Question for those who have snorkeled before

[lbruinlane]

Sorry to hijack...but i was wondering if anyone knows where you can find a belt flotation device? We used it on a tour our first time snorkeling and im not sure i can do it without it. I know there are vests but the belt seems to be a lot handier. We bought our own snorkeling equip for this upcoming cruise,...but i want the belt!

[cruise_pirate]

Fins are a must for me, allows me to go down further to see something and get away quicker from things I do not want to be around:eek:

[Sweet_Tea]

Sorry to hijack...but i was wondering if anyone knows where you can find a belt flotation device? We used it on a tour our first time snorkeling and im not sure i can do it without it. I know there are vests but the belt seems to be a lot handier. We bought our own snorkeling equip for this upcoming cruise,...but i want the belt!

 

They have a wide selection of them on Amazon, just type in "Floatation Belt" in the search area and several of them will pop up. We're getting our snorkeling gear from there as well.

[MrCo9]

I'm glad someone started this thread. I have never snorkled....but want to try it on one of our cruises. My biggest concern is that I wear glasses and I know if I buy my own mask, I can get it with corrective lenses. However, to just try it for the first time, not knowing if I will like it, I'm trying to decide how well I will see. Distance vision is pretty good, just can't read without my glasses.

Let's hope the sharks stay farther than 4' away from you then. :D

[MrCo9]

.If I am snorkeling off a beach and am not needing to go very far to where the fish viewing is good; I don't bother with them.

That's riptide territory, if you ever do get in one I hope you have fins on. Swim parallel to shore until you're out of it, then swim into shore.

[ms-getaway]

I am not a great swimmer:o but I would really like to try to snorkle. can in be done in water that is not very deep? I just wanna see something to say I did it :)

[Snorkel2Much]

I am not a great swimmer:o but I would really like to try to snorkle. can in be done in water that is not very deep? I just wanna see something to say I did it :)

(looking at your upcoming cruise)..both Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay have shallow water snorkel opportunities right from shore for you. It may not be "awesome", but your bound to see a few things here and there. GT also has several nearby reefs and islands reachable by boat with great snorkeling but deeper water.

 

The only decent (IMO) snorkeling in Nassau is on the south side of the island offshore in deeper water.

[MrCo9]

I am talking about fish food in the form of cereal. I first witnessed this a few years ago so tried it myself in mexico. Used a small box of cereal from the breakfast bar, put it in a baggie and fed the fish. You would not believe the fish that instantly appear. I had the baggie a few inches from the water and a fishie jumped out of the water and ripped the bag open. Make sure you do not discard the bag in the water. I used Cheerios and Carnival will not miss just 1 little box.

Fish do not normally eat corn and other grains. Fish do not normally approach humans. You're not supposed to take food off the ship. 3 wrongs, don't make you right.

 

Feeding fish food they don't eat normally can be bad for them. Feeding fish makes them more agressive. Feeding fish can draw in prey fish that you would not normally see in that area.

[oceanxbreeze89]

I have been snorkeling for 18+ years. I wear fins based on the current in the water and how deep the water is. Normally, I wear both mask/snorkel and the fins but on occasion if I am just looking around and I am in shallower water, I will just wear the mask and the snorkel. Don't worry about it. You'll be fine!

[StinkyFeesh]

I always wear the fins for the added bouyancy and because they allow me to dive down deeper. If you have a problem getting vertical then just start to bend at the waist and roll over onto your back. As far as snorkels go, I don't worry about ones with check valves as when you dive down the first thing you do when you come up is exhale, just second nature for me. And for feeding, a much better alternative to cereal is a banana. Once you open the cereal you're all done, you gotta feed it all right then and it won't last long soaked. The banana you can pocket and use again later. Just pinch off small pieces and let them go in front of you.

 

HTH and have fun snorkeling. It's a gorgeous world down there.

[bottomrung]

Fish do not normally eat corn and other grains. Fish do not normally approach humans. You're not supposed to take food off the ship. 3 wrongs, don't make you right.

