Snorkelling in the Caribbean Islands

The Snorkel

The snorkel is the simplest piece of equipment needed for snorkelling. In its most basic form, it is a J shaped plastic tube with a mouthpiece on the shorter limb of the J. Always choose a snorkel with a silicone mouthpiece - it is totally tasteless and surprisingly comfortable. Cheap snorkels with rubber or plastic mouthpieces should be avoided.

The most useful refinement to the basic design is a purge valve. This allows most of the water in the snorkel to drain out when surfacing after swimming under water, leaving only a small quantity to be blown out. Some snorkels are straight, with a length of flexible tube in place of the pre-formed bend. These are designed for scuba diving so that the mouthpiece of the snorkel hangs away from the face when not in use. This feature is marginally useful for snorkelling.

Snorkels are traditionally worn on the left side of the head; this is because when scuba diving, the air supply is always fed from the right.

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Return to the Snorkelling page, or explore more Caribbean Islands via the Caribbean Dream Islands Home Page.

© 2008 Mark Rowland