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| Hanauma Bay |
For
some reason, Hawaii is fast becoming a watery graveyard for
snorkellers. Although snorkellers drown with all too depressing
frequency in Belize, Florida and on Australia's Great Barrier Reef,
more people drown whilst snorkelling in Hawaii than anywhere else in
the world. And a lot of people have become very concerned. In fact,
not so long ago, spurred on by the sheer number of people dying in
the ocean, one Hawaiian politician even proposed making it illegal
for snorkels to be sold or hired without safety valves. The reason for
this proposed law was the fact that some snorkellers who had drowned
on the paradise island had aspirated water through their snorkels. A
safety valve, common on most snorkels, would therefore prevent this
and by consequence the snorkeller wouldn't drown.
Cobblers!
You might think, and you'd be right. The addition of a safety valve
would certainly do no harm, but the idea that so many people were
drowning because they were aspirating water through their snorkel was
fanciful at best.
In
fact we pointed this out at the time in our post“Purging The Danger Out Of Snorkelling”.
What?
You didn't read it! Shame on you.
Anyway,
recriminations aside, the point we made in that post was that making
it illegal to sell or hire a snorkel without a safety valve was
missing the point by a very, very long way.
In
order to explain why we think this we first have to introduce you to
a few characters who sadly infect the world of snorkelling and
diving. The first is a type of diving instructor/divemaster that we
call Brad. Now regular readers, and at the moment that clearly
doesn't include you, will know that we have a particularly strong
hatred for Brad.
Brad
is a moron that equates being a sport diver with being a member of an
elite special forces unit. Brad likes to wear lots of badges, works
out at the gym every day, shouts abuse at newbies and harangues his
students for regularly not making the grade and if you have the
misfortune to go diving with him, he will get you killed. In the
world of snorkelling however, there are no Brads. Instead there are
what we call Spencers'.
Spencer
doesn't wear badges or shout a lot, he can't be bothered with all
that. He likes to wear bright surfer style t-shirts and shorts, never
bothers to wash his hair and is so laid back it's often difficult to
ascertain if he's conscious. Just like Brad though, Spencer will get
you killed. He won't mean too, it's just that he's an idiot and
unfortunately for tourists everywhere, he's an idiot that runs a
snorkelling tour company. So let's go and meet him.
Tourist:
“Hello, I'd like to book a snorkelling tour, but I'm a little bit
worried as I am not a very good swimmer.”
Spencer:
“No problem Mate, it's only snorkelling. Anyone can snorkel.'
Tourist:
“Right. So being a poor swimmer is not a problem then.”
Spencer:
“Of course not, In fact you don't even have to be able to swim.
It's snorkelling. Anyone can snorkel.”
Tourist:
“That's great, the kids will be pleased. They're quite young you
see and still can't swim.”
Spencer:
“Bring 'em along mate. The more the merrier. I think I've got some
kiddies masks out the back somewhere.”
Tourist:
“What about my wife? She's paralysed from the waist down and uses
a wheelchair. Will she be able to snorkel?”
Spencer:
“Absolutely. Anyone can snorkel. Will just stick her in a life
jacket. We've got some special snorkelling jackets somewhere, they'll
keep her face down in the water rather than head up. That'll stop her
head bobbing up see. She'll get to see more then.”
Tourist:
“Oh great. I've got my parents with me as well. They're quite old
and my father has a heart condition. Would they be okay to snorkel?”
Spencer:
“Of course they would. It's only snorkelling. Anyone can snorkel, I
mean it's not like diving. Now that's dangerous – do you want to
try diving by the way.”
Tourist:
“Errr... Didn't you just say that was dangerous?”
Spencer:
“Well it's more dangerous that snorkelling I suppose. But I got a
mate over at Ocean Commando Diving Tours. His name's Brad and he
reckons he can teach anyone to dive in ten minutes – you don't even
have to know how to snorkel.”
Tourist:
“Err.. Maybe another time. I think I'll just stick to the
snorkelling for now.”
Spencer:
“Well fair enough. Your loss. Right here's some fins, a few masks
and a couple of snorkels. That'll be three hundred bucks – for an
extra twenty I'll throw in a six pack of beer and for an extra fifty
I'll even come with you.”