 

Feeding fish food they don't eat normally can be bad for them. Feeding fish makes them more agressive. Feeding fish can draw in prey fish that you would not normally see in that area.

 

Since we do not have webbed feet we should not be in the water to begin with, the rubber flippers and goggles will leach their chemicals into the water.

 

I did not read anywhere that taking food off the ship was against CCL rules.

If cheerios are bad for the fish next time I will steal a box of fruit loops so they can be more colorful after they eat them and my plastic underwater camera photos will look much more professional.

We should only cruise on sail ships or row boats, nothing motorized.

AND never ever pass gas while snorkeling this could be the contributing factor to the disappearance of the Lock Nest Monster.

[StinkyFeesh]

Fish do not normally eat corn and other grains. Fish do not normally approach humans. You're not supposed to take food off the ship. 3 wrongs, don't make you right.

 

Feeding fish food they don't eat normally can be bad for them. Feeding fish makes them more agressive. Feeding fish can draw in prey fish that you would not normally see in that area.

 

Wow, I wasn't aware anyone could possibly be that uptight! Should we make it a game now that we research all your posts and start making comments on the things we don't think you should be doing? Or is there only room for you up on that horse?

 

And, fwiw, fish will try and eat anything that remotely looks edible regardless of what it is. What do you think happens when it rains? Why do you think fish are more apt to bite when it's raining? Stuff gets washed into waterways and they eat it. You think earthworms are a naturally occuring food under water?

[dan40]

Since we do not have webbed feet we should not be in the water to begin with, the rubber flippers and goggles will leach their chemicals into the water.

 

I did not read anywhere that taking food off the ship was against CCL rules.

If cheerios are bad for the fish next time I will steal a box of fruit loops so they can be more colorful after they eat them and my plastic underwater camera photos will look much more professional.

We should only cruise on sail ships or row boats, nothing motorized.

AND never ever pass gas while snorkeling this could be the contributing factor to the disappearance of the Lock Nest Monster.

 

 

You need to read a little further, it is against the rules. But hardly enforced.

 

If you ever have the "pleasure" of seeing a Manatee pass gas, you will NEVER worry about any quantity we could vent!! They leave a trail of bubbles that might explain the whole Bermuda Triangle thing!!:D:D:eek::p

[idlenote]

We use fins and normally wear a flotation vest. Just makes it all so much easier. And we take our own equipment, I've seen them putting the gear in the nasty buckets.

[denred4]

it's a good idea to have some type of floatation device. I went with my two kids and we are all good swimmers, and the tour we went on had "noodles". my kids were resistant, thinking they'd look like dorks, but they were so glad to have them. It's so much more relaxing when you don't have to swim the entire time.

[halos]

FISH got fins! Is there a message there?

LOL!! Well, there ya have it!!!!! :D

'nuf said!!

[halos]

Fish do not normally eat corn and other grains. Fish do not normally approach humans. You're not supposed to take food off the ship. 3 wrongs, don't make you right.

 

Feeding fish food they don't eat normally can be bad for them. Feeding fish makes them more agressive. Feeding fish can draw in prey fish that you would not normally see in that area.

 

packaged food is allowed off the ship I believe.

As for what the fish eat, you do realize that all food scraps/waste from the ship are 'dumped' and become fish food??????

[mtchg]

of fish is Coki Beach on St. Thomas (they also have a small aquarium , and ships take snorkeling excursions there). When your rent (again, if you want to lug your own equipment around with you; have at it...but there is no need); they always give you a bag of fish food; to my knowledge there is no law against that; any more than the legal dumping of food scraps from the ships.

