How to Snorkel: Hidden Snorkeling Tips For Beginner(Updated)

Would you love to dive deep underwater and experience the beauty of the life under the ocean? That’s snorkeling for you! It is a simple but unique colorful way to get beneath the water and catch a glimpse of that lovely underwater glamour. While many would love to actually do this, they hardly know how to snorkel. In this post, I am going to give you some of the most essential snorkeling tips for beginners.

Here is what they say, “to be the best work with the best.” But is this really necessary? Not quite. For people who would love to snorkel, there are a number of things to learn and patience is the greatest value if you want to become the best. And before you dive in, here is what you must remember when you want to snorkel.

Snorkelers use a number of gears to make their experience safe and enjoyable. These gears are very essential and everyone who wants to snorkel must learn how to use them before they can dive in.

The most essential gear is usually the Snorkeling Mask: a plastic mask with a short tube that supports your breathing while afloat. The others include a floating vest and a snorkeling fin.

Once you’ve made up your mind that you want to snorkel, you must know how to get started and this is what you should do.

Step I: Get a Comfortable Snorkeling Mask

Masks come in different sizes. Get a mask that fits you perfectly. Try your mask to find out if the straps fit. If they don’t, you can easily adjust the mask. Again make sure you try your mask in water to find out if there is any form of leakage.

People who have poor eyesight should get prescription adjusted masking gears to help them see clearly under the ocean without glasses or contact lenses.

Step II: Fit the Mask Perfectly on the Face

Wear the mask that you have chosen. Tug the mask’s straps to get a comfortable seal around your nose and eyes. Set the snorkeling tube close to your mouth and at a position where you can easily grab it using your lips.

Step III: Lay in Water and Bite the Tube

Find some pool of water and lay face first in water (a shallow beach or pool) should do. Allow your face to go down just about 45 degrees under water. Then bite on the snorkeling tube gently. Seal the tube with your lips to make sure the snorkel stays in place.

Step IV: Breathe Slowly and Regularly

Take slow and regular breaths through the snorkeling tube. Make sure you are relaxed (do not panic). Make sure the tube remains intact. You can always pull your head out of the water if you want to.

Step V: Wear a Floating Vest

Wearing a buoyancy vest makes floating pretty much easy; you can always wear a colorful vest as it makes you easy to notice and keeps you safe.

For beginners, these simple steps will be of great help if you want to start snorkeling. However, there are many other tricks that you must learn when you want to enjoy your snorkeling and also keep safe all through the experience. Let’s take a look at them.

If you dip your head too low in the water, you are sure to get water in your snorkeling tube. This can be a huge distraction to your snorkeling experience. Breathing cautiously will help you to keep your tube clear. This is a very vital survival technique in snorkeling. To keep your airway clear, here is what you must do.

If you feel water entering into your snorkeling barrel you should hold your breath instantly and slightly surface your head without lifting it off the water. This ensures the end of the snorkeling is in the air.

Now exhale quickly through your mouth and forcefully through the snorkel. The blast of air will clear your snorkel and remove all the water out. If there is any remaining water, you can take a second blast to force it out.

There are basic rules for using general snorkeling masks irrespective of type and they are: making sure the mask is perfectly fit and doesn’t leak. The tighter the mask, the higher the chances it will leak. For both Traditional and Full Face this is how to use them.

• Get a mask with wide vision (peripheral).
• Choose a lens with no-fog technology to get a clear view under water.
• Adjust the mask to fit perfectly.
• Test the mask for leakages.
• Dip your head slightly under water and push the tube in your mouth.
• Clear the tube and take a full grasp of air to your lung.

Contrary to the full face mask, the traditional mask poses challenges with the “gag reflex” thus preventing guys with a sensitive reflex from using the mask. The traditional mask also has a hollow tube that easily allows water in and causes choking. This is unlike the full face mask that has a dry top seal, a drain vision, and a dual air flow ventilation.

Snorkeling fins are worn on the feet. They help you to move easily through water and ensure that your movements are calm.

There are two types of snorkeling fins. And how you kick using each type of fin differs. These fins are paddle fins and split fins.

To have the best experience with your fins, here is a simple step by step guide that will help you through. 

• Make sure you have worn your fins correctly (follow the manufacturer’s instructions).
• Keep all your feet pointing straight ahead and don’t walk in your fins.
• Get into the water but don’t propel with your hand – it scares the creatures away.
• Keep your hands straight on your back and along your body. You can also stretch your hands in the front.
• Keep your knees slightly bent and kick your fins slowly but with powerful strokes.
• Arch your back upwards and kick further down in a straight legged technique
• Use the entire legs. 
• Keep the fins underwater, avoid splashing, and glide with the waves. 

