r/snorkeling

I consider myself a beginner swimmer (Backstrokes, breaststrokes). With breaststrokes, I get exhausted after 2-3 laps of a 25yd pool. I can tread water for maybe a minute non-stop, indefinitely if I switch to floating on my back occasionally. I am a skinny guy who does a lot of cycling and 5+ hour hikes so my baseline fitness isn't terrible, I'm just clearly not breathing properly and/or my form is off.

Snorkeled a few times at Hanauma Bay where the waters are really gentle, so I felt like my abilities were adequate. But I have some snorkeling coming up next month in Kauai (Poipu beach and Anini beach) where the currents can be choppier and I am less confident.

I have an opportunity to start daily swim laps at my local pool combined with weekend recreation slots for water tread practice, for dirt cheap. Lessons once a week. Ideally I'd have already started lessons, but they're mostly booked out few months ahead.

What baseline skill level would one be "ready" to take on some of these beaches? Assuming one takes the necessary precautions to watch out for rip currents and snorkel only in lifeguard-attended beaches. I know the swim qualification for scuba is 200m (8/9 laps of my local 25yd pool) with 10 minutes treading water, I just don't know if that's possible for me in a month.

How do you wash and especially, how do you properly dry your suit if you are staying in a camping site or if no warm drying space is available?

I always go on snorkelling trips from home so I can wash and dry the suit easily, but I'd like to go on trips further away, maybe staying at a camping site or hostel etc. As it is always pretty time consuming to get the suit fully dry I was wondering if there's a trick or good advice on how to do it when you don't have your normal settings available?

I have an expensive suit and I take a good care of it, I don't want it to get moldy or stinky.

Thanks in advance!

Hi! Looking for advice for cold water snorkelling gear. The water temp will be between 8-12C. I ideally think a 7mm wetsuit would suit me (female) but I’m unsure of what brands are decent. Thanks!

Years ago tried going a few meters down while snorkelling for the first time. I ended up rupturing my eardrums and haven’t been since.

Now I want to start getting in the hobby again but want to learn what I did wrong? So, what happened was, I saw something on the bottom where I was snorkelling, possibly 5-8 meters down (did smaller dives to build up courage).

While I was descending, I equalised by pinching my nose and blowing before my ears started to hurt. I reached the bottom but couldn’t grab the item in time and quickly swam back up for air. A few seconds later, I then tried again by descending but my eardrums ruptured when only around 2 meters down?

Any advice around what I did wrong would be great for a beginner like me.

Hi everyone,

I lived in Hawaii for a few years (FL native though) and I’ve gradually missed snorkeling/free diving more and more the longer time goes by. I moved to Orlando for job reasons with my husband but I don’t have the ability/time to drive down to like the keys to go snorkeling.

Does anyone recommend spots I can go to for anything close to a reef/sea life? Nearby beach access on the
coasts? The depth isn’t a big factor for me, even though I do miss being able to go down like 40ft straight from the beach.

Feel free to DM me any recs! Thank you. :)

Can anyone recommend a snorkel tube that is either easy to clear water or isn't as easy for water to get into the tube?

I panic when I can't get the water out of the tube and feel like I can't breathe.

If anyone can recommend a great antifog mask too, that would be great.

I currently use this dry snorkel:

Greatever Dry Snorkel set, panoramic view (Amazon)

I've been snorkeling a couple of times, and I always have a blast. I'm going on a few more trips soon, and I'm looking to buy a mask and snorkel instead of renting. I don't need anything top of the line, as I'll only realistically go snorkeling 1-2 times a year. However, I do want something that will fit my face and function well. As I look around, it seems like there are a TON of options, and it's getting a bit overwhelming with the vast selections and price ranges. I wanted to see what people here would recommend for someone in my situation.

Hi, I have gone through multiple supposedly waterproof cameras that can be used for snorkeling, but they all quickly got water inside the enclosure. My most recent one is a $100 AKASO. I am interested in buying a $350 enclosure-free GoPro 13, but a lot of comments say the water still got in after just one trip.

Therefore, I would really appreciate it if anyone can recommend a good one in the $400ish price range that is time-tested to be waterproof and adjusted for underwater filming. I only do snorkeling at the surface so there’s no way it breaches the 33ft limit.

Thank you!

Hi everyone!

I am heading to Sicily soon and have booked a boat snorkeling tour around Isola Bella with Sicily Adventure. I am really excited, but I wanted to ask for some local insight or reassurance from anyone who has done this.

I am an okay pool swimmer, I just learned to swim a few months ago and feel really comfortable in water( i.e I practice regularly and I can do front crawl, backstroke confidently), but I have never actually swam in open coastal water before. On top of that, I am still perfecting my breathing technique while swimming, and I have no idea what it would be like to breathe through a snorkel tube.
The tour company provides buoyancy vests, which gives me peace of mind, but I’m still a bit nervous about the transition from pool to deep sea.

A few questions:

Should I just refrain from snorkeling since I’m still pretty new at swimming itself? (I really do want to swim / snorkel though in open water!)
Has anyone done this specific tour with Sicily Adventure? How beginner-friendly is the crew?
What are the sea conditions usually like around the Isola Bella marine reserve at this time (I’m going next week)? (Currents, waves, etc.)

Any tips for a first-timer overall?