SNORKELING FOR NON SWIMMERS

Can I Snorkel Without Being Able to Swim?

The short answer is YES. Essentially, snorkeling is a surface sport. You don’t even really go entirely under water. Plenty of non-swimmers snorkel all the time – I did it, and there’s no reason you can’t.

It may help a little to know a bunch of things in advance that I didn’t. So here are a few tips that should help make your first experience a lot more fun and comfortable:

1. Choosing a Location:

Snorkeling can often be done closer to the shore, as well as in open water. A lot of people suggest that first-timers and non-swimmers should try and paddle about near the shore with their snorkeling gear. Personally, I disagree; though I do think it’s a good idea to try and use your snorkeling gear in shallow waters first, just to get used to it. Firstly, the marine life near the shore is rarely as vibrant as in open waters. If you decide to snorkel near the shore, you’ll obviously be like “What the fuck! I don’t know what the big deal about this is anyway.” Chances are you’ll not really feel fond of snorkeling if your first experience isn’t such that the rewards successfully offset the discomfort of sputtering about and having water up your nose at least once (don’t worry, it happens to everybody). My genuine advice is to sign-up for one of the many snorkeling trips available in most destinations renowned for snorkeling spots. This will ensure that you are taken to a great spot, there’s legit & qualified personal guidance, and there’s always somebody around to bail you out if something goes wrong.

2. Understand Your Gear, and Insist Upon a Floatation Device:

Considering you’re a non-swimmer, you’ll be given a floatation device anyway, but in case somebody forgets, make sure you insist on one and check it is functioning as desired. Once you have that strapped to you, it is virtually impossible to drown in any water, let alone sea-water. So you have an insurance policy.

Now for the snorkeling gear; typically, this consists of a face-mask and a pair of flippers. The flippers look easy enough, but are the nastiest little things to handle (I may or may not be a little biased after that ridiculous fall-of-shame) – try them on and make sure they aren’t too loose or too tight. If it’s a choice between the two, opt for the latter. You don’t want to lose a flipper in the water.  The face mask takes a little longer to understand. It consists of a snorkel tube that you must put in your mouth and breathe through, and an eye/nose mask which ensures that no air passes through your nose and no water enters your eyes. Make sure that the strap is just below the broadest part at the back of your skull, and ensure it is tight enough so that no air or water may slip in through the eye-mask – a good indicator of this is when you can’t breathe through your nose at all. Next up, the snorkel tube – the part of the tube that goes into your mouth could gross you out if you’re one of those hygiene freaks. People rent-out this equipment, so they usually pass through a lot of mouths.  This isn’t that big a deal though – millions of people do it, and live to tell the tale. If it bothers you a lot, you might consider buying your own snorkel mask. Now this part that goes into your mouth, has a very typical indentation – a part of it is supposed to go behind your teeth-line, and a part is supposed to remain in front. If you clamp down on it correctly, it will form a mould around your teeth, and you will be able to breathe through it without opening your mouth. Also try not clamping down on the tube too hard – particularly once you’re in the water. If you do this, by the time you’re back, your jaw will be really sore; and because you’re likely to be nervous, it invariably happens. Try and remind yourself to relax. Here’s a useful video to help you with your gear – ignore the awkwardness of the woman, it’s quite useful otherwise.

Walk around a little with your equipment on and try to breathe. If you’re clumsy with the flippers like I was, consider wearing them as you just enter the water, as against trying to descend down steps with them on. You’re now almost ready to enter the water 🙂

3. Calm Down and Breathe Slow:

I may be a failure at swimming (not yet…not yet), but there’s one lesson I’ve learned not just from my multiple attempts at a swimming class and my first snorkeling attempt – the more you are able to relax, the better you will be able to float and the better control you have over your movement in water. When I stepped off the last stair and into the open water, within two minutes I was vertical again. I panicked like a pigeon and clung on to the anchor-chain for dear life. After spending another 5 minutes, making somewhat of a laughing stock out of myself, I finally gave myself a stern lecture and let go off the chain. Pretty soon, I figured out I was floating effortlessly, and all I had to do to keep breathing was to keep my snorkel tube above the surface. This helped me relax a lot, and the effect was miraculous. I was able to navigate through the water a lot better, and I almost the entire two hours without once getting water up my nose or mouth.

So here’s the deal guys! It may sound counterintuitive, and it certainly is easier said than done, but the first key to being any good under or on water is to be able to calm the fuck down. Take slow, deep breaths, which go a long way in slowing down your heartbeat. As you begin to relax, reinforce the fact that it is virtually impossible for you to drown with a floatation device, and even if you get into trouble, there’s people around to bail you out.

4. Find Your Personal Comfort Zone:

I couldn’t find a lot of information that was of too much use on the internet, but I did find a LOT of people dishing out different kinds of techniques and advice. I am in no position to verify who was right and who wasn’t, but I am going to be honest and tell you, that unless you’re listening to the instructor or guide on your trip, don’t take anybody’s expertise at face value. I’m going to give you an example to help make this point better. Your face mask is such that if you exhale through your nose too often, your goggles will start fogging eventually. If you aren’t used to breathing completely through your mouth, you’ll invariably exhale through your nose often enough for this to happen on your first attempt. One of the many diving/snorkeling websites on the internet forewarned me of this happenstance, and as a remedy suggested raising the mask and allowing some water to come in, which you could then use to swirl around in the glasses and clear the fog. While this might be a legit trick, it ended as you can imagine, with water up my nose when I attempted it in a flash of misplaced confidence.

What I’m trying to tell you here is that you’ll no doubt hear a lot of advice – the more you ask, the more you receive; but once in there, you’re on your own and your best guide will be your own instinct. It’s ok not to be perfect on your first dive. I mostly stuck at the surface and didn’t venture too deep vertically. The truth is, your technique and comfort will improve with each dive. So for the first attempt, it’s best to focus on trying to enjoy yourself as much as possible without drowning 😉

5. Remain Aware of Your Surroundings and Don’t be a Jerk:

I forget which one it was now, but I do remember one of my swimming gurus once telling me the first rule to swimming: “Respect the ocean. Period!” That remains true with snorkeling and diving in particular. When we’re engaging in these activities, it is important to realize that we are visitors in a precious, beautiful ecosystem. In many cases, because these are protected waters, the fish are fearless and curious, and will actually venture very close. Be sure though, that you do not touch or tread upon any kind of fish, corals or anemones. As small as these actions may seem, collectively, they have a disruptive effect on the ecosystem, which at the least, deserves the same respect with which we’d treat the house of a friend that has welcomed us with great warmth.

Finally, if it’s your first time, needless to mention, be aware of your surroundings. With your vision focused on things below the surface and new-found confidence, don’t forget to keep an eye on where your fellow divers are, and how far you’ve ventured from the ship. The flippers aid your movement, but they also add a certain degree of weight, and if you aren’t used to physical activity, there’s a very real chance that you might cramp up. So don’t push yourself too much or get carried away. It’s only your first time, and if this one goes well, I can assure you there’ll likely be many more 🙂