Tips and Advice on Snorkelling 

First things first…..equipment.

The single most important piece of equipment in a free divers bag is the mask. When looking for a mask don’t cut corners, and don’t buy one from the large convenience store down the road. That’s unless you know the exact mask you want and they are offering it to you at a good price. Here are some pointers to send you in the right direction.

• Never get a mask with a clear skirt….it only lets in solar flares and glare. This will boggle your eyes and reduce the range of visibility in the water.
• The skirt should be made of silicon; rubber just does not last and is uncomfortable.
• Comfort is every thing; try the mask on in the shop. Breathe in through your nose and compress the mask onto your face. There should be no air leaking in and the frame should not be pressing down on your fore head. Then without letting out air through your nose gently pull the mask off your face. If the mask fits well and the seal is good, you should have to pull quiet hard against suction.
• The lower the volume of the mask the better it will be for deep diving and equalising. (only an experience shop assistant will be able to help you in telling the volumes of masks.)
  

Once you have bought your mask you need to remove the releasing agent from the mask, which will cause the mask to mist up in the water.

• Wash thoroughly with dish washing liquid in as hot as possible water, use a sponge and build up some foam. Rinse well and then take tooth paste (with out granules) and using your finger work the lenses. Rinse again and make sure all traces of tooth paste are gone, the menthol will burn your eyes.
  

The snorkel is your next important piece of equipment.

• Again this is not a cheapie part of your set up expect to pay about R100.00 for any thing decent.
  Don’t buy a snorkel with purge valves, as only very few of them work properly.
• Fit the snorkel to the mask in the shop and put on the mask and place the mouth piece in your mouth. You will soon find out which one is comfortable.
• If possible remove the clip on the snorkel and replace with a more sturdy rubber snorkel strap…..you will thank me later.
  

Now the fins, this can be a costly exercise, so some wisdom is needed.

• As in the old saying: “A cheap buy is an expensive buy” if you buy cheap and start to get into the sport, it will be a few dives later and you will be at the shop again upgrading.
• Don’t buy open heal fins. They are designed for scuba, and the bulky buckles and heavy foot sockets will drain you and hamper your manoeuvrability. Think seek & light.
• Look for comfortable foot pockets, they should have a nice snug fit with out squeezing your feet, too loose will case blisters. Ideally you want to buy one size up and put on some neoprene booties (ones without soles on, much like a sock)
• The stiffer the blade the better, also don’t buy those funny fins with high tech looking blades. Avoid folds; bends; funny fins and holes ect Plain flat blades are the best.
• Fin guards are also a good thing, not essential, but they could save you some money.

You now have the basic equipment to get in the water, but don’t just jump in the first place you get to. The sea is a vast and almost unexplainable territory, I suppose that’s what makes exploring it so great. But it needs respect, and some local knowledge will go a long way. So I would suggest if you are getting in the water for the first time with your new dive kit, go and get in a tidal pool or find a very calm and quiet cove…..tidal pool is better! There you will find no surprises and will be able to become accustomed to your equipment and surroundings. After you have built up some confidence you will be itching to get into the sea and start exploring, don’t rush in blindly! If it looks even slightly more than you can handle don’t get in the water, find a life guard or local to direct you in the right direction.

Once you have gained some experience in the shallows you will probably venture deeper and deeper. This is where your underwater world explodes and you are going to start experiencing the true joy of the ocean. It is at this point you might want to start exploring the world of free diving, where you teach yourself how to dive deeper and stay down longer.

And one day you will find yourself sitting on the ocean floor surrounded buy fish and sea creatures you would never have seen while bubble blowing in scuba gear. You are one with your surroundings not as an intruder but as one almost partaking in the dance of under water life. And then almost in a supernatural experience a dolphin swims up to you takes a look, and then swims off again with that funny smile they wear. You know things just don’t get better than this.

Lastly, remember always relax, always dive with in your abilities and always dive with a partner.

Safe Diving,

Chris Coates