Which snorkel should you get?

Four kinds

• Classic (J-style): a simple tube with nothing to break. Freedivers and spearfishers prefer it: less drag and no valves to fail.
• Semi-dry: a splash guard on top and usually a purge valve at the bottom. Easier for beginners and choppy surface swims.
• Dry: a float valve closes the top when you go under, so water stays out. Great for surface snorkeling, but bulkier, and not for freediving.
• Flexible: a folding lower section that drops away from your face when you switch to your regulator. Made for scuba.

Which one we’d pick

Snorkels usually come down to personal preference, but there are patterns:

• Freedivers like the classic J-style.
• New snorkelers usually go with a dry top, especially without much experience, because they want as little water coming in as possible.
• People who are comfortable in the water usually go for a semi-dry, for the advantage of the purge valve at the mouthpiece.
• Kids: it’s no big deal. A dry top usually works well for them.

Dry snorkels cut both ways

Some people love them and some people hate them. The main issue with a dry snorkel is the valve sticking, or something getting caught between the diaphragm and the seal. When that happens, it fails and water gets in, so rinse it well and check that the valve moves freely before you get in.

Do scuba divers need a snorkel?

That can turn into a heated debate. We always recommend having one, just in case you need to snorkel on the surface. During courses you’ll wear it. Once you’re certified, you don’t necessarily have to wear it on every dive, but we recommend having it with you. With a snorkel, it’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

What matters most

• The mouthpiece. Soft silicone that doesn’t make your jaw ache after an hour. This is personal.
• Easy breathing. A tube wide enough to breathe without effort, without so much volume that you rebreathe stale air.
• The clip. It should hold firmly on your mask strap. Scuba divers wear it on the left, because the regulator comes over the right shoulder.

Silicone vs PVC. Often, someone who hates snorkeling just needs to switch from a cheap store-bought set to a quality dive setup. Cheap sets are usually PVC, which gets harder over time. Silicone stays comfortable for its whole life.

Mouthpieces aren’t universal. They’re usually made for the design of each snorkel, so finding a replacement can take some work. Moldable mouthpieces exist, but the downside is that once it’s molded, it’s yours only, because nobody else’s teeth are the same as yours.

Full-face snorkel masks

They’re made for floating at the surface only. Most don’t let you equalize, so don’t dive down in them, and never use them with scuba.

We carry them for customers who are specifically looking for one, but we strongly advise against them and recommend the classic setup of a mask and a snorkel instead. There have been accidents and real safety concerns with full-face snorkel masks: studies have found that carbon dioxide can build up inside some designs when you’re swimming hard. And the design itself is basically a bubble of air on your face, which pushes against you if you want to go down.

Care

Rinse it in fresh water after every swim and keep the silicone out of the sun. On dry and semi-dry snorkels, rinse the valves well so sand doesn’t get stuck in them.