Snorkeling is a relaxing and fun way to discover the colorful and fascinating world beneath the surface of the sea. Practitioners use a clear plastic mask and snorkel to breathe while floating face down. In this way you can observe the corals and marine life without scaring the fish and without having to go back up to breathe every minute. Just float to enter the underwater world and forget the stress of everyday life.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Prepare
Step 1. Get a mouthpiece and mask that is right for you
Try them on and adjust the straps until they fit perfectly. If you can, try them in the water to make sure there are no leaks.
If you can't see well, you can get a mask made with prescription lenses so you can go underwater without your glasses
Step 2. Adjust the mask and pull the straps until they are snug and snug to the nose and around the eyes
Make sure the tube is close to your mouth but don't put it in yet.
Step 3. Lie flat in the water on your stomach
Put your face in the water at a 45 ° angle.
Step 4. Gently bite the tube on the mouthpiece side
Surround it with your lips so it will stay in place.
Step 5. Breathe slowly and steadily through the mouthpiece
Don't panic: you can always get your head out of the water whenever you want. You should hear the sound of your breath in the tube. When you have achieved a calm breathing rhythm, relax and enjoy the show.
Step 6. Put on a life jacket
It will help you float with minimal effort. Many agencies that organize snorkeling trips require you to wear a very colorful vest for safety reasons.
Method 2 of 4: Learn to Empty the Mouthpiece
Step 1. Breathe carefully
In every snorkeling trip, at some point, water will enter your snorkel. Sometimes because of the conditions of the waves, sometimes because of too much splashing, and sometimes because you put your head too much under water. Learning to empty the pipe will save you from bad experiences..
Step 2. Hold your breath and put your head under water while also immersing the entire mouthpiece
You should feel the water coming in.
Step 3. Raise your head without removing your face from the water
Make sure the end of the tube is out this time.
Step 4. Blow hard from your mouth through the mouthpiece
This method will almost completely empty the water from the tube.
Step 5. Blow out the residual water with a second puff
By repeating this action you can, every time, free the tube.
Step 6. Check the air
Sometimes there is water in the mouthpiece but you don't have air in your lungs. If the water is low, inhale slowly so that no water goes into your mouth, when you have enough air blow hard to free the tube. If there is too much water you have to lift your head and breathe out of the mouthpiece.
Step 7. Learn to dive
When you understand how to empty the snorkel, consider diving under the surface of the water to see something beautiful more closely. Take a deep breath and swim down. When you need to breathe, go back up, hold your face underwater and empty the tube as you learned earlier.
Method 3 of 4: Swim Snorkeling
Step 1. Put your fins on your feet
They amplify your movements and make you move faster forward without too many annoying splashes.
Step 2. Keep your arms at your sides to reduce friction and straighten your legs so that the fins are pointed behind you
Keep your legs close together.
Step 3. With your knees slightly bent, kick slowly but forcefully
Make smooth, relaxed movements. The movement of the legs must start from the hips and not from the knees, otherwise you will only waste energy.
Step 4. Push your feet down strongly, and less upward, while arching your back
Proper snorkeling technique receives forward propulsion from downward strokes.
Step 5. Keep your fins under the water while moving your feet
Avoid splashing that can scare fish and annoy other swimmers.
Step 6. Float on the waves
Snorkeling is usually done in calm waters, but you should still learn to indulge in the movement of the waves.
Step 7. Swim slowly and steadily to conserve energy
This is not a race and a good ride can last for hours.
Method 4 of 4: Have a Nice Snorkeling Experience
Step 1. Choose the right place
The best areas are those where the water is calm and full of underwater life. The shallow waters near the reef are great, as are the deepest dive spots that can be reached by boat. Ask locals or search guides to find areas not infested with tourists.
Step 2. Choose a sunny day
It is difficult to see well underwater on a gray and cloudy day. Snorkel in the middle of the day when the sun is high and the water is free from sediments. Storms tend to move the seabed creating clouds of sand and impurities. Postpone the exit if it rained the day before.
Step 3. Learn to recognize different fish and coral types
Have you seen that fish? Have you seen them all? Not if you don't know what you are looking at. Memorize the shapes and colors of the fish that inhabit the area's waters and you can turn your swim into a marine biology discovery. If you see a fish that you don't recognize, try to remember how it is made and then inform yourself.
Advice
- Be environmentally responsible. Don't interfere with any marine life you are observing, including coral. The coral reef is very delicate and every piece that breaks or hits with a careless movement of the foot takes years or tens of years to grow back.
- Use sunscreen! You could stay on the surface of the water for hours and a painful sunburn is inevitable if you don't wear a high protection cream. Even if the sky is cloudy, the reflection properties of the water amplify the power of the sun.
Warnings
- Avoid hyperventilating. Slow, steady breathing is the secret of snorkeling. Hyperventilation will make you faint in the water with the dangerous consequences of the case.
- Hydrate. You can lose a lot of fluids in the sea. If you plan to snorkel for a few hours, be sure to take drinking breaks. Whatever you do, don't drink salt water.
- Being in the ocean is never really safe. You can meet sharks, stinging jellyfish and other dangerous marine animals even in a very touristy and famous place for snorkeling. There are also currents that can drag you into the open sea and high waves that can send you against sharp rocks. Make sure you have adequate swimming skills and never snorkel alone.
- Be aware of where you are. Following some shiny fish, then swim farther out than you think. Avoid dangerous situations and always check where you are going.
