Scuba Diving club,
Southern California
The Basics, for Calm Confidence
in the Water
Article
by Joel Simon
Many people assume that snorkeling is so easy that
little or no instruction is needed to master the skill. This simply isn’t true.
In addition to learning the fit and use of equipment, many snorkelers must deal
with more sophisticated issues: long term fear of the water, feelings of
claustrophobia, lack of swimming ability, or learning to breath through their
mouth. Just as often I instruct people who have tried snorkeling before, but
after an initial trial with no guidance, are left with dank memories of leaky
masks, cramped legs, sunburned backs, and mouthfuls of salt water, still
allegorically caked on their previous enthusiasm.
Snorkeling is perhaps the easiest methods
of immersing oneself in a true wilderness environment. It’s safe, easy,
enjoyable, and in many ways more relaxing than being on land. Done correctly,
snorkeling offers a multitude of educational and physical rewards. Clearly, a
little snorkeling instruction, especially at the start, can be invaluable in
developing a calm confidence in the water. This confidence will grow with
experience, as you literally immerse you in one of the most fascinating realms
this planet has to offer. Scuba divers, too, can benefit by honing their
snorkeling skills, and relaxation in the water is a shared goal. Whether you
are a novice or an expert, the following tips should prove useful in your
snorkeling activities.
Snorkeling Techniques:
While the equipment itself is simple,
evolutionarily, we are land-based beings. Quite often, the translation to
becoming comfortable in the water involves as much psychology as physical skill
development. On land we relate to the world vertically. In the water we’re
horizontal. On land we can breath through our nose. With a mask and snorkel
breathing is by mouth only. When we place our face underwater, all our
well-earned survival instincts are saying "Don’t do this, silly. I need
air to live!"
As a child, I remember practicing
breathing through a snorkel while watching Rocky & Bullwinkle on television
through a misty mask, lying comfortably on the living room floor. Even after
mastering calm even breaths in a swimming pool, I had to literally force myself
to inhale, against my better judgment, during my first forays into the open
sea.
Many enthusiastic novices plunge right in
without a second thought about currents, sunburn, or flooded masks. Edna Murray
was one of those people. She lowered her head to closely view a colorful fish,
then turned frantic when her snorkel filled with water. Rising to her feet,
standing knee-deep in calm water, she was still choking, literally drowning on
her feet. I motioned to her to take the snorkel out of her mouth, which she
did, and her panic quickly turned to relief. These "rescues" are
easily avoided with training.
Begin by learning how to use the
equipment. When you put on your mask for snorkeling, be sure it seals well
around your entire face; brush all your hair back and if you’re wearing a
bathing cap, be sure it doesn’t interfere with the mask’s edge. Condensation
may form on the inner surface, quickly resembling San Francisco fog.
Fortunately, mask clouding is easily avoided by swishing a little saliva or
commercially available "de-fog" solution on the inside of the glass
each time before going in the water. One friend swears by baby shampoo to
prevent condensation, and her eyebrows look great! Sometimes new masks have a
protective film which is best removed with a very light abrasive. Some folks
effectively use toothpaste. It’s best to avoid putting suntan lotion on your
nose or face when snorkeling because the water can occasionally flush some into
your eyes.
Your snorkel essentially transfers your
mouth to the back of your head, somewhat like a dolphin’s blowhole, permitting
you to breathe through your mouth while floating face down in the water. This
is a novel experience for most of us. It may help to first use the snorkel out
of the water, progressing to a pool or calm, shallow water as you become more
comfortable. Ultimately, correctly using a snorkel allows greater relaxation
and uninterrupted views of the world below.
Beginners are encouraged to develop their
skills by deliberately flooding their mask and snorkel while still in shallow
water. Dip your head down until you hear and "feel" water entering
the snorkel. How do you clear the water from a flooded snorkel or mask?
Remember Edna Murray: When all else fails, a mask and snorkel come off as easily
as they go on. There are, however, other more commonly used methods. For the
snorkel, exhale a burst of air through your mouth, breathing in cautiously at
first to make sure you’ve forced all the water out. To clear a flooded mask,
place your hand on the upper edge of the mask, tilt your head back at a 45
degree angle, or turn your head sidewise, and blow air through your nose until
the water evacuates. For most of us it’s normal to have a little water gurgling
at the bottom of a snorkel, or a little puddle inside your mask around your
nose.
Tayna Lane came to me during a recent
program with a leaky mask. She complained: "It fit perfectly at the shop,
and worked fine in the pool, but here in the sea, it’s leaking like crazy.
What’s the problem?" After a little discussion and observation the problem
became clear: every time she smiled, which was often, her face creased near her
mouth, and water came in through the sides of the mask. The more she enjoyed
herself, the more miserable she became! She may be the only person I’ve ever
asked to stop smiling.
Fins are great in the water, but awkward
as snowshoes on land. If you’re going to a snorkeling area from a calm beach,
try putting on your fins in waist-deep water. Snorkeling companions can help
one another maintain balance. On boats, fins are usually put on at the dive
platform, and taken off before climbing up a ladder. Walking with fins on a
moving boat can prove challenging at best, dangerously precarious at worst.
While fins can facilitate fast swimming, their greatest asset is increased
efficiency. Used gently, they let you glide nearly effortlessly along the
surface, keeping your body in a relaxing horizontal position. Not only does
this help keep your snorkel above water, but it keeps your face looking down
comfortably. Remember to look where you’re going every now and then to avoid
bumping into a boat, parts of the reef, or your friends!
Rather than zoom around the entire area,
many snorkelers find that once they locate an interesting area, a shallow coral
head for example, they actually see much more by floating quietly in one place.
