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

Buy This Mask If You Like - We Did

There are a great many masks available for the snorkeller to buy and unsurprisingly, a great deal of advice about which one is best. This leaves the first time buyer with a problem – which one should they buy? Obviously there is no point putting too much stock in the advertising blurb that manufacturers put out – they’re always going to say that their masks are the best and are very unlikely to point out any flaws - at least not deliberately. There is also no point in reading all those “top ten” lists that you find in diving magazines and review websites. These lists seem to appear with such depressing regularity that it’s almost impossible for any mask not to have appeared in one or another – or all of them for that matter. How these lists are compiled is also a little bewildering. We saw one list that led with this description: The Sprite’s cool design cues — bright-white skirt and floral accents — will appeal to women who like to add a bit of flash to their kit

OK so it’s white with little flowers on it and some women might like that –some men might too – but why in, Neptune’s sodden backside, does that make it a “top ten” top tip? You could, alternatively, visit your local diving store and ask the Brad (see sport diving needs a hero) behind the counter what they suggest. However this is probably not a good idea as the conversation tends to go like this:

Buyer: “Hello I’d like to but a mask please, what do you recommend”?
Brad: “What are you going to do with it”?
Buyer: “Err…. I was going to put it on my face – at least that’s what you’re meant to do right”?
Brad: “I meant what type of diving are you going to do – what are the conditions, what depth and all that”?
Buyer: “Actually, I was just going to do a bit of snorkelling”?
Brad: “Snorkelling”?
Buyer: “Yes”.
Brad: “Snorkelling”?
Buyer: “Yes – snorkelling”
Brad with deep despairing sigh and a wave of the hand: “The cheap stuff is over there in the bin marked discount”.

Of course some diving stores have picked up on this sporting discrimination and realised that “selling stuff” sometimes means being nice to the people with the money, such as this store in Chiswick, London. So faced with all these obstacles to actually buying a decent Mask what can you do? Well the Dangerous Snorkelling Club has come up with an idea.

We’re not going to tell what to buy, what we are going to do is tell you what we bought and why. So let’s start with that mask. We use two masks the first is the Mares Liquid Skin. Here’s what the manufacturer says:

 

The most important innovation since the introduction of silicone masks. LiquidSkin, Mares Bi-silicone and exclusive technology, uses two different types of silicone: a firmer portion for support structure and a softer portion for contact with your face. It is 45% softer for unparalleled comfort and 270% more elastic for a perfect fit.

See what we mean about advertising “blurb”! Now we presume that by being 45% softer they mean it’s 45% softer than normal silicon and likewise it is 270% more elastic than normal silicon as well, either that or they are just plucking stuff out of the air. In our opinion the field of vision is excellent and it has a very soft seal, which makes it feel like you're wearing a fluffy bunny on your face. As for elasticity – it’s as flexible as an Olympic gymnast and will fit snugly into the smallest of spaces in your luggage and at less than 200 grams, it’s as damaging to your weight allowance as a pair of woolly socks. The biggest selling point though, as far as we are concerned, is the looks. The Liquid Skin has the head-turning looks of Aston Martin, Ray-Ban and a supermodels cleavage all rolled into one. Not bad for a mask that retails at around £35. Of course the Mares Liquid Skin is a mask more suited to SCUBA or freediving so if we are not going to dive below a few metres we use our second choice mask which is the Beuchat Super Compensator. Here’s the technical stuff:

 Update of the Beuchat Compensator mask, the first mask with an angled window and finger wells, invented in 1958. Inclined oval single lens to extend the vertical field of vision, Black rubber skirt and internal finger wells for equalisation. Black rubber double safety strap. Brass rim. Aluminium buckles.

Most diving experts will tell you that masks that use rubber don’t last as long as those that use silicon and that is very true. However with a little bit of care this mask can outlast any silicon competitor within its price range. The field of vision allowed by it’s single inclined lens is unsurpassed and the retro (sixties James Bond) looks hark back to a day when diving truly was the domain of pioneers. The Super Compensator has finger wells that allow for equalisation which means that you can use this mask for prolonged dives at depth or short breath-hold dives. However it is really best used for snorkelling where it’s field of vision comes into its own. The Beuchat weighs in at 256 grams which means it’s a lot heavier than most masks and its single lens design lacks the flexibility of virtually all other masks, but at around £20, it’s price, field of view and overall looks far outweigh any of its flaws. In fact we all love this mask more than the Mares and certainly more than anything else we seen on the market.

