Learn to snorkel / Nottingham?

[bryanclarke124]

Hi all,

New to this forum, and pushed for time, so forgive me if this question has been asked (and answered) a thousand times on your forum; otherwise I would have spent time searching for similar threads.

1. We're heading to Orlando in August, and will be going to one of the parks over there where you can snorkel in lagoons etc.
2. We have 2 young sons (11 and 8) who are confident in the water, and love being under as much as in it.
3. They have never used a snorkel, but are happy wearing a mask.

Questions:
1. I don't mind buying us all masks before we go, so that we've got our own kit, and can try it out, and here's the rub...
2. Where can we go (as complete non-diving novices) to practice?
3. What kind of kit (manufacturer, spec, etc) should I go for, and where should I head to buy it? (I've read one thread on here where one "well-known" brand name is hammered because the straps keep snapping

Thanks in advance

Bryan

[Jon H]

Ok never being there but your best bet if you want to learn to snorkel is to find your local bsac diving club. They should offer snorkeling courses for you and your sons. But at are club its 12+ but you probley find lower. As the make you’re best going to your nearest dive shop but you probley be best with cressi it the major brand. You can get them in kit with free bags. That is usually snorkel mask and fins and a free bag. And with mask straps you can buy them any ware. Also it depends on your budget buying 3 snorkel kits probly expensive. For example my open heal fins were 58 pound but you should get a snorkel set for 25-40 pound. What was the mask snapping brand name?


For some reason you cant do snorkeling at any pool because of health and safty but 1/2 to 3/4 do snorkeling but are divers


Enjoy your trip

[John Williams]

Hi all,

New to this forum, and pushed for time, so forgive me if this question has been asked (and answered) a thousand times on your forum; otherwise I would have spent time searching for similar threads.

1. We're heading to Orlando in August, and will be going to one of the parks over there where you can snorkel in lagoons etc.
2. We have 2 young sons (11 and 8) who are confident in the water, and love being under as much as in it.
3. They have never used a snorkel, but are happy wearing a mask.

Questions:
1. I don't mind buying us all masks before we go, so that we've got our own kit, and can try it out, and here's the rub...
2. Where can we go (as complete non-diving novices) to practice?
3. What kind of kit (manufacturer, spec, etc) should I go for, and where should I head to buy it? (I've read one thread on here where one "well-known" brand name is hammered because the straps keep snapping

Thanks in advance

Bryan


Go here
http://www.bsacsnorkelling.co.uk/training/branches.htm

to find local advice/training

and here
http://www.bsacsnorkelling.co.uk/first/index.html

For more general advice

Have fun on your hols!

John

[iNottingham]

Cool! i am new to Nottingham and I am definitely new to snorkeling. I hope to meet more friends who are into the same game. I wanted to learn a lot from those who have so much experience with snorkeling. Can you suggest places too ? thanks

[DRW]

What kind of kit (manufacturer, spec, etc) should I go for, and where should I head to buy it? (I've read one thread on here where one "well-known" brand name is hammered because the straps keep snapping

I've been a snorkeller, never a scuba diver, for half a century. I do my snorkelling these days in the North Sea, off the coast of North East England. Just to respond to your equipment question, what matters most in snorkelling is finding a mask and a pair of fins that fit whoever is wearing them, not anybody else. So forget about brands and be cautious about purchasing a kit comprising mask, fins and snorkel without trying everything on first for fit. There are many places where you can purchase snorkelling equipment, but be aware that dive stores are likely to push basic scuba diving kit, especially open-heel fins, arguing that you are "likely to move on to scuba at some stage". Freediving stores may have a similar agenda, pushing long-bladed fins at you, because "you'll want to dive down thirty feet or more". A good sporting goods store may also have what you want, and online stores can be a good source of gear, for example

http://www.simplysnorkel.com/

which stocks a range of different types of snorkelling fins, from open-heel plastic-bladed ones, through traditional all-rubber full-foot ones to long-bladed ones.

In the case of fins, there is no substitute for trying them on in advance to check that they fit your feet not only length- but also width- and height-wise. Too loose and they'll raise blisters or fall off, too tight and you'll get cramps. Consider whether socks or boots will be worn with the fins, because that decision must be factored in to the procedure of sizing fins to fit your feet. Contrary to popular belief, socks and boots can be worn with full-foot fins as well as open-heel fins. Make sure you're wearing such footwear when you select your fins. Only when you've found a good fit should you consider other criteria, such as blade stiffness. Fins aren't worn for speed, they are meant to provide power, manoeuvrability and endurance in the water. Rarely do fins combine these three criteria in equal proportion. So if you can borrow a variety of suitable fins, grab the opportunity to find out what is most comfortable and compatible with your swimming skills. It can take a while before you locate a pair of fins that matches your snorkelling style precisely. I use traditional all-rubber full-foot fins, the kind that has existed since the 1950s, and they work perfectly for me and I wouldn't wear any other type. That doesn't mean you should follow my lead, however. Finding the best fins is something of an odyssey and nobody can do it for you.

As for masks, check them for fit too by verifying that they continue to adhere to your face when you place them on your face and breathe in through your nose. Don't go for a particular mask because it's popular; you have to wear the mask and put up with it if it leaks, not anybody else. I prefer traditional rubber-skirted oval masks, but you should cast your net more widely. If you have come across a mask that has worked for you in the past, start your quest there.

Where to learn how to snorkel is a topic that has already been broached in this thread. I learned to snorkel in a public swimming pool as a teenager back in the early 1960s. I taught myself and nobody interfered. Sadly, the health and safety jobsworths in public pools, encouraged by litigious lawyers and their clients, have put paid to such freedoms in the modern world. However, in another thread in this snorkelling forum I reported how Newcastle upon Tyne, my home town, had a couple of snorkelling courses running this summer for the benefit of people planning to snorkel abroad. You might find something similar in Nottingham, for example,

http://www.divemasterscuba.co.uk/kenmartin_snorkeling.html

a leisure centre based in Nottingham, although I can't vouch for such services.

Good luck with your family's snorkelling. Snorkelling is a great pastime, so simple and yet so absorbing. It doesn't have to lead on to anything else, it's enjoyable in and for itself.