did , lying face-down on the stream bed , manage to get my ears submerged ... so let that be our gauge .
It was a bit of fun ; I saw a couple of small fish and not much else . However , the water was remarkably clear and better than the strongest coffee to wake me up and get the blood flowing . I remember scrambling out on frozen limbs , the only consequence an apparent inability to stop smiling . I also did it for the boys . It ’ s good for kids to see adults having fun and adventures . Kids don ’ t do what they ’ re told ; they do what they see . But mainly I did it to make a point . Snorkelling , and therefore diving , is irrespective of depth . Beyond the logical limitations of our certification , there is no natural depth limit to diving , whether we go up or down .
And often the best life , the best visibility and light is all at the top . We may think of snorkelling as wetsuits and fins and weight-belts and swimming out to sea , but
“ Once they move from playing on the surface to looking underneath , it a whole new world opens up ”
A fine line between ultrashallow snorkelling and refreshing push-ups
really it ’ s sticking our heads underwater and having a look around . I ’ ve encouraged people to ‘ snorkel ’ with only a pair of goggles . Once they move from playing on the surface to looking underneath it , a whole new world opens up .
Then they can upgrade to all the hightech fancy snorkelling kit … such as a plastic tube . A lot of my top snorkels were had without leaving the surface ;
rock pools have proven to be incredible places to snorkel , even if that ’ s meant kneeling on the side and just sticking my head underwater . Yes , I ’ ve duck-dived into shipwrecks at 20m , through cave systems and on deeper reefs but there is still much to be said for the top 10cm . Remember the underwater world doesn ’ t start at 100m or 30m or even 10m . It starts at the waterline . �
For more information on snorkelling with BSAC go to bsac . com / snorkelling Looking to introduce snokelling into your club ? Find out more at bsac . com / snorkellinginstructor
The Torbet male lineage – tangible testosterone
65