I'm a newbie??

[Mimi the Great]

So I'm going on my first cruise in a little more than a month and I'm totally excited. My ports are GT, HMC and Freeport on the Carnival Pride.

 

Here's my question: How do I go from being a newbie snorkeler to more experienced? I know this sounds dumb but hear me out. I went to Aruba (awesome) a few years back and when on a snorkelling trip there and loved it. I stayed on the waters surface, swam around and took underwater pictures. I come on this site, thinking I'm an ok snorkeler but then I see these photos where people have the same equipment I did but they are under water, diving down and I'm amazed. I WANT TO DO THAT!!! So how do I learn how to do that? I don't remember there being a whole lot of instruction on the Aruba trip. Please help me!:confused::D

[Islandbear]

Great Question!

 

I bet tons of people never really get to enjoy all that snorkeling has to offer because they never get beyond just floating around on the surface like a log.

 

I am no expert but I love to snorkel and have taught my kids to enjoy it too.

 

First, Take A Deep Breath! Ha Ha :D It is hard to practice unless you have a pool to use. But, after you enter the water float on your stomach and gently kick your fins till you can maintain a balanced position and then practice breathing deep and relaxed. You use way more oxygen when you are stressed than when you are relaxed. Most people breath when they think they have to not because they really do. So slow your breathing down.

 

Second, make friends with your snorkel. Your goal is going to be diving down 10-15 feet and hanging out. That means that your snorkel is going to fill with WATER! :eek: and you will need to be able to purge it of the water by blowing a blast of air out through your mouth just as you surface. (Think Whale) Go down, come up, blow, breath in, stay calm. If your snorkel has a purge valve under the mouth piece and you don't have enough air in your lungs to clear the whole tube. I will sometimes reach up and plug the top of the tube with my hand and blow this will force all the air through the valve and clear it more efficiently. Your goal here is to surface and not have to lose track of the fish you're watching or pop up, rip the mask and snorkel off, and make a big splash which scares the fish and wastes energy.

 

Third, Air weighs less than water. To dive down effortlessly you will need to get rid of the big bags of air you have in your lungs. Sounds stupid doesn't it. You just got the air in there and now I want you to get rid of it. Well here is the way it works. After you take a big deep breath, your lungs pull the oxygen out of the air and transfer it into your blood for storage. This happens pretty fast. So, now you can look down at the reef locate a promising dive spot and use your fins to shoot down. (Use your arms as little as possible because big stokes scare fish) As you start down slowly let the air out of your lungs and relax. when you get down about 10 feet just chill out and hang there, keep just enough air in your lungs to clear your snorkel (Step 2) enjoy looking around, roll over on your back and look up, Have fun your snorkeling! You will start to float back up, stay relaxed enjoy the view, surface smoothly and purge the tube.

 

The more you practice the better you will get and the longer you will be able to stay under.

 

Let me know if that helps.

[xSandman3`]

So here's how we teach it in a supervised class setting:

 

1. Breathe deeply in and out 3 times, and hold the 3rd breath. This eliminates the CO2 in your body and prolongs the impulse to breathe.

2. Dive straight down, head first. The weight of your legs will push your fins underwater. When they are under, kick like hell. The previous poster is incorrect when he said to breathe out, it's not necessary because the air in your lungs is going to compress and become less buoyant as you dive.

3. Equalize your ears! If you don't hold your nose and blow gently to equalize, you will be in serious pain, and will risk injury to your ears.

4. Relax, swim around a bit, come back up and repeat the process. Always have a buddy, but only one at a time should go under, while the other waits at the surface and watches in case something goes badly and they need to perform a rescue.

 

Have fun, practice, and enjoy the underwater world.

 

Dale

PADI OWSI

[Islandbear]

Dale,

 

I have a question that has always bothered me. :confused:

 

We have snorkeled all around the Caribbean & Gulf over the years and on my last trip to Aruba, I saw people attracting fish with bread. It was an outstanding sight, but I was then concerned that it might have a negative environmental effect for the coral or the fish.

 

Is it acceptable to attract fish with bread?

[xSandman3`]

 

Is it acceptable to attract fish with bread?

If it is done enough, it becomes part of the natural food chain for fish. My favorite dive site in the world is the dive park in Avalon, Catalina Island. The fish there have become so used to eating frozen peas that they count on it. It really counts on local customs and traditions...watch what the divemasters do. It's ok to ask, also.

[TheVegasMan]

If you want to use something to attract fish, head to your local pet store and get pellets that are designed for saltwater fish. Cat food, bread, fruit or frozen veggies are no part of a fish's natural diet.

[TheVegasMan]

If it is done enough, it becomes part of the natural food chain for fish. My favorite dive site in the world is the dive park in Avalon, Catalina Island. The fish there have become so used to eating frozen peas that they count on it. It really counts on local customs and traditions...watch what the divemasters do. It's ok to ask, also.

That should be "Un-natural" not "natural". As posted on another thread with this topic, when man feeds the fish, they no longer eat their natural food. Which for many fish is algae and parasites. When these are allowed to grown unchecked the reef can be damaged.