Snorkeling (British spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of swimming at the surface of a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. American and British English spelling differences are one aspect of American and British English differences. Swimming is the movement by humans or animals through Water, usually without artificial assistance A diving mask is an item of Diving equipment that allows scuba divers, free-divers, and snorkelers to see clearly Underwater. Swimfins, swim fins, fins or flippers are Finlike Rubber or Plastic shoes worn over the foot to aid movement through the In cooler waters, a wetsuit may also be worn. A wetsuit is a protective garment used for watersports such as Scuba diving, Surfing, Windsurfing, Kitesurfing, and Triathlon Combining these tools allows the snorkeler to observe underwater attractions for extended periods of time with relatively little effort.

Snorkeling is a popular recreational activity, particularly at tropical resort destinations and at accessible scuba diving locations. The Tropics are centered on the Equator and limited in Latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately 23°26' (23 A resort is a place used for Relaxation or Recreation, attracting visitors for Holidays or Vacations Resorts are places towns or sometimes Scuba diving is swimming underwater, or taking part in another activity while using a Scuba set. Snorkeling is also employed by scuba divers when near the surface, and search and rescue teams may snorkel as part of a water-based search. For the TV series of this title see Search and Rescue (TV series.

The primary attraction of snorkeling is the opportunity to observe underwater life in a natural setting. Marine biology is the scientific study of living Organisms in the Ocean or other marine or Brackish bodies of water This may include coral reefs and their denizens, such as fish, cephalopods, starfish, sea urchins, and mollusks. Coral reefs are Aragonite structures produced by living organisms found in marine waters with little to no nutrients in the water Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two The cephalopods ( Greek plural (kephalópoda "head-feet" are the Mollusc class Cephalopoda characterized by Starfish (also called sea stars) are any Echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. Sea urchins are small globular spiny sea cat animals composing most of class Echinoidea. Molluscs are animals belonging to the phylum Mollusca. There are around 250000 extant Species within the phylum with an estimated 70000 Snorkeling in sandy areas may allow sighting of rays and various flatfish. Batoidea is a Superorder of cartilaginous fish containing more than 500 described species in thirteen families The flatfish are an order ( Pleuronectiformes) of Ray-finned fish, also called the Heterosomata sometimes classified as a suborder of Perciformes Other organisms that can be seen while snorkeling include various forms of seaweed, jellyfish, shrimp, sea turtles, various types of sea cactus and occasionally anything else which may be found in the ocean. Seaweed is a loose colloquial term encompassing macroscopic Multicellular, benthic marine Algae. Jellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. They have several different basic morphologies that represent several different cnidarian classes including the True shrimp are swimming decapod Crustaceans classified in the Infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh Sea turtles ( Superfamily Chelonioidea) are Turtles found in all the world's oceans except the Arctic Ocean. An ocean (from Greek, ''Okeanos'' (Oceanus) is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the Hydrosphere.

Contents 1 Getting started 2 Swimmers snorkel 3 Snorkeling locations 4 Variants and related activities 5 References 6 External links

Getting started

Snorkeling requires no special training, only the ability to swim and to breathe through the snorkel. However, it is considered advisable that one get some instruction from a tour guide, dive shop, or equipment rental shop, any of which often can be found around popular snorkeling locations. Instruction generally covers equipment usage, basic safety, what to look for, and what to look out for, including how not to damage fragile organisms such as coral. Corals are Marine organisms from the class Anthozoa and exist as small Sea anemone –like Polyps typically in colonies of many As with scuba diving, it is always recommended that one not snorkel alone, but rather with a "buddy", a guide, or a tour group. Buddy diving is the use of the Buddy system by scuba divers and is a set of safety procedures that improve divers' chances of avoiding or surviving accidents A guide is a person who leads people through unknown or unmapped country or conducts travellers and tourists through a place of interest

The mask and snorkel are similar to those used in scuba diving, but since they are not subjected to the pressures of deep water, they can be more lightweight and comfortable. Swimfins used in snorkeling are usually longer than those used in diving.

Experienced snorkelers often start to investigate amateur free-diving, which should be preceded by at least some training from a dive instructor or experienced free-diver. Free diving is any of various aquatic activities that share the practice of breath-holding Underwater diving.

