All about Snorkeling – A Beginners Manual
What Is Snorkeling?
Do you wonder what the difference is between Scuba diving and Snorkeling? Snorkeling is all about staying in the surface waters to experience the underworld treasures equipped with masks, a snorkel, and fins. Snorkeling doesn’t involve risk as of scuba diving thus it can be done by anyone who is aware of basic swimming. It doesn’t engage major expense, specific training, or immense physical effort. Snorkeling perks are health benefits as it commits water-based activity to an extent and presents you the lifetime opportunity to know, hear, see and feel the underworld kingdom and capture the mouth-stuck moments of nature.
How to snorkel?
1. Get Used To Your Equipment
The most essential thing is to feel comfortable with your equipment. Make sure you are the first user of the snorkeling kit. Pick a kit that fits your face aptly by tightening the mask strap. Beginners, it is fundamental to practice the breathing control with the mask before you hit the water.
2. Put Your Face in the Water
Getting used to the snorkel is the next important thing. Beginners should practice in the water by putting their face into the water. Also one should know how to remove water if it gets into the snorkel via the provided valve or at the end.
3. Float and Breathe
The next stride for the beginners is to practice breathing while floating, which is taking the legs off from the sea bed / floor of the pool. Body floats naturally in the oceans, thus snorkeling is a relaxing sport but it is necessary to stay calm at all times.
4. Fin & Swim
Now it is all set to start your baby steps in the water. Prime thing is to stay in a horizontal position and start to swim using your fin downward beneath the water surface. 20 fin movements in one minute is all that is needed to proceed forward in waters, while the hands to be alongside the body or to be tied at the back to attain fluidity. The more energetically you use the fins the faster you swim.
Snorkeling Equipment
A good Snorkeling kit is worth spending that gives you a pleasant experience inside the waters.
Mask & Snorkel
It is essential to choose a mask that suits you. Masks are available in many shapes and sizes but it is damn important to pick one that doesn’t leak. When you breathe your nose and your mask seals with your face and stands intact without the support of hands holding it, then that is the one you should grab. It is equally necessary that masks don’t fog often. Spit and rub technique is usually advised for defogging the masks. Beginners know how to clear the water in your masks if it is flooded.
Fins
Fins are vital to fit you apt that are not too loose or too tight or it may totally spoil your water ride. It is generally recommended to rent your fins as they make a distinct difference in your swim. Beginners remember not to kick and damage the corals and other underworld treasures.
Rash Guard
On a full day snorkeling, it is preferred to wear a rash guard or a t-shirt that acts as the protecting layer from the sun. Use materials that are biodegradable and have a prominent SPF but do avoid sun block as it may be harmful to the corals inside.
TIPs for Snorkeling
1. Preparation- Prepare for your snorkeling trip so that you are struck by surprises on your way.
2. Improve your Swimming – Swimming is the basic technique required for snorkeling, practice freestyle swimming that makes you a better snorkeler. Swimming helps to improve muscle capacity and firmness as it involves kicking technique thus it helps in effortless snorkeling in ocean waters. If you are a well-trained swimmer then you can ignore the swim vest provided in certain snorkeling kits. As these vest blocks your movements in the water but aids in floatation. Beginners get your swimming skills right to have a safe snorkeling trip.
3. Practice – Swimming is normally a thing but swimming with fins is a technique to master for snorkeling. The attached fins give the additional weight and drag to the muscles that might end up in muscle cramps if not practiced well. The best way to get used to it is by practicing with the fins focusing on the technique, speed and distance covered.
4. Improve your Breath Hold – Among many Snorkelers out there stay at the water surface and use the snorkel for breathing. But few among them do dives at times to watch out for the exotic underworld reserves by holding their breath. Thus practicing and improving the breath holding capacity one can use the snorkeling trip to the fullest. Diving clubs help individuals to work on breath holding technique.
5. Conserve Energy While Snorkeling- A lot of energy is lost while snorkeling, as waters usually have higher heat capacity than air thus the body loses a lot of heat in the process. Swimming with attached fins also requires energy to be spent to move forward. Going on a Snorkeling trip eats up a whole long day thus it is vital to conserve energy wherever possible. Fear is one major factor that drains the divers, so especially for beginners it is very crucial to be relaxed, calmed and slow down on the fin activity. Snorkeling doesn’t require hand activity as for swimming in pools, fin movement is more than enough to move forward and actually said to cover quite a distance with minimal activity. Also splashing of water due to hand stroke may shoo away the marine organisms in the under water. So guys make a point, being relaxed in waters is a first big step in snorkeling.
6. Conserving Air while Snorkeling- Make your breathe-in & breathe-out count a bit longer and slow. Breathing in Snorkel is different from normal breathing, it demands deep breaths. Deep breathing also aids in relaxing, lower heart rate and conserves energy.
7. Snorkeling Deep – Snorkeling in Surface or reaching deep is always one’s choice. Make sure you are comfortable and confident of your choice. For Pursuing Deep snorkeling one should be extremely causal and composed, take deep controlled breaths such as that fills and empties the lungs entirely, reach the diaphragm to the torso. Dive in once you are ready and lift your legs with fins upwards, and it is important not to hyperventilate and know one’s breath holding capacity.
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