One Drowning Too Many! Full-Face Snorkelling Masks And One Man’s Quest For Answers

In February 2016 we wrote post about the spread of full-face masks. In that post and its forerunner we highlighted the fact that the full-face design is inherently flawed. We weren’t the only ones who had our doubts about these masks either. Even the manufacturers own literature pointed out a number of innate problems, one of which was, that if you attempted to swim whilst wearing the mask you soon found out that you couldn’t get enough air to breathe. In short if you got in to difficulty in the water and needed to swim for safety, you were going to have to remove the mask or risk suffocating. The full-face design also risks CO2 build up and if it leaks, vision and breathing are compromised simultaneously. As we said in posts, these are rather serious flaws in a mask that is marketed at people who don’t like getting their faces wet! Swimming, breathing and being able to see simultaneously are, you’d think, rather important for snorkellers and any mask that compromises all three so readily was, in our opinion, a pretty poor product all round.

Judging by the comments we received, a great number of people had suffered serious problems whilst using full-face masks. One comment, however, stood out. That comment came from Guy Cooper. Guy’s wife tragically died whilst snorkelling in Pohoiki Bay, Hawaii. Now, we could write a dozen posts about what happened that day and a dozen more about Guy’s tenacious search for answers but we’d rather he told you himself.  Below is the address that Guy gave to The State Drowning and Aquatic Injury Prevention Advisory Committee, Honolulu, Hawaii on March 15^th this year and has kindly permitted us to use. We have not edited the address or amended it in anyway. This is Guy’s story and these are his words.

I’m here to talk about snorkeling.  I have to preface that by saying I’m by no means an expert.  In fact, I’ve never been snorkeling.  So, I’ll explain what brought me here.  Many of you already know my story.

I lost my wife to a snorkeling accident this past September.  Soon as I got word, I caught the first flight over here.  This is my third trip since then, trying to understand what happened— visiting the site, speaking and corresponding with police, 1st responders, ocean safety officials, doctors, divers and the woman who managed to get Nancy to shore.

Pohoiki Bay was calm that day.  Nancy went in the water with a buddy.  As was her habit, she floated passively on the surface so as not to “scare the little fishes”.  After about 30 minutes her buddy left her side to dive off the rocks.  (He should never have done that.)  Returning to the rocks after one dive, he realized he couldn’t spot Nancy.  After some minutes of scanning the water, he heard and saw a woman surfer across the Bay waving her arms and yelling for help.  A few young guys jumped in and helped her and Nancy to shore.  CPR was performed, but she was gone.  She had been in the water less than an hour, in Hawaii less than 24 hours.

A little background.  Nancy was 70 years old.  She was not a novice snorkeler. nor a stranger to snorkeling Hawaiian waters.  She swam laps nearly everyday.  We had just hiked all over the hills of southern Italy.  We enjoyed biking, hiking, snow shoeing, kayaking.  As a young girl she was recruited by a professional water skiing team.  Later, she organized river-rafting trips.  She was always physically active and at home in the water. The coroner surmised she must have suffered some acute coronary event that precipitated her drowning.  He referred to a known history of ischemic heart disease.  Don’t know where that info came from.  I was never asked about her medical history nor anything else for that matter.  She had no such history, and even the physical findings of the autopsy contradict that conclusion.  There seems to be a prevalent attitude amongst some over here (Hawaii) that dead tourists were old and in the way.  To my mind, the heart attack assumption just makes the coroner’s job that much easier.

So what did go wrong? I started thinking about that new full-face snorkel mask of hers.  She was so eager to use it in Hawaii.  She tried it out a few times in the local pool before the trip. She bought it on Amazon, so I started perusing those reviews.  I was shocked to read of these masks having inherent, potentially lethal design and manufacturing flaws.  And alarmed that they were being marketed as great for beginners, and kids.  I expanded my search to various snorkeling and dive web sites and learned a lot. These masks have to be strapped tightly around the head to achieve a good seal, yet they still leak, sometimes copiously.  Valves and other structures have been reported failing.  Once they fill with water, there’s no easy, quick way to empty them.  Your mouth and nose are captive together, so there’s no escape.  You can drown in them. There are other reports of snorkelers experiencing air hunger, CO2 build-up and rapid fatigue.  So you can fall victim to dizziness, disorientation, hyperventilation, panic and loss of consciousness.  Then you drown.

