The Gypsey Nesters on some cool facts about snorkeling. Join us on the Hoku Nui for the best snorkeling experience in Kona. Our great crew will add to your safety and fun whether this is the first time you’ve snorkeled or you are a pro.
Are you considering snorkeling in clear blue waters soon, but don’t know much about it? Below are 8 cool facts about snorkeling.
1. Snorkeling Requires Certain Equipment
Humans can’t extract oxygen from water like fish, which is why snorkeling is necessary if we want to explore underwater. A snorkel is a breathing tube. It is a hollow, slightly flexible and long tube (kind of like an elephant’s trunk) that has a mouthpiece. The opposite end stays above the water and gives us access to oxygen.
Cancun snorkeling will provide the entire snorkeling package, which includes a swimming mask that covers your eyes and nose, fins to help propel you in the water, and a life vest. The snorkel will be attached to the mask. When it is time for you to snorkel, you will put on the mask and put the mouthpiece of the snorkel in your mouth.
2. You Don’t Need Special Training
Snorkeling is a fun and active way to be in water, and one of the coolest things about it is you don’t have to be specially trained or certified in it, like you would to scuba dive. This makes it an activity all ages and abilities can try.
3. Snorkeling Gets You Active
When you snorkel, you will also be swimming or floating in the water. This means not only is snorkeling fun, it will also use all your major muscle groups. Snorkeling is a super fun way to get active, increase your strength, and improve your endurance.
4. Swimming Isn’t Necessary
You can use floatation devices if swimming isn’t something you’re great at. Snorkeling does not require a participant to be a great swimmer, but it can definitely help make the experience more fun. Most snorkeling companies, like Cancun Snorkeling, have snorkelers using a life vest while in the water just to be safe.
5. You Can Snorkel in the Rain
You may be surprised to find you can snorkel in all kinds of weather, including when it rains. The breathing tube from a snorkel mask typically has a splash guard that channels water away from it, leaving you free and clear to “breathe” underwater.
6. Snorkeling Helps You Explore the Ocean
Snorkeling allows you the chance to really see underwater life in a natural setting. You will probably see all kinds of colorful fish, coral reefs, and even sea turtles when you snorkel. Snorkeling helps you breathe with your head underwater, so you don’t have to miss the exciting life of the ocean.
7. Snorkeling Started Simply
Even though there is no exact record of when snorkeling was invented, many people suspect it began in 350 BC when Aristotle observed an elephant underwater, using its trunk to breathe. Leonardo da Vinci drew designs for breathing underwater as early as the 15th century.
Modern-day snorkeling is named after submarines, which also use a snorkel to “breathe” underwater. Pretty cool, right?
8. Snorkeling Does Not Let You Breathe Underwater
Snorkeling does not actually allow you to breathe underwater like a fish. However, you can stay partially submerged in the water with the end of the snorkel above the water and stay that way for a very long time. If you see snorkelers fully under the water, they are holding their breath.
Happy Snorkeling!
These 8 cool facts about snorkeling are not only interesting, but hopefully they also help you be better prepared for when you decide to snorkel. Happy snorkeling!