Swimmers snorkel

A swimmer's snorkel is a tube about thirty centimeters (twelve inches) long, usually J-shaped, fitted with a mouthpiece, and constructed of rubber or plastic. In Breathing sets a mouthpiece is a part that the user grips in his Mouth, to make a watertight seal between the breathing set and his mouth It is used for breathing air from above the water surface when the mouth and nose are submerged, either when snorkeling or during a surface swim before or after scuba diving. The snorkel usually has a piece of rubber that attaches the snorkel to the outside of the strap of the diving mask, as sticking the snorkel in between the strap and the mask could cause the mask to leak, or risk losing the snorkel should the diver choose to switch to scuba. A diving mask is an item of Diving equipment that allows scuba divers, free-divers, and snorkelers to see clearly Underwater.

Typically, the diving mask also serves to prevent breathing through the nose, so that one is forced to breathe through the snorkel. This also provides some negative pressure which helps keep the mask sealed against the face, though attempting to breathe out through the nose can break this seal and/or fog the mask.

The most common type of snorkel is a simple tube that is allowed to flood when underwater. Underwater is a term describing the realm below the surface of Water where the water exists in a natural feature (called a body of water) such as an Ocean The snorkeller expels water from the snorkel either with a sharp exhalation on return to the surface or by tilting the head backwards once the head is above water.

Some modern snorkels have a sump in the mouthpiece to allow a small volume of water to remain in the snorkel without being inhaled when the diver breathes. A sump is a low space that collects any often-undesirable liquids such as water or chemicals Some also have a one-way output valve in the sump, which automatically drains the sump as it fills with water. Some snorkels have float-operated valves attached to the surface end of the tube to keep water out when the snorkeller submerges. The more modern and quality snorkels have a one way valve on the top end that forces any water that splashes over the top to slide out of the sides, keeping the user's mouth free from water. Snorkels used to be sold with ping pong balls at the end of the tube. They are no longer sold or used, as they are considered hazardous to the snorkeler, as is the obsolete snorkel built into the diving mask. A diving mask is an item of Diving equipment that allows scuba divers, free-divers, and snorkelers to see clearly Underwater.

The maximum usable length of the snorkel tube is around forty centimetres (about fifteen inches). A longer tube would place the lungs in deeper water where the surrounding water pressure is higher and the lungs would be unable to inflate when the diver inhales, because the muscles that expand the lungs are not strong enough to operate against the higher pressure^[1]. lung is the essential Respiration organ in air-breathing Animals including most Tetrapods a few Fish and a few Snails The most primitive Pressure (symbol 'p' is the force per unit Area applied to an object in a direction perpendicular to the surface Muscle (from Latin musculus, diminutive of mus "mouse" is contractile tissue of the body and is derived from the Snorkels also create what is called "dead air space. " When the user takes in a fresh breath, some of the previously exhaled air remains in the snorkel and is recycled into the lungs, reducing breathing efficiency and causing CO₂ retention. CO2 retention is a pathophysiological process in which too little Carbon dioxide is removed from the Blood by the Lungs. The greater the volume in the device, the more this problem is magnified.

Snorkeling locations

Snorkeling is possible in almost any body of water, but snorkelers are most likely to be found in locations where there are minimal waves, warm water, and something particularly interesting to see near the surface. Some of the most popular locations are warm, coral-rich seas such as the Caribbean Sea, the Coral Sea and the Red Sea. Corals are Marine organisms from the class Anthozoa and exist as small Sea anemone –like Polyps typically in colonies of many For the region see Caribbean. The Caribbean Sea (kəˈrɪbiən or /ˌkærɨˈbiːən/ is a tropical Sea in the Western Hemisphere The Coral Sea is a Marginal sea off the north-east coast of Australia. The Red Sea is a Salt water Inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia.

Variants and related activities

• Snuba - A combination of snorkeling and scuba diving
• Free-diving - Any form of diving without breathing apparatus, but often referring to competitive apnea
• Bog snorkelling - A sporting event, popular in Great Britain
• Spearfishing - Fishing with a spear, often done with snorkeling equipment
• Underwater Hockey - A sport played at the bottom of a pool using snorkeling equipment
• Drift snorkeling - Snorkeling along with (drifting with) an ocean current

References

• Snorkelling for All, BSAC, ISBN 0-09-188304-0

External links

• British Sub-Aqua Club site on snorkeling
• National Parks Conservation Association page on snorkeling
• www.snorkelinfo.net - Internet site supplying detailed information on snorkeling locations: beaches, conditions, how to get there
• About Snorkeling - Information for snorkelers, including charters and tours, equipment and gear guides, and where to snorkel.
• Snorkeling tips and information - Information, tips, and ocean safety when snorkeling.
• Snorkeling.info Guide to Snorkeling - Resource about locations, equipment and history of snorkeling.

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