Many reef creatures rely on cryptic coloration for survival, and are only
noticed upon careful observation. If you relax in one place, small fish and
other reef life become accustomed to your presence, realize you are not a link
in their food chain, and come out of hiding to resume their normal routine.
With fins, propulsion is by easy, gentle
kicking. You rarely need to use your arms at all, unlike conventional swimming.
Let your arms rest comfortably by your side, or float one arm in front of your
head to act as a bumper if needed. If you ever took swimming classes, you
probably remember the stern admonitions: "kick from the hip, keep those
legs stiff and straight". Not so with snorkeling. With fins, you can keep
your knees and ankles loose. Gently lead your fins up and down in the water and
allow the pressure to flex your joints. This lets your muscles expand and
contract, promotes muscular respiration, diminishes lactic acid buildup, and
makes your legs far less susceptible to cramps.
Once you’ve mastered the skills of
comfortably floating on the surface using your equipment, you may wish to swim
down and take a closer look. Many of the most interesting aspects of the reef
are small. Delicate christmas-tree worms-red, orange, and yellow-are mere
inches tall. Tiny translucent shrimp and crabs dwell safely in the protective
tentacles of large anemones, and little fish often hide in coral crevices.
These and other interesting sights are all more easily seen when viewed
closely. To leave the surface and venture down into the underwater world isn’t
difficult, but it takes some practice.
Here’s how: Relax at the surface,
breathing normally. Take a breath and hold it. Bend at the waist so your head
is pointing down, lift your legs above your head, and use your arms to help
start your downward motion, then continue by kicking your legs. Now the most
important part: equalizing your ears. As you swim downward and before you feel
any pressure, put a hand to the nosepiece of your mask and squeeze your
nostrils closed. At the same time, try to gently blow some air through your
nose--of course, no air should come out because of your squeezed nostrils. This
will equalize your ears. Continue to equalize your ears as long as you descend.
If you feel any pain, come up and try again. This procedure is only needed
going down, not up. Equalizing your ears is a necessary part of diving, and
when done "early and often" will prevent any pain or damage to your
eardrums. Sometimes sinuses may be congested, especially if you have a cold or
allergies. This can hinder equalization and can be dangerous for your ears.
Over the counter medications can help if taken as directed before snorkeling.
While underwater, stay relaxed! The more
relaxed you are, the longer you can stay down. Take a look around and enjoy the
view. When you ascend, look up and watch where you’re going, not where you’ve
been. It’s amazing how many people look down when coming up! Upon arrival at
the surface, clear your snorkel with a burst of air, then cautiously breath in.
Your free-diving skills will improve with practice. Floating on top of the
water provides a splendid overview, and for many snorkelers this will be
enough, but surface diving will literally give you a deeper appreciation of the
intricacies and details of the complex underwater community.
Relaxed snorkelers not only float more
easily, they are safer, stay underwater longer, and more thoroughly enjoy the
experience. One easy relaxation technique, applicable to all skill levels, is
the development of an even, regular, breathing pattern in the water. On land we
don’t walk around inhaling, holding our breath, and then quickly exhaling. In
the water, an even breathing pattern will greatly aid relaxation. Try it, it
works.
Probably the most important responsibility
is to listen to and abide by your own personal limitations, your own
"comfort zone". These limitations are always subject to change. Much
will depend on water temperature, surge or current conditions, how much sleep
you may have had the night before, or how much snorkeling you’ve already done
that day. Certainly they change with experience and proficiency in the water.
Individually, each of us knows best what our limitations are on any given day,
and individually we must be responsive to those messages. If you get cold, get
out, warm up, and go back in only when you feel like it.
After nearly an hour in the water, I
helped Susan Oberlin back onto the boat. "How was it?" I inquired. "Fantastic!"
she replied exuberantly, "I followed one gorgeous bright blue fish, then
another more beautiful than the last, and then another, a yellow-stripey one, I
think, and then before I knew it ..... I was freezing!"
With relaxation in mind, another
precaution is simply to move slowly. Most injuries are caused by reflex actions
that bang extremities into relatively immovable objects: boats, reefs, piers,
etc. One student came to me with a scraped elbow. He’d inadvertently banged it
into some coral...despite my urging not to touch the reef! When I asked him how
it happened, he rather sheepishly replied that when he felt something (very
big) bite his fin, he’d whipped around quickly to confront the beast, scraping
his elbow in the process. When I asked him what his assailant looked like, he
admitted that it was only one of his fins accidentally hitting the other.
Harmless enough, except his sharp reflexes left him with a nasty scrape. Move
slowly. Stay relaxed. Incidentally, even small scrapes in the tropics,
especially coral cuts, can become easily infected. Be sure to clean all cuts
very thoroughly, and apply a little antibiotic cream which will help them heal
more quickly.
It’s also a good idea to remove bracelets,
earring, and other "fishing lures" before entering the water.
Sometimes jewelry becomes so much a part of us, it’s easily forgotten, until
lost. On one occasion, I spent nearly an hour searching bottom before finding
someone’s missing wedding ring.
While many people measure snorkeling skill
by how long they can stay in the water, how fast they can kick, how deep they
can free dive, or how long they can stay beneath the surface, the real measure
of skill is the ability to remain relaxed. Don’t get discouraged if it feels a
bit awkward in the beginning. Set your own pace. Like many other skills,
snorkeling is a training, and the more you do, the better you will get.
Developing and maintaining a calm easy demeanor in the water will be your best
key to unlocking the treasure chest of fascinating mysteries contained within
the underwater world.
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Posted September 10, 2003