TORBET ON THE TUBE
Time to go backwards
Andy Torbet has a New Year challenge for all the scuba divers out there . Isn ’ t it about time you restarted your snorkelling career ?
New Year , new you ... isn ’ t that how the old cliché goes ? But if you ’ re an ardent scuba or CCR diver and have always viewed snorkelling as a second class citizen , then perhaps 2023 is the year to dip your toes in . Then you ask yourself why . Snorkelling , after all , is surface-based , so any actual ‘ diving ’ is fleeting and relatively shallow . Why would anyone choose to snorkel over the other methods of exploring the underwater world ?
The act of diving has , in and of itself , never been the point . The point has always been the unlocking of the door to a world most people never experience . To see what is effectively a different planet ; its landscape and environments ; a strange and different wildlife , history and geography . As I have said previously , we should be driven by using the best tool for the job . So , what advantages does a snorkel have over scuba or a rebreather ?
Lightweight and unobtrusive – A snorkel , even when combined with mask , fins and , potentially , a wetsuit is still relatively light compared to a scuba cylinder , regs and BCD or a rebreather . This portability allows us to take it places logistically prohibitive for other dive kit . It can be permanently stowed in the car , or packed into a bag during a non-diving holiday in order to allow a cheeky snorkel whenever the opportunity presents itself . But its lightweight nature means it can also be transported long distances on foot , permitting us to access remote sites in difficult terrain .
PHOTO : BECKI BIGGINS
Left : Snorkel gear is lightweight - try taking a twinset on the bus
Below : You can start them younger with snorkelling
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PHOTO : DANIEL RASMUSSEN