Your fins should propel you smoothly under the water without scaring the creatures. One thing I would love to remind you of is, you can only find a good fin experience if you keep your feet in a straight position. Same with the tiptoe stance you take when outside water.

Once you get the right size and type of snorkeling vest, the next task is to use it properly. Here what you should do.

• Locate the vest’s inflator (a tube-like a ring with a cap at the top).
• Disengage the locking ring (the cap on the inflator). To disengage rotate clockwise.
• Put the nipple of the inflator in the mouth and seal with your lips.
• Use your thumb to depress the nipple of the inflator.
• Blow through the tube while keeping the nipple in a depressed position.
• Once fully inflated you can release the nipple and allow it to resume its position.
• The air should be safe from exiting once the nipple resumes its position.
• Rotate the ring in anti-clockwise position until it clicks. 

Your snorkeling vest should now be ready to use. You can use the weaved-straps to tighten or loosen the vest. Grab one end of the strap and pull if you intend to tighten it.

 And if you intend to wear a weight belt when snorkeling, you should put on the belt after wearing the vest and not before.

Once you have used the vest you should deflate it. Locate the inflator, disengage the locking ring, grip the nipple portion, pull down the nipple, and allow the air to expel.
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“Keeping Your Airway Clear” is the most vital snorkeling technique to learn if you intend to snorkel under water.

It helps you to get to the next step usually “Mastering the Airway Control.” At times you’ll get water down your snorkeling tube when your lungs are free of any air. Air-Way Control technique allows you to inhale slowly and carefully minus allowing any water through your mouth until enough air is in your lungs.

When the air is in you can give the blast to “clear your airway” fast. Usually, when there is too much water you can lift your head and breathe around the snorkeling tube.

Once you have mastered these two techniques, you can take a deep breath, and dive right under water and catch a glimpse of something nifty. Nonetheless, when you run out of air you can surface while keeping your head under water, clear your snorkeling tube, and catch another gasp.

The places that a wannabe pro snorkeler can start out on depends on a number of things. However, they often include.

Spots that people always frequent are not never the best snorkel spots if you want to learn how to snorkel. Nonetheless, you should not go out into the sea alone. Always go with a few pro snorkelers

Well, the answer to this varies. Some people argue that you don’t need to how to swim to snorkel. However, they all agree that you do need to be comfortable in the water. In my own opinion, getting comfortable in water has so much to do with swimming. It is hard for someone to have a first time experience in water and just get comfortable.

So to snorkel properly, I would say you need to know how to swim. You don’t have to be a pro, however, you need to get comfortable floating and maybe taking a stroke or two in water for you to get the best snorkeling experience and possibly kick out the phobia. 

As a beginner, you may not really know what to go for when you want to snorkel. Nonetheless, I have sampled a few mistakes that you should avoid to get the best snorkeling start. They include the following.

Of course, you will save some money if you rent cheap equipment. But you will be exposing your life to danger. There is a variety of mask sizes. Vendors may not take time to give you the best as they just want to make a sale. Make sure you learn what to look for so you can get a perfect fit mask with no leaks.

A dry snorkel or a snorkel with a splash guard is often the best. Dry snorkel usually has a special valve that seals off and shuts off the water when you dive under the ocean floor. It also has a distinctive purge valve that easily blows water through the tube. This is one of the most vital pieces of snorkeling equipment.

In short, get fins that fit! Avoid fins that are either too tight or too loose. Fins that hurt will also make you really uncomfortable and could easily get you distracted. It is good to get the perfect fit in to avoid sustaining bruises or having your fins fall off when you really need them the most.

This is a simple mistake that has cost lives. People buying a snorkeling gear on the rush. When you do this, you might not get the right equipment. It is important to buy your gear ahead of time so that you have enough time to adjust it. You should find out how your mask suctions and how your fins fit

You should get some shallow beach or a pool and practice how to use your gears. This will also help you to test your gears and find out if they actually work. You should practice how to purge your snorkel by blowing hard. And above all get the time to kick around a little and strengthen your legs for the ride.

There you have it: the simplest but best guide for snorkeling! If you have wanted to snorkel before now it’s the time to go deep into the depths of the sea and enjoy the beauty of the world beneath. You should learn every tip that we have given you today.

 And remember, buying the best snorkeling gears, for instance, is worth every cost. For snorkeling beginners, we usually find this piece of advice very essential.
Additionally, we recommend getting a pro snorkeler to help you work your moves.

 If possible you can enroll in a snorkeling school to get the best training, but that’s your choice to make. You will have the best snorkeling experience if you combine such a great training aspect, with the best snorkeling gears, and the topmost level of patience.