 

 

Mitch

[marshhawk]

My hubby, Catmando, wears the fins. I do not. Yes it makes you swim faster, I'm just not into fast, into looking, and I stand up alot, as I am not a very strong swimmer anymore(getting old and smoke too much.) We snorkeled in Belize, it was wonderful, but fins hurt as much as feet when you get kicked and when there is a large group of you out there. If you are going to snorkel from a boat, wear the fins, if you are walking in from the shore into the water, and you are in depths that you can stand in the whole time then they probably aren't necessary. Have fun! And yes, we bought our masks. I wear glasses, but the water magnifies, and the glass in the mask does magnify also. I have never worried about corrective lenses for my mask for viewing underwater.

I just don't know who I'm talking to when I get out of the water. LOL (Legally blind, and legally blond):rolleyes:

[Keksie]

My hubby, Catmando, wears the fins. I do not. Yes it makes you swim faster, I'm just not into fast, into looking, and I stand up alot, as I am not a very strong swimmer anymore(getting old and smoke too much.) We snorkeled in Belize, it was wonderful, but fins hurt as much as feet when you get kicked and when there is a large group of you out there. If you are going to snorkel from a boat, wear the fins, if you are walking in from the shore into the water, and you are in depths that you can stand in the whole time then they probably aren't necessary. Have fun! And yes, we bought our masks. I wear glasses, but the water magnifies, and the glass in the mask does magnify also. I have never worried about corrective lenses for my mask for viewing underwater.

I just don't know who I'm talking to when I get out of the water. LOL (Legally blind, and legally blond):rolleyes:

 

I hope you look around carefully for any coral before you stand up. Standing on, or kicking coral will damage it. You don't need to constantly swim you can just float which takes very little effort.

[StinkyFeesh]

packaged food is allowed off the ship I believe.

As for what the fish eat, you do realize that all food scraps/waste from the ship are 'dumped' and become fish food??????

 

Lol you just have to look at the dudes posting history to see that he just likes starting trouble. What other excuse could there be for chiding someone for telling another to bring some cereal off the ship to feed to the fish, but in another breath he tells someone that they can smuggle alcohol onboard.

[kgraham56]

I've been a scuba diver for over 35 years so I end up being asked about snorkeling a lot. Some tips that have worked over the years:

1) Check your local YMCA and local dive shops. Most of them offer snorkling classes. The classes are good for several things:

a) They give you a chance to try out different gear. Not every mask, snorkel or set of fins fits everyone the same way. Dive shops especially will have several varieties to try out.

b) This will give you a chance to get over the initial "head in the water" anxiety that is a natural reaction.

c) You will get a chance to ask questions and get 1 on 1 help. Something you will not get on "Bob's Snorkel Boat and Get Drunk Express".

2) Fins are extremely useful if used correctly. All fins are made out of a floatable rubber material (mostly synthetic now). This added floatation will help keep you level so you don't feel like you are sinking. The correct way to fin is to keep your knees locked and kick from the hips. If you break your knees you will be thrashing with the fins and you will get tired. If you are having calf cramps, you are doing it wrong (see go get lessons above).

3) Don't inflate the snorkel vest as if it was a life vest. This will push your head up into an unnatural position and will make your feet want to sink. The snorkel vest is a piece of safety equipment, but it is not a life vest.

4) You are not swimming, use your hands for pointing out pretty fish to your SO and taking pictures. You don't use them for propulsion. Watch the Carnival ads, when people are snorkeling, they have their hands at their sides. Use the fins for propulsion.

5) Stay aware of your surroundings. It is easy to get carried away chasing fish or watching something. Always know where the snorkel boat is and where your partner is (you do have a snorkel buddy don't you???). When you are getting tired, start easing back to the boat. You don't want a long swim to get to the boat when you are already tired.

6) Have fun. You are on vacation. Feed the fish some cereal (I use Sugar Pops, they love the bright yellow). For picture effects, a handful of Pops to bring some friends around makes for a great shot. (Ziplock bag, open underwater from the bottom to trap air in it to keep the cereal dry). And if it is rough, go ahead and get seasick and lose your lunch. As most dive master will tell you, the fish don't get a warm meal very often ;).

 

ken