My wife was found floating face up with her mask partially pulled up over her nose so that both her nose and mouth were exposed.  That tells me she was in trouble and tried to get the damn thing off, too late. I wondered if there were other reports of fatalities involving these masks.  I looked up reports of snorkeling fatalities and near drowning incidents from around the world.  That’s when I realized, my god, no one is paying any attention!  Not one mention of the gear.  My wife’s mask was just tossed in the trash.  These things could be killing others, and no one knows!  Not only are the risks unrecognized, but I could find no evidence of any independent testing or certification of these things. Wouldn’t you want to know if these masks represent a significant danger?

I started to educate myself about snorkeling in general.  I found it is not exactly the benign, lightweight activity it’s promoted as being.  Many significant physiologic stressors can come into play.  The Australians have coined the phrase Fatal Silent Snorkeling Syndrome.  The Japanese use the term Takotsubo, referred to as the “Broken Heart Syndrome”.  A study out of the Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia identifies a number of inherent stressors.  Dr. Douglas Smith, from Hawaii, promotes Slow, Safe, Snorkel Breathing techniques to counter some of the ventilation issues arising from the sport.  The whole subject of snorkeling physiology begs further study.

So on one hand you have an activity rife with significant physical demands, then you exacerbate the situation by adding a new piece of inadequately vetted equipment with inherent design flaws.  A perfect storm. Look, I’m aware of the demographic considerations.  Hawaiian tourists, like the population in general, aren’t getting any younger.  Many are probably over-extending themselves in this age of “active lifestyles”, and Viagra….

That’s all the more reason to fashion a robust, realistic tourist education effort that both alerts the public to the challenges of snorkeling and teaches them the skills they need to ameliorate the risks.  That will help ensure that the tourists return from their vacation healthy and happy and pass on their positive experiences to others. All I ask is that you give serious consideration to the role of these new masks.  Devote the resources to collect the data.  Incorporate the data in incident reports and data bases.  Look for trends.  Make the coroner aware of their use.  Secure the gear as evidence.  Only then will you truly be able to assess the risk.

Some have said there just aren’t many of these new masks out there yet.  No action needed.  I suspect there will be more. It could be that my wife’s death represents the very first fatality involving a full-face mask.  Well, one’s enough for me.

Nancy Peacock’s death was a tragedy but there have been tragedies before. Hawaii has a notorious reputation for snorkelling related drownings and one more fatality in those sparkling waters could easily have been passed over were it not for one man who kept asking questions. Since Guy gave that address, Lifeguards in Maui have begun tracking equipment worn by snorkellers who drown in their jurisdiction and other counties of Hawaii appear poised to do the same. Health officials and safety experts in Hawaii are looking at collecting the data necessary to better evaluate full-face masks and possibly even conduct controlled scientific studies on it and we’re sure that it won’t be long before other officials from other nations start doing the same. Guy Cooper may, single-handedly, brought about the biggest change in snorkelling safety ever!

The full story and further material can be found on the Civil Beat website - follow the links. Again we liked to thank Guy for letting us publish his address in full. We wish you all the best Guy and as snorkellers, we thank you.

Guy Coopers story

Counties to track equipment in snorkelling deaths

Fatal Silent Snorkeling Syndrome Facebook page

The Great Snorkelling Myths Debunked

 

Oh crap, I forget the tube thing

You don't need to be able to swim to go snorkelling!

Many snorkelling safari companies and tours claim that anyone can go snorkelling and that being able to swim is a benefit and not a necessity. Yeah right...! The only way that such a claim could ever be true is if you plan to snorkel in the bath. The truth is that if you cannot swim you cannot snorkel. The ocean is potentially a very dangerous place and heading into its embrace without the most basic skill of swimming is simply asking for trouble. So don't believe the snorkelling company idiots that tell you otherwise, they're setting you up to drown. Wanna snorkel? Then learn to swim!

You don't need to be fit to go snorkelling!

No one is suggesting that you have to be an Olympic athlete to go snorkelling. That said though, if you cannot walk up a flight of stairs without breaking out in a heavy sweat and wheezing like an asthmatic hippo, then it would be fair to say that snorkelling is not really for you. Snorkelling - at least the more exciting, energetic variety rather than the easybreath full-face mask wearing bobbing about stuff - takes effort. Your breathing will be limited by the snorkel, you will use muscles that you didn't realise you had and your body will have to deal with cold water, currents and waves. It's worth noting that the majority of people who drown while snorkelling have two things in common, they can't swim very well and they are unfit. So if you have to pop several pills before meals, need an inhaler to help you breath and start sweating like a sumo wrestler in a sauna when reaching for the TV remote control then you'd best think very carefully about donning the old mask and flippers and diving into the big blue. Wanna snorkel? Learn to swim and work on your fitness.

You only need a cheap mask and some flappy-paddle things for your feet to go snorkelling!