So there you have it, these are the masks we liked enough to buy and use. What else can we say other than to point out that regardless of what mask catches your attention, remember that everyone’s face is slightly different in size and shape so keep in mind the golden rules when buying a mask.
Make sure it fits, Make sure it fits and finally make sure it fits. Yes we know that we said that three times but it is so fundamental that we thought it was worth mentioning again and again and again.

 Coming soon in DSC equipment: What’s the flipping issue with fins – winding up Brad.

Clean Up The Oceans By Buying Plastic Shorts?

Riz Smith, who has been variously described as a designer, gentleman surfer and conservationist, has come up with an idea to rid the oceans of plastic litter. He’s going to turn your Evian bottle into designer boardshorts. On his website, Riz states: 

Umm... Bees?

Our mission is to make beautiful boardshorts for a beautiful plastic-free ocean.  Experts estimate that there are 46,000 pieces of plastic in every square mile of the ocean. We don't want our shorts to end up littering landfills or oceans. So, in an effort to do our part, we’ve developed the Rizcycling programme.

Rizcycling means working with our customers to create a perpetual loop that transforms waste and worn out swimwear into beautiful new products.  

We will be working with our partners The Marine Conservation Society in 2015 to hold 10 Riz-sponsored beach clean-ups that gather 25,000 pieces of beach plastic.

Our ultimate aspiration is to turn ocean and beach plastics, the water bottles that end up floating in the sea or littering beaches, into beautiful shorts

We are working with fabric manufacturers and other brands to figure out how this process can work, so that by 2016 our first short can be made from ocean plastics.

Riz Smith, through his contacts with The Marine Conservation Society will collect loads of plastic bottles from the oceans and make them into boardshorts. We, the customers, will then buy the shorts and when they wear out or we tire of the style, we’ll hand them back to Riz in return for a discount on another pair. Closed loop recycling as Riz calls it.

Riz's closed loop system

That sounds like a brilliant idea. Buy some shorts and the oceanic plastic problem is solved. Now if Riz makes a yellow and blue bikini the Ukrainian issue will be solved too!

The thing is, after pondering a bit, we started to see some flaws in the idea.

Firstly lets look at the numbers. On his website Riz mentions that experts estimate (the word expert and the word estimate used together can easily be read as: some blokes say) that there are 46,000 pieces of plastic in every square mile of the ocean. 

Seriously! In every square mile? That doesn’t sound right to us.

Wouldn’t it be better to say that: if you separate out all the plastic in the ocean into equal square mile sections, there would be 46,000 pieces in every section – at a guess. (Sorry but one of us is very pedantic about statistics) To make a start on this vast mountain, Riz is going to organise 10 sponsored beach clean-ups this year that will gather 25,000 pieces of plastic. That’s not even one square mile of ocean sorted out, but never mind 10 beaches get cleaned and that’s a good thing, but who is doing all this collecting? Are beach clean-ups going to be the way that the company gets it’s raw materials if so will it be yearly sponsored collections? Will the collectors eventually be paid?

The reason we ask, is that imagine that Riz’s idea takes off, imagine he starts making some serious money. Would you give your free time in order to provide a cost free labour source for a profit making business? And what if the collections are taking place, not in the UK or rich western countries but poorer ones? Are the citizens of those countries going to be asked to do the collecting for nothing? Eventually, someone, somewhere is going to want to see some money for all the effort.

The 5 Ocean Gyres where plastic accumulates

Another problem is that most of the oceans plastic is not in fact littering beaches. Instead it is floating in huge Gyres the largest of which, known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, contains around 1/3 of all oceanic plastic. So even if you did clean up all the beaches in the UK or even the world, you won’t have cleared a fraction of the circulating oceanic plastic.

An even bigger issue with this is that Riz doesn’t seem to have solved the issue of how he is actually going to turn oceanic plastic into boardshorts. In his own words, it remains an aspiration and that’s why he is currently running a crowdfunding campaign to raise the funds so that he can work with manufacturers and others to see how the process will work. Umm… !

Despite this issue, Riz has set a target of 2016 for the first boardshorts to be made from recycled ocean plastic. What if this aspiration can’t be achieved? What if the manufacturers think it is economically unviable or just that the manufacture of such items is unfeasible. 

