Whenever you go swimming, snorkeling, or scuba diving, there is a risk of drowning if you are not trained well. Most of the drowning accidents happen during snorkeling because the person has been in the water for a long time and he/she gets exhausted. If one stays in the water doing snorkeling for a long time, he/she might have been fighting currents with time. If you stay within your physical limitations, then you can stay in water for a long time.
For a non-swimmer, there are more risks with any water-based activity. These risks exist for a professional swimmer too. There are a lot of cases where a professional swimmer can be drowned in an ocean or sea. In snorkeling, there is only floating and observing. In saltwater, most people are naturally buoyant, which makes it easy for them to float.
Issues If You Are A Non-Swimmer
Snorkeling for non-swimmers can cause some issues where the fun becomes a life-threatening event. Some of the common issues of snorkeling are as follows:
Panic
Non-swimmers are likely to panic more in the water than those who know how to swim. A non-swimmer is not even able to swim in the local pool for the first time. A person fears that he/she might get drowned in the pool. When it comes to snorkeling, which is done in the ocean or sea, the deep-water floating or swimming panics the non-swimmer.
Changing Conditions
If you are going to some tropical region and you have decided to go snorkeling, then you might want to keep this thing in mind that the weather is unpredictable, especially in tropical regions. The smooth and calm water can change to choppy if the wind picks up and it begins to rain. The professional swimmers are trained to cope up with the weather and water changes, but the first-time snorkeler or non-swimmer is not experienced or acquainted with the changing conditions. It makes it the worst experience for a non-swimmer.
Equipment Problems
There are some common mistakes that you make while going snorkeling. The first-time snorkelers rent out snorkeling equipment cheaply. There are a lot of problems with that cheap equipment on rent. Sometimes the water seeps into your mask or snorkel. While snorkeling, the fin becomes loose to make it difficult for you to snorkel. If you are a non-swimmer, there are a lot of problems in fixing these mistakes while snorkeling.
Ocean Currents
The surprising thing about water-based activities is that if the water seems calm to you, the currents will drift you away from the shore and you would not have an idea that how far you have been drifted. While swimming or snorkeling, you have to set your course while the currents drift you away. A professional swimmer knows how to correct the course of swimming and to get back to the shore or boat easily. On the other hand, a non-swimmer gets stranded in the ocean.
Boat Trouble
When you go snorkeling, you experience drifting and floating while in the water and also when you reach near your boat. The drifting can cause it difficult to reach the boat and getting picked up.
Can You Drown When Snorkeling?
In snorkeling, you do a floating near the water surface. You don’t go deep down in the ocean or sea. But there have been reported cases of drowning while snorkeling. If you are well trained for swimming near your local pools. Before going for snorkeling, learn different aspects of snorkeling and the equipment required for snorkeling.
Equipment or Safety from Drowning While Snorkeling
If you are a non-swimmer and you want to go snorkeling, you must take these 10 gadgets or equipment with you for safe snorkeling.
Can’t Swim but Can Float?
When you go snorkeling, you don’t need to dive deep into the ocean or sea to experience the marine wildlife. All you have to do is put on the snorkeling gear and breath through your mouth using a snorkel. If you cannot swim, but you can float, then you are good to go. When you know how to float using the gear, you can float calmly in the water while minimizing the movements. To make it easier put on the floating vest.
How Deep You Go for Snorkeling?
Most of the snorkels are only 12 to 15 inches long. This is the reason that you cannot go deeper into the water than this. If you go deep in the waters, you will have major problems if you are a non-swimmer. Something can get stuck in the tube of snorkel and it will make it hard for you to breathe under the water. You will not be able to inhale the air from the surface because of water pressure. If you go 18 inches under the water, it will make you feel like you are sucking the air through a clogged tube.
Each time when you exhale, you emit carbon dioxide. If the carbon dioxide gets stuck in the tube, you will not be getting more fresh air or oxygen than you already were.
Verdict
In this article, we have discussed that how a non-swimmer can go for snorkeling. There are plenty of techniques that can help you as a first-time snorkeler. For a better experience of snorkeling, you should know how to swim or at least know how to float. There are techniques, training, and tips for successful snorkeling.