Snorkelling is in fact snorkel diving or skin diving and differs from SCUBA diving in many ways, not least in the fact that you don't need several burly men to carry all your equipment around but don't think that all you need to enjoy a snorkelling adventure is a cheap bright green mask and a pair of rubber swim fins from the nearest tourist shop. Cheap means cheap it doesn't mean good. In fact cheap means crap... If you buy crap stuff you'll have a crap experience. This doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune, just invest wisely. A decent mask can cost as little as £30, a decent snorkel no more than £20 and a decent pair of fins around £30-40. Chuck in a rash vest and wetsuit for good measure and you'll probably spend no more than £200. OK, that can seem a lot but think of it this way. A cheap snorkelling set will probably set you back £30 and will probably fall apart in a week. This means that you'll probably have to buy a new set every year. A decent set of gear will probably last you ten years, perhaps even a lifetime if you look after them. So in the long run it will work out cheaper and you will of course have a much better experience. Wanna snorkel? Learn to swim, work on your fitness and invest in some decent equipment.

Less is sometimes more

You don't need anyone else with you to go snorkelling!

Ah yes, the great “I can do this all by myself” myth. There is of course nothing to stop you snorkelling alone apart from the fact it is idiotic. Let's think about this for a second. Do you know any sport, activity or past time that is more enjoyable to do solo. If you do, you probably need to get some friends and very probably a girlfriend! Going snorkelling alone is not only less enjoyable it is foolhardy. If you get into trouble who's going to help? Who's going to raise the alarm? In fact who knows where you are and what you are doing? Wanna snorkel? Then learn to swim, work on your fitness, invest in some decent gear and never, ever snorkel alone.

Snorkelling can only be done in hot climates and warm seas!

It's true to say that snorkelling is a lot easier when the sun is shining, the water is warm and the pristine white sand beach is littered with beautiful people wearing very little. However, just because it's cold, the sea is a bit rough and those beautiful people are a bit blubbery around the middle and you wish they'd put their bloody clothes back on, doesn’t mean you can't snorkel. After all it's not the stuff above the surface that should be interesting you anyway, it's the stuff beneath the water. So ignore all the twaddle about snorkelling being a tropical island sport and get adventurous. Iceland, Scotland, Ireland, England, Northern France and a great many other colder climes offer some superb snorkelling. Of course you are going to need to wear a bit more than a pair of speedos if you're planning on diving beneath these waters, but don't let that put you off, a decent cold water wetsuit isn't that expensive and you could even invest in a drysuit. Trust us on this, coral reefs and shoals of brightly coloured fish are great but cold water kelp forests and rocky shores can be just as interesting so don't always follow the crowd. Be different and dip you toes, so to speak, in the less snorkelled locales. Wanna snorkel? Then learn to swim, work on your fitness, invest in some decent gear, never snorkel alone and be adventurous in your choice of destination.
 

Eric and his friends found the local marine life very interesting

Snorkelling is just for children and old people!

If you believe this then your name is probably Brad. You no doubt have a PADI instructor's certification card in your pocket, wear t-shirts emblazoned with military logos and bore everyone rigid with your belief that you would have been a Colonel in the Green Berets by now if it hadn't been for your congenitally flat-feet and saggy man breasts. Thinking that snorkelling is some sort of “sissy” younger brother of diving says more about the thinker than it says about the thought. It's as ludicrous as thinking that women can't be diving instructors, men can't be nurses or that the Ama divers just do it to show off their breasts. Snorkelling can be sedate. It can be exhilarating. But it never has been and never will be the “sissy” brother of anything. It is a sport that is accessible, requiring only a modest investment in equipment and can open up the wonders of the marine world to young and old alike. But like everything it is not for everyone. If you can't swim, can't handle breathing through a tube, are scared of water touching your face or have an unswerving belief that men should wear camouflage clothing festooned with lots and lots of badges at all times, then snorkelling really isn't for you. If however you can swim, are reasonably fit, aren't afraid of getting your face wet and are not a gold-plated twat called Brad then don't belief all the myths and dive in. You won't regret it. 

She's tougher than you Brad and she's supposed to have breasts

 

Purging Danger Out Of Snorkelling Isn’t The Answer

The Dangerous Snorkelling Club doesn’t do safety. It would be hypocritical for us, by want of our name if nothing else, to talk about rough water snorkelling one hand and on the other to pull out the clipboards and high visibility vests and waffle on endlessly about ocean safety yada-yada. Besides, we know that a lot of people look at our name and recognise that we have our tongue firmly in our cheeks. We also know however, that other people see the name and with a sneer ask: “what’s so blooming dangerous about snorkelling then?” Interestingly the answer to that question is - quite a blooming lot mate!