 

Riz currently sells his boardshorts, made from recycled fabric, for £80 a pop. Now that’s pretty pricey for a pair of recycled shorts and there is no reason to assume that those made from plastic are going to be cheaper. Obviously Riz might be going for a bit of exclusivity in his branding, a sort of snob value for the denizens of Hampstead and Notting Hill and he might not be remotely interested in mass marketing to the rest of us. Which does tend to raise another possibility. He might not sell very many shorts at all. So all that collected plastic will have to be turned into something else – like bottles for instance.

Of course we don’t imagine for one minute that Riz Smith is not a genuine guy, genuinely thinking about new and imaginative ideas to promote ocean conservation and he may have seen an opportunity to create a sustainable business model. After all the Great Ocean Clean Up project (the most successful crowdfunding project in history) has published their feasibility study on cleaning up the ocean gyres and maybe Riz has realised that if they are successful in 2019, there’s going to be a lot of plastic available for recycling.

Any idea that promotes the preservation of the ocean environment, or actually does something about it, is always to be welcomed and there are a great many organisations out there doing great things.

However, this particular idea has been making us argue between ourselves so much that our beer went flat. Conservation and business rarely mix; when money and profit become involved the lines become very blurry indeed. Add to that fact, that despite our hopes that Riz is onto something, we get a sense that this is a bit gimmicky, a bit fashion world tokenism that generates sales by playing on middle class guilt. Sure you drive a petrol guzzling 4X4 and chuck away more rubbish than the population of Timbuktu but don’t worry, just buy a pair of Riz Smith’s boardshorts and a bag for life and the Karma is balanced. So no matter how well intentioned, this idea seems to be really nothing more than a good selling point for Riz’s boardshorts and we doubt it will do anything to deal with the problem except maybe to highlight the issue at the odd dinner party in London. If you fancy a pair plastic shorts then be our guest, but if you truly want to help with the conservation of the ocean - get involved or donate to these organisations below. And If you see anyone chucking a plastic bottle into the ocean, do what we do - chuck them in after it!

 

Project Aware

Marine Conservation Society

The Ocean Clean Up Project

Skiathos Island

A Dangerous Snorkelling Club Quick Guide

Skiathos has a mixed reputation. For some its myriad beaches, bustling capital and good transport links make it the destination of choice for bit of summer sun. For others its myriad beaches, bustling capital and good transport links means it’s full of tourists and therefore best avoided. However it has been rated as one of the best snorkelling destinations in Europe. So we decided to brave the hordes of package holidaymakers and see for ourselves.

 

Dangerous Snorkelling Weather

The History Bit 

Since ancient times the islands strategic position always drew unwanted attention. The first settlers were Ionians followed in turn by Athenians, Macedonians and the inevitable Romans. It became a Turkish possession in around 1539 eventually winning freedom in 1829. Skiathos is the birthplace of two of Greece’s most famous novelists; Alexandros Moraitidis and Alexandros Papadiamantis. That’s all we could find out about the place, so unlike other islands it is a little bereft of historical interest.

The Snorkelling Bit

There are some things that the modern Greeks don’t seem to understand such as taxes. For the visitor however, a more important lapse in their understanding is the idea of tarmac. The roads in many Greek islands leave much to be desired but in Skiathos they reach new heights of car damaging roughness, in fact it appears that no road maintenance has been carried out since the Romans marched around the place.

This means that getting to the best snorkelling beaches in the north of the island can be an adventure in itself. The two best beaches we found were Megali Auselinos and Mikri Auselinos. Both are reached via a bumpy, suspension-wrecking dirt track. At Mikri Auselinos however, you also need to navigate your way down a steep, ankle-twisting path before you reach the welcoming soft sand. We arrived at 7:30 in the morning at both sites, a good hour before the bewildered beach bar owners and three full hours before another tourist arrived. On either beach you should take a short swim around the headlands on either side to find the rocky seabed where the most interesting marine life hang out. Look out for Jellyfish, fireworms and small shoals of needlefish. To the right of Mikri Auselinos there is small beach nestling below a steep cliff face, which makes it unreachable from the landside and so utterly deserted. We spent three full days here just Snorkelling around in perfect solitude. Another option is to hire a boat from Troulos beach on the southern side of the island and head for the myriad uninhabited islands to the South East. However just as Greek Ferries don’t run when the wind blows from the wrong direction, the merest hint of poor weather, such as a cloud, and the boat hire company will decline your business on the grounds that having survived the drive down to the beach, your luck must surely run out some time and you and their boat will never be seen again. The island boasts many other beaches including Meghas Ghialos, which is a spear fishing and diving hotspot, we however found the other beaches, including Meghas Ghialos, were too crowded and lacking in the marine interest of the Northern Beaches. A word of warning; the north coast can be very windy and the sea quite rough. These are the type of conditions we look for, but, if you are interested in more sedate snorkelling, ensure that the wind is blowing from the south to guarantee the conditions are more suitable.

