WHAT ARE SOME USEFUL TIPS TO MAKE THE MOST OUT OF FIRST TIME SNORKELING?
- Choose to Rent High-Quality Snorkeling Equipment
- Practice with Your Gear in a Pool
- Pay Attention to the Basic Snorkeling Lessons
- Learn more about Snorkeling Etiquette
You likely have decided to forge on with your first snorkeling trip. Or at least almost convinced to. Which explains why you wound up reading useful tips for first time snorkeling. Several tour companies promote snorkeling to be as easy as gearing up and jumping right into the ocean to commence the fun.
The critical parts are slightly ignored, thus leaving beginner snorkelers a miserable first experience snorkeling. With this, choose to educate yourself about tips and things to remember before, during, and after snorkeling. Most dive resorts in Batangas accompany guest snorkelers to the spot where hundreds of diverse marine species propagate.
Along the trip, experienced divers impart fundamental lessons. Prepare yourself beforehand with these useful tips, so you can enjoy and surely want to go for a second round.
CHOOSE TO RENT HIGH-QUALITY SNORKELING EQUIPMENT
Most diving resorts already offer rental equipment where masks come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and quality. While it is convenient that you do not have to bring your own, you must consider the huge chance of water leaking into your mask if it terribly fits you. Water leaking into your mask will make the glasses foggy. This prevents you from clearly seeing the entire beauty of the deep waters.
Frequent snorkelers will share their experience of having to tilt their heads to a certain angle to see through a spot of the mask that is not foggy. When it comes to snorkels, you should ask and check for yourself if they have a valve that shuts off once submerged in water. These snorkels are commonly called dry snorkels. For fins, the most basic requirement is that they must fit.
With all the pros and cons of renting snorkeling equipment, at the end of the day, it is still a better option over buying your own gear. Especially for first-timers. The best way to ensure that the mask, snorkel, and fins fit you well is to try to practice with it in the nearest pool at the beach. This leads us to the next topic.
PRACTICE WITH YOUR GEAR IN A POOL
Before you ride the boat to the spot where you will snorkel, make sure that you try to fit your gear and practice using it in a nearby pool or shallow waters. This way, you will know if the mask wraps around your face snugly, if the snorkel is allowing you to breathe, and if the fins will remain secure on your feet in case you are required to paddle harder. One way to distinguish if the snorkel you rented works is by blowing hard to purge the water off the snorkel’s top valve. Adjust masks in order to reduce the chances of leakage.
PAY ATTENTION TO THE BASIC SNORKELING LESSONS
You might get a little too excited to hop on the boat as you start to imagine how the trip underwater will go but try not to get too carried away. The boat ride is typically where the guide and experienced divers introduce sign languages, do’s and don’ts, as well as underwater etiquette.
One of the most necessary instructions is to swim slowly. First-time snorkelers usually get exhausted within the first twenty minutes of snorkeling. It is significant to thoroughly grasp that swimming itself takes a good bit of energy which is why no matter the current underwater, resisting it will consume more energy. As such, the rule is to float, not flail. Float, glide and direct yourself around by managing your fins. Think of yourself as another fish in the ocean, place your arms to your side, use your body and paddle your legs. Use your arms only if deemed necessary.
Lastly, only swim at such speed that will allow you to breathe slowly and easily through the snorkel. Remember to calm down, swim slowly and enjoy the serenity of the ocean.
LEARN SNORKELING ETIQUETTE AND YOUR LIMITS
Be a steward of the ocean. You can definitely enjoy the experience of aquatic life as you swim alongside different kinds of fish and witness colorful coral reefs without nudging them. The rule of the sea is whatever you see, you must not take it. Lifting and trying to move coral reefs might disrupt the pristine ecosystem of the area you are visiting. Respect your limits as a visitor of the ocean.
KEY TAKEAWAY
The first times are usually unforgettable ones. To make the most cherished memory and ensure you experience only the extraordinary out of your first snorkeling trip, follow instructions well and trust your instinct. The most accommodating diving resorts in Batangas will introduce you to snorkeling and gladly assist you to enjoy the activity so much that you will dream of coming back for it.