And
there you have it, in a short imaginary conversation with Spencer,
you can see the real reason why so many people drown while
snorkelling. It's easy. Anyone can do it. You don't even need to be
able to swim. Pre-existing medical conditions don't matter either,
after all it's just snorkelling. All you have to do is float on the
surface and look down – how hard can that be?
What?
You don't believe that snorkelling tour operators would take
non-swimmers snorkelling? I'm afraid you'd be wrong about that. In
fact most of that imaginary conservation was not that imaginary at all! We
just perused the web pages of snorkelling tour companies based in
Hawaii, Belize and Australia, looked at there FAQ's page and cobbled
together some of their answers to some very basic questions. Have a
look at the Q&A's below. All are taken from genuine snorkelling
tour operator's websites. Note most of the sites are based in
countries that use American spelling; so snorkelling becomes
snorkeling.
Do
you have to be able to swim to snorkel?
Actually
you DO NOT NEED TO KNOW HOW TO SWIM in order to snorkel with us.
Seriously! We offer floatation devices like snorkel belts that will
keep you afloat without you even having to do anything. No swimming
skills required!
I
am a weak swimmer and have never snorkeled before... Can I still do
a snorkeling tour?
Yes
you can do a snorkeling tour with us. We’ve had non-swimmers and
non-snorkellers become happy first time swimmers and first time
snorkellers. We have life vest that a weak swimmer/non snorkeller can
put on, around them and that will give them sufficient buoyancy to
stay afloat and have an awesome snorkel experience. Be sure to inform
us of this so we can speak to you and keep an extra eye on you when
you are in the water.. Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance… we
are at your service.
I
am not a strong swimmer and my wife doesn't swim at all. Is this
something we can do?
Definitely! All you do to snorkel
is float on the surface and look down at the beauty below. You might
be surprised at how buoyant you are in salt water. It’s quite
different than a lake or a pool. We also have plenty of flotation
devices such as snorkel vests and foam pool noodles for extra
floatation to put you at ease so that you can enjoy the view.
Standing on the ladder is a great place to start. Once you feel
comfortable, you can paddle off.
I
have never snorkeled before. Can you teach me?
Our
speciality! We are frequently recommended for beginners and
non-swimmers as we specialize in small groups. Everyone on board gets
lots of individual attention and help.
What
if I can't swim?
Our
tours are designed for non-swimmers up to experienced divers. For
those who need a little extra help, no worries. Relax. We have taught
thousands of people to snorkel including non swimmers, people who are
afraid of the water, even paraplegics.
So
there you have it. According to a lot of tour operators being a poor
swimmer or not being able to swim at all are no barriers to
snorkelling. Age, infirmity, heart problems? Yep they're no problem
either. Anyone can snorkel. Surprisingly though, that advice flies in
the face of the advice given by lifeguards, doctors and the emergency
services. All of whom agree that being a strong swimmer and being
comfortable in the water is a necessity if you are going to snorkel.
Inexperience, an inability to swim, poor fitness or underlying
medical conditions are common traits in drowning victims. Yet some
snorkel tour operators still seem to ignore this. At the height of
summer, with so many inexperienced snorkellers/non-swimmers in the
water - fins thrashing, masks being knocked, selfie sticks prodding
and poking everywhere – the risk of someone getting into difficulty
and panicking are blatantly obvious. Is it any wonder then that so
many people drown whilst snorkelling?
Snorkelling
is not as easy as you might think. It is a skill that needs to be
learnt and practiced, you'll use muscles you've probably never used
before, your breathing will be compromised by having to inhale and
exhale via a tube. Waves and currents can drag you back and forth.
Cold, fatigue and cardiac stress due to immersion in water can all
have catastrophic effects. So if you are going to snorkel this summer
do yourself and your family a favour, make sure you are fit enough,
make sure you know how to clear your mask and can handle breathing
through a snorkel and above everything else make sure you can swim.
Oh and don't ever believe Spencer when he says anyone can snorkel
because they can't but alas anyone can drown!
Further reading
stand up or die Civil Beat / Hawaii's snorkelling deaths
How to not suck at snorkelling
A small selection of operators who offer snorkelling for non-swimmers, there are many more.
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