Did you know for instance that between 2009 and 2013 seventy-nine people died as a result of snorkelling in Hawaii alone? In fact, the 79 snorkelling-related drownings make it the leading cause of accidental death among the 369 categories of injuries tracked by the Hawaiian Health Department over that five-year period. The Hawaiian State Legislature is so shocked by this figure that they are considering a draft bill to ensure that all snorkels, rented or bought in Hawaii, are fitted with safety valves. Now, whether you consider snorkelling dangerous or not, 79 deaths in five-years is a hell of a lot and it begs the question: what on earth are snorkellers in Hawaii doing and more importantly, what are safety valves on snorkels going to do about it? To find this out you need to look at the original report that began with the tragic death of two snorkellers and was broadcast on KITV way back in August 2014, click here. 

  

The report focused on the opinions of two people; one was Jim Howe of the Honolulu Ocean Safety Division who said: "Nearly every one of these folks that perishes is 55 or older.” "These incidents happen in 3 feet of water or less, and they could have literally stood up." Howe went on to say: "You're using muscles that you maybe haven't used and it is a skill that needs to be learned and practiced to do it safely.” The second person the report featured was one Kurt Taguma, manager of Maui Sporting Goods (an odd choice) who said he was unsurprised to hear of the recent deaths and believed the men may have fallen victim to inexperience and a swift-moving current, a notorious feature for that particular patch of reef. Taguma then went on to mention that he always recommends that customers at his store buy a snorkel with a safety valve on it. Really…. Why? Sadly the report didn’t answer that particular question, which was a puzzling, as we couldn’t see exactly how such devices would have helped. The two men in the report who sadly drowned were in the thirties, but as Jim Howe said, most are 55 or older. The incidents are happening in shallow water, may involve strong currents and almost certainly involve inexperienced snorkellers. To really find out what’s happening here it’s worth looking at some research that was published in the Medical Journal of Australia Insight. Click here for the full paper.

The research found that between 1994 and 2006 there were 140 deaths related to snorkelling in Australia. Four principal cause-of-death categories in snorkellers were identified, each with unique and separate preventive implications: cardiac-related causes (proven or suspected), surface drowning (largely in inexperienced snorkellers), drowning after extended breath-hold diving (almost exclusively in experienced divers), and trauma. The greatest numbers of snorkelling-related deaths were attributed to, or thought likely to be associated with, cardiac causes. People, particularly those of certain age were having heart attacks in the water.

 

The second major category of deaths was among relatively inexperienced snorkellers who drowned. Many such deaths occur in novices who aspirate water from their snorkel because of a lack of skill. Others are unable to cope with adverse sea conditions (rough or strong currents). These victims are often, but not always, poor swimmers. 

 

So aspirating water through the snorkel was identified as a cause of death in some inexperienced snorkellers and in such cases the addition of a safety valve (and we cannot be sure about this) may have helped. Faced with 79 snorkelling deaths in just a few years it is understandable for the politicians of Hawaii to be overcome by “good intentions” and instantly create a new box to tick, but even the most basic understanding of the research suggests that such a simple solution ignores far more significant factors such as health, experience and swimming ability. Snorkelling is strenuous and in rough water and strong currents fatigue sets in quickly. The ocean is cold, waves can smack you onto rocks and sea life isn’t always friendly, in short it can be dangerous out there and don’t think that a simple valve on a snorkel is going to keep you safe. Perhaps John Mizuno, who proposed the bill recognises that too when he explained "In addition, we should probably put amended language to have the renters or the sports goods store that's selling them, have some type of disclaimer explaining to that person, the consumer, that they should take precautions.”  Of course the trouble with disclaimers and warning signs is they tend to be ignored, Hawaiian beaches are littered with warning signs but people still do silly things – you can’t legislate for that. 

Just because you tell someone not to do it, don't think they won't!

We do however agree with John Mizuno’s sentiment. We believe and always have, that in the world of recreational sports your personal safety is your own responsibility and no one else. If you can’t swim don’t think you can snorkel, if you get out of breath climbing a flight of stairs, guess what? You’ll get out of breath swimming and if you have never, ever, done snorkelling before don’t suddenly think you’re Jacques Cousteau and head for deep water. We are the Dangerous Snorkelling Club and we don’t do safety, but we are not The Insane Snorkelling Club and our advice to novices is simple, snorkelling is fun and rough water snorkelling is even better but no amount of equipment, gadgets and safety valves is ever going to be a substitute for experience. So if you want to be a little safer out there, learn to walk before you run!

For an interesting look at the dangers in Hawaii click here