How to Choose a Snorkel

Today's snorkel for SCUBA divers - which is equally suited for those who do not descend below the waves - is a vast improvement. First a good snorkel for diving will be a curved tube that curves around the divers head so it fits closer and causes less drag. Most snorkels today also have a one way valve called a purge valve near the mouth piece that lets water out but not in so the snorkel it is easier to "blast clear" the water out by blowing sharply into the flooded tube.

A quality snorkel will also have the mouth piece at a slight angle so that tube or barrel of the snorkel can point toward the back of the divers head and straight up out of the water not back and closer to the water line as it does with the rigid tube. The barrel of the snorkel should also connect to the mouth piece with a flexible section. The flexible section serves two important purposes; it reduces mouth fatigue because it allows a better fit and it allows the mouthpiece to fall out of the way when the diver is using her regulator.

You can also chose between a regular open top snorkel, a semi dry or a dry. The difference is the regular is a simple tube. The semi-dry has a deflector at the open end so that if you are swimming back to the boat and a wave hits you less water will go into the barrel. The dry snorkel will have a float valve on the top so that even if you do a surface dive, as long as you keep your mouth on the mouth piece it will stay substantially dry even if you do a surface dive while snorkeling. Which you select is based on cost and how comfortable you are in the water. The dry snorkel will cost on average about nine dollars more than the regular model.

The barrels of some snorkels are also oval shaped instead of round and the tube is manufactured so the narrow end faces forward and produces less drag. As you see the question of how to buy a snorkel is not a simple as it might first have appeared.

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