Common Fried Egg Jellyfish

The Tourist Blurb

Beaches, beaches, beaches. If your idea of a holiday is lounging about on sun drenched beaches, cocktail in hand, then Skiathos has much to offer. The beaches on the south coast have long stretches of golden sound and boast a variety of water sports. Should a glance in the mirror reveal a cooked lobster glow and you decide that a day off the beach is called for then a trip to the capital of Skiathos town is a good alternative. Skiathos Town has the usual array of tourist “boutiques”, shops, cafes and tourist trap amenities but a wander around the narrow streets and port is an interesting experience. Those of you with more cultural interests will however be disappointed. Yes Skiathos has churches and a 12^th century fortress but these don’t really have the appeal that other islands historic sites have and there is the overwhelming sense that the island has waved a dismissive hand towards the highbrow in favour of lowest common denominator tourism. That said though, as a snorkelling destination, Skiathos is well worth its rating as one of the best in Europe. The more adventurous types among you, those who are prepared to rise early and brave the cold morning sea should encounter a surprising variety of marine life that more than makes up for the islands other shortcomings, except of course the bloody roads!

The Path to Mikri Auselinos

The Tourist Q & A

Which is the best restaurant?

There are a great many restaurants and tavernas on the island and like all Greek islands they pretty much serve the same fayre. From the tourist chatter we heard, the two most highly regarded were the Windmill Restaurant in Skiathos Town and Salt & Pepper in Troulos. Both require you to make a reservation…. No Kidding! We were unable to get one at the Windmill but did manage to eat twice at Salt & Pepper. Salt & Pepper calls itself a garden restaurant, which means you are seated near grass! The food was nothing exceptional but clearly of higher quality than you would normally expect from the islands. The price wasn’t too bad either, if you have ever had a meal in London or New York the cost of a meal for four with wine won’t bring tears to your eyes – if you haven’t dined outside Scunthorpe before, you’re probably going to need oxygen. Apparently, and this is purely what the waiter told us, a number of major celebrities are often to be seen dining here, though he didn’t elaborate on who exactly, nor on how he defines “major” or “celebrity for that matter

Are there any good bars?

That depends on what you define as a bar. Skiathos Town suffers from that evil affliction of the lounge bar so we obviously refused to spend anytime in those. In Troulos there is the Christiakis Sports Bar which labels itself as the only bar in Skiathos that has BBC, ITV and Sky Sports. That of course means it has a lot of Televisions showing repeats of live matches and lots of Brits looking for a home-from-home experience. The majority of the bars, including Christiakis, are part of hotel set-ups the rest and there are many, are your average Taverna affair. All are okay for a few hours of Après-snorkel drinking but none of them are exceptional.

The Other Stuff

Wasps! The island, particularly the South, is infested with the infamous Skiathos wasp. These are not your usual, Irritating, picnic-wrecking insects. The Skiathos wasp is a particularly persistent little bugger. Every beach, especially around mid morning, echoes to sound of infuriated sunbathers cursing loudly whilst furiously waving towels, sandals and hats around in a futile attempt to get rid of the little blighters. Note: waving things in the air does not make the wasps go away; it just makes them angry! The only thing that we found that works was cigarette smoke. That of course is not an option if you don’t smoke or have someone in your group who does and more importantly, is prepared to go through fifty a day to keep the air clear of the striped pests. If this is the case your only option is to head for the water. A sting from these sods is painful but no more so than your average wasp, it’s just that by the third sting the pain seems to merge into one day-wrecking throb.

The Skiathos Cat

Not particularly part of the guide, but Skiathos also has an infestation of feral cats. Some are mangy, one-eyed, flea bitten wretches whilst others are impossible not to fall head-over-heels in love with. So let us introduce you to the cat we adopted for ten, leg-scratching, days. Ladies and Gentlemen we give you Psycho the Cat in usual contented pose. 

The Statistical Stuff

Population: 4000+

Area: 48 Sq. Km.

How to get there: Charter flights from major European airports operate during the summer months. Schedule flights operate year round from Athens; Ferry links operate from all major islands in the region.