granted having a longer snorkeling tube does not sound bad so far but the problem with having a longer snorkeling tube has more to do with your exhalation. When you exhale most of what you are exhaling is carbon dioxide which is poisonous to the human system. Your exhalation goes out the same way it comes in which mean it travels through the same dead air spaces that were along the path during your inhalation. You don’t get rid of all of the carbon dioxide when you exhale as these dead air space are also holding on to some of it. Your next inhalation will contain some carbon dioxide from those dead air spaces but the lungs are big enough to take in that as well as getting enough good air to still function properly. Adding the snorkel, which you inhale and exhale through means, that you will be inhaling some of your exhalation from that as well. The snorkels of today, are made so that the body can still get enough fresh air into the lungs. If you made the tube longer then you would be re-breathing more of what you exhaled which is not a good thing.

You might have noticed that snorkels for children, are shorter than snorkels for adults. The reason for this difference is that the child’s lung capacity is less than that of an adult. A child using a snorkel meant for adults will not be able to “breathe past” the dead air spaces to get enough of the good air that their bodies need to continue functioning properly.

My apologies to the people who addressed the issue of our lungs not being able to pull air down a tube greater than 2 feet in length. I was remiss in not completely answering the question with regard to that and I should actually have started out my answer with “One of the reasons for the snorkel for the snorkel tube’s length has to do with what is called dead air space.” The answers given regarding our lungs not being able to pull the air down is correct with regard to tubes that would be over 2 feet in length. My answer was addressing the part of the question of “Why are the tubes on snorkels so short?” which does deal with being able to breathe past dead air spaces. I am quoting the following from this link on Wikipedia.

“The maximum usable length of the snorkel tube is around 40 centimetres (about 16 inches). A longer tube would place the lungs in deeper water where the surrounding water pressure is higher and the lungs would be unable to inflate when the snorkeller inhales, because the muscles that expand the lungs are not strong enough to operate against the higher pressure.[1] Snorkels also create what is called “dead air space”—when the user takes in a fresh breath, some of the previously exhaled air remains in the snorkel and is recycled into the lungs, reducing breathing efficiency and causing CO2 retention. The greater the volume in the device, the more this problem is exacerbated.”

My apologies that my answer was (pun intended) not “deep enough.”

To learn the difference on snorkels, read Snorkels – Select the Right One.

This product for only $4.95 could save your life, no really. What is it? It is the SOS Snorkel Whistle Housing. In the red circle in the picture to the left is the whistle. All you need to do is take the bottom of your snorkel (or purchase one of our snorkels) and pull the bottom off where the mouthpiece and the snorkel bore meet and replace it with this new Snorkel Whistle Housing. It fits all standard snorkels and does include a purge valve.

National Geographic Snorkel Gear

Have you heard of it? We have been getting great reviews with the National Geographic Snorkeling Fit Fins for our traveling snorkelers. Add the National Geographic Tunny Mask & Snorkel and you have a great National Geographic snorkel equipment.

We have been getting great reviews on the National Geographic FIT Snorkeling Travel Fins. The fins are great for travel and have a soft foot pocket so no boots are needed. The snorkel package is sold for $73.95.

All National Geographic snorkel gear is sold in a snorkel package or can be purchased individual.

With so many snorkels in the market, we understand why it can be so confusing on choosing the right one for you, so we made a video. Though we do have a great article, Snorkels, Select the Right One, please find time to read it, but if video is your thing, click play.

As you might realize, I snorkel the internet a lot and in doing so come across some very interesting tidbits of information that apply to the underwater world. I also come across a lot of unexpected information that sort of blows me away when I read it. One such article popped up while searching for information on snorkeling gear. The item that I was searching was a Snorkel.

It caught my eye because it dealt with Martial Arts. I decided to click on the article because I wanted to know in what possible way could a snorkel relate to Martial Arts. The link that opened was to The Fight Authority which has articles on fight training, strength training, fighting techniques as well as information on the various types of martial arts.

I wandered through the site still trying to find the area the word snorkel appeared. I was stumped until I noticed that there was a video to click on. It opened up to a woman in Las Vegas reporting on Wanderlei Silva (also known as the Axe Murderer), who is a mixed martial arts fighter. It turns out that Mr. Silva uses a snorkel while training. The video shows him preparing to train which includes wearing a vest in which weights have been added to total 45 pounds. A heart monitor is added and then they totally close off his nose with tape to force him to breathe through his mouth. He then adds the snorkel into the mix.

Adding the snorkel means that his body will have to work harder in order to get the oxygen it needs. The air space in a snorkel is what the snorkeling industry calls a “Dead Air Space”. The air inside the tube is there but it is not being metabolized by the body. Snorkelers and scuba divers learn about dead air spaces in their training and know that in order to get the benefits of fresh air, they have to inhale a little bit deeper than normal. When exhaling through the snorkel, the exhalation contains carbon dioxide which is the by product of the respiratory process. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is also the gas that triggers our brains to breathe but is toxic to the human system when breathed continually or in large amounts. Inhaling deeper while using a snorkel, the user, is taking in both the carbon dioxide that is left in the snorkel as a result of the user’s exhalation and as well as fresh air that contains the oxygen that our body needs to exist. In essence the snorkeler is breathing past the dead air space.

Breathing past the dead air space in the snorkel is also the reason that snorkels are all made of a certain length. Longer snorkels would defeat the purpose. In the case of Wanderlei Silva, using the snorkel in training makes his body have to work harder to avoid hypoxia and anoxia. It should also be noted that this is not something that should be tried at home as there are trained medical personel monitoring Wanderlei during his workouts. I wouldn’t want to be an opponent of Wanderlei Silva in the ring.