Any excursion into the undersea environment is an adventure. Both scuba diving and snorkeling are the most common sports that lend themselves to the study and exploration of this foreign world. Choosing between the two activities may cause one to ponder the pros and cons of each sport. Here we are going to focus on the benefits of snorkeling over scuba diving. Snorkeling is the easier of the two activities and the one that takes the shortest amount of time to learn and master.
Snorkeling requires three main pieces of equipment besides a swimsuit. The first is the snorkel itself, the second is a mask to see clearly underwater, and the third is a pair of dive fins for propelling the individual who is snorkeling both on the surface and underwater. This is a huge contrast to the sport of scuba diving that requires extensive equipment, hours of training, and special technical knowledge, not the least of which is how to properly breathe compressed air. The cost differential is obvious when one considers that snorkeling is the much more cost effective activity. Scuba diving requires a good deal of money to get started, not to mention a hefty investment if one needs to purchase personal equipment. This sport/hobby could easily reach over a thousand dollars for quality equipment. Snorkeling, however, is a minor investment of usually less than one-hundred dollars for even a high quality outfit.
Any recreational scuba diver is taught, and will often tell others, that the most beautiful and interesting aspects of the undersea world are found on coral reefs with fifteen feet of the water’s surface. This makes it accessible to both scuba divers and snorkel divers. Scuba divers are those who have the desire to stay underwater and explore this realm without the need to return to the surface. This can be problematic for scuba divers because the closer a diver is to the surface, the harder it is to maintain buoyancy. Snorkeling does not pose such a problem. The snorkel diver may have to return to the surface for air but is not in a constant struggle with bulky equipment. The snorkel diver does not have the mental stress associated with dealing with technical equipment. Snorkel divers can rely on simple equipment and therefore have the freedom to actually enjoy and experience their underwater exploration.
When it comes right down to it, for the everyday weekend warrior, snorkeling excels over scuba diving for the basic reason of simplicity. No training, no real expense, no complications, and still the adventurous get to enjoy the same reef as the scuba diver. It really is a no-brainer. Snorkeling may not have the “glamour” associated with scuba diving, but any real diver will admit that it is often just as enjoyable. If being dozens of feet below the surface of the ocean is not your thing, then snorkeling could be the answer to your ocean adventure. It will leave you with stories to tell for years.
Snorkeling is a tropical activity that is far more stress-free than scuba diving. No equipment to tote around, no charters to book, no air tanks to worry about, and no expensive (vacation-time-consuming) training. It is open to everyone, no matter your skill level. The only prerequisite is the ability to swim. Anyone looking for a new aquatic adventure needs to try snorkeling. It is an inexpensive accent point to any tropical vacation.
