Can You Go Snorkeling Without Knowing How To Swim

Is information technology possible to snorkel if yous don't know how to swim? While the answer is potentially yes, in our stance we strongly recommend you larn how to swim before you become snorkeling. We want to err on the side of caution and say that, for safety reasons, if you lot are a non-swimmer and so knowing how to swim is essential just in instance any trouble occurs in the water.

You don't have to be a strong swimmer (this isn't a competition, after all), but having basic swimming competency like knowing how to float or do the doggy paddle will drastically reduce the danger. Knowing how to swim volition make snorkeling much easier. In this article, we get over the reasons why knowing how to swim is important for snorkeling, likewise as talk over ways a non-swimmer can potentially snorkel safely.

Contents

Is Pond Required for Snorkeling?
Snorkeling Tips for Beginners and Non-Swimmers
- Don't Panic
- Use a Flotation Device
- Float Horizontally
- Control Your Breathing
- Submerge Just a Little
- Snorkel with a Buddy
- Currents and Rip Tides
Beach vs. Boat Snorkeling
- From the Beach
- From a Boat
Parting Words

Is Pond Required for Snorkeling?

Once again, if yous don't know how to swim, we feel information technology is not safe to snorkel in water that is much deeper than your acme, let solitary out in the open water by gunkhole. All it takes is a stiff current or an injury and all all of a sudden y'all could be caught upward in a life-or-death situation. Only before we even get that far, and to tone down the drama a bit, allow'south talk about something even more basic.

Fundamentally, snorkeling requires you lot to know how to float along the water's surface with your face submerged in the h2o. This is what snorkeling is and is how it works whether you are wearing fins or not. Most snorkelers, ourselves included, like to snorkel with fins. If you are not a stiff swimmer, know that snorkeling with fins makes the activeness so much easier.

With fins, yous can propel yourself through the water much more easily, which saves your energy. If you want to quickly dive down for a bit, which is known as duck diving, fins assistance you dive downward effortlessly too. So at the very least, you should know bones swimming skills, and with the aid of some snorkeling gear, yous tin safely snorkel. It is upward to you to judge your swimming skills and what you are capable of, but please err on the side of caution.

Snorkeling Tips for Beginners and Not-Swimmers

Don't Panic

When you're in deep enough water that you can't encounter the bottom anymore, and far enough away from land that you might not be able to make information technology dorsum to shore without assist, you might feel an overwhelming sense of panic. However, panicking is the worst thing you tin can practise, especially if you're a not-swimmer. If you panic, your breathing will be in disarray and you could be wasting valuable free energy thrashing about.

The nigh common cause of panic is when h2o starts to fill up your snorkel mask. This often happens because the seal on your mask is not tight enough and you don't accept a adept snorkel mask for beards. Once water starts to fill, calmly surface, drain the water, and continue snorkeling.

Staying at-home on the other paw accomplishes many goals. If nothing else, you volition be aware of your state of affairs and your breathing volition be normal. You will be able to think rationally, and discern whether you're actually in whatever trouble or not. Proceed in mind that if you don't know how to swim, y'all're definitely wearing some kind of flotation device also equally snorkeling with others then it is unlikely you'll plummet to the bottom of the sea despite your fears.

Use a Flotation Device

There are many flotation devices that you lot can utilise out in the water, and some of them are fifty-fifty designed specifically with snorkeling in mind. There are many to choose from such as snorkeling vests, flotation belts, boogie boards, pool noodles, thick wetsuits and of grade standard life jackets. Keep in mind that out of all of these flotation devices, simply the life jacket is approved past the United States Coast Baby-sit (USCG) as a life-saving device. If you lot absolutely exercise not know how to swim, you must wear a life jacket.

The other flotation devices provide a certain amount of buoyancy. Earlier purchasing one, look up its weight rating to meet how much weight the specific device can support. Furthermore, exercise not rely entirely on the flotation device to keep you afloat. Y'all should still know how to paddle or stay afloat on your ain, and employ the flotation devices to assist you and conserve energy. We recommend using a flotation belt, snorkel belong, or life jacket as these devices are strapped onto you and volition not slip abroad, unlike boogie boards or puddle noodles.

Float Horizontally

When you don't know how to swim, your natural instinct while in the h2o is to try to get as much of your body out of the water. However, that is not a good way to bladder, and yous should instead lower your body into the water and then get as horizontal as y'all tin can. With the help of a flotation device, lower your breast and continue the water around your chin or neck level. This will help you stay buoyant more than trying to push upwards equally if you were trying to bound out of the h2o.

Control Your Breathing

Nosotros covered this briefly in our "don't panic" section. The first time you lot snorkel, you volition understandably be nervous, particularly if yous are not confident in your swimming skills. Your breathing and heart rate will be elevated. At-home downwards and focus on what's important which is ensuring that your gear is working and you're doing the right snorkeling techniques.

First, your snorkel mask and mouthpiece should take a tight seal on your face. If you have a bristles or mustache, and so this may cause h2o leaks considering the mask skirt will not seal tightly effectually facial hair. Best to follow the advice in this guide or only shave information technology off.

Next, breathe through your mouth and not your nose. If yous have a mask with a purge system, yous can exhale through your nose to expel whatever water that might have entered. Remember that the snorkel is above water providing you lot fresh air, then you can breath as you normally would while enjoying the underwater views.

Submerge But a Little

Snorkeling only requires you lot to submerge the front end part of your face up and goggles underwater. You don't demand to fully submerge; pretty much half of your body will be in a higher place water, particularly with a flotation device on. All you demand to practise is intermission the water's surface with your mask and you can see what the body of water has in store for you.

Furthermore, this will reduce the chances of you lowering the top role of the snorkel into the water and gulping down a mouthful of seawater. Choking on water can be panic inducing, and so this is something nosotros want to avert. Later on some fourth dimension water may enter your mask because of a weak seal, only all yous need to practise is drain the water and resume snorkeling.

Snorkel with a Buddy

Take a buddy with you who is a stiff swimmer. That way, you can have somebody to watch your back that can help you or call for help in case there is any problem. Likewise, it'south more than fun to do things with somebody else, and in this case a snorkeling buddy could literally save your life. With that said, we yet recommend you larn how to swim on your own, otherwise if you panic there is a possibility that you lot will endanger your buddy as well.

Currents and Rip Tides

Whether yous are a beginner at snorkeling or a veteran, you must be wary of currents and rip tides. Information technology tin happen very suddenly; one second you're leisurely snorkeling, and the side by side you're swept out into the ocean. This is why we recommend wearing a buoyancy aid that tin be strapped onto you lot, such as a life vest or snorkel belong. A boogie lath or pool noodle could easily be lost in this scenario.

In this state of affairs, you must not panic. Your life belong will keep you afloat, and then you lot won't be in any immediate danger, notwithstanding information technology will not save you from getting swept further out. What you do in this example is non to swim directly to shore, merely rather to swim parallel to the shore. There is no point swimming against the current, you will just waste matter precious free energy. If you swim parallel to the shore, at some point, you will pause free from the current or riptide, and then y'all can swim directly to shore.

Beach vs. Boat Snorkeling

Snorkeling tin be done from the beach or from a boat, often as role of a tour. In that location are pros and cons to each of these if you're a not-swimmer.

From the Beach

Snorkeling from the beach sounds similar the safer option for a non-swimmer, however that isn't necessarily the case. When you lot snorkel from a boat, you lot enter deep water immediately and are on high alert from the go go. On the other paw, snorkeling from the beach can give you a false sense of security.

While in that location's less pressure since you lot tin can showtime from shallow water and go at your own pace, all information technology takes is a strong current or riptide to elevate y'all to deep waters. That is why even if you are in shallow water where your feet tin touch the bottom, you should still be wearing a buoyancy aid just in example something like that happens.

Some other downside of snorkeling from the beach is that you may non have an experienced snorkeling teacher to help y'all. They are often working as role of a bout guide, and on boat trips you can only allow the instructor know that yous are not a strong swimmer.

If you plan on snorkeling from the beach, make certain to do so where a lifeguard is close by, and try to find a buddy who is a strong swimmer to snorkel with you. Depending on where you lot go, you can still encounter a surprising amount of marine life even in shallow water.

From a Boat

If you have some greenbacks to spare, non-swimmers should consider snorkeling as role of a gunkhole trip. Boat trips will provide yous with experienced instructors, flotation devices, and a group of people to snorkel with. Let the instructor know you lot're a non-swimmer and then that they can requite you boosted guidance and keep a close picket on you lot.

With that said, if you snorkel from a boat you lot volition enter deep water immediately. You don't have many options to go at your own stride, you lot're literally diving into the deep terminate. Even so, just follow the instructor's tips, clothing a life vest, and stay shut to the grouping and you'll manage.

Parting Words

If y'all don't know how to swim, snorkeling can be a horrifying experience with how far out you lot'll exist from land. Nosotros highly recommend yous learn the basics of how to swim earlier attempting to snorkel. Nevertheless, it is possible for non-swimmers to snorkel with the help of a flotation device and a snorkeling buddy.

An easy way to get all of this started is to become on a tour and to convince a friend or ii to join you lot. You become to go on a nice holiday, you get instructions and guidance, and tons of people to snorkel with that can expect out for you lot if anything goes wrong.

Source: https://openwaterhq.com/snorkeling/tips-for-non-swimmers/