Snorkel With Life Vest?

[gdoyle]

Cruising to Tahiti in June. Can't swim but would love to snorkel in shallow water. Is it possible to snorkel with a life vest? Any other options for a non-swimmer?

[JodiBB]

Yes, you can snorkel with a life vest on. Just know that if there is a strong current or swells, you may end up bobbing like a cork, but it can be done.

[bruce-r]

Actually, you will probably be using a snorkel vest, not a life vest, although it is easy to confuse the two. The main difference between the two is that a snorkel vest can be inflated and deflated to adjust your floatation, while a life vest can't be adjusted because it's only purpose it to keep you floating on the surface, usually with your head above the water. ;)

 

Snorkel Vest at scubatoys.com

[JodiBB]

Bruce...I wish I would've been given a snorkel vest and NOT a life vest when I went snorkeling in Isla Mujeres!! Personally, I don't use either because I like to free dive, but the park MADE us!! (i.e., no vest, no snorkeling!!!)....I hated it as the current was strong and using such a flotation device made it impossible to swim against the current.

[BullinOhio]

Bruce...I wish I would've been given a snorkel vest and NOT a life vest when I went snorkeling in Isla Mujeres!! Personally, I don't use either because I like to free dive, but the park MADE us!! (i.e., no vest, no snorkeling!!!)....I hated it as the current was strong and using such a flotation device made it impossible to swim against the current.

 

 

I wonder if the mandated life vest usage is because they have recently (Hurricane Wilma) become more sensitive about protecting the reefs. They know you cannot dive down and touch/bump/take with a life vest on. I can imagine that it would be a pain in the arse snorkeling with one though.

[scubaran]

Bruce...I wish I would've been given a snorkel vest and NOT a life vest when I went snorkeling in Isla Mujeres!! Personally, I don't use either because I like to free dive, but the park MADE us!! (i.e., no vest, no snorkeling!!!)....I hated it as the current was strong and using such a flotation device made it impossible to swim against the current.

 

I'd suggest you purchase a snorkel vest and take it with you. Since they're just air inflated they fold down to nothing then before you get in the water you can inflate it to make the snorkel company happy but you can deflate it as many times as you like to "duck dive" down (without touching anything of course), then inflate it in the water when you just want to float around. They have an oral inflation valve that you just push down to inflate/deflate and it takes next to nothing to keep as much, or little air, in them as you need. I do it all the time, though admittedly I'm a scuba diver and I'm very comfortable in the open water.

 

Randall

[Middleager]

My wife is a non-swimmer and is afraid of the water. When she goes (I'll be scuba diving so we'll be in separate ways) I'll certainly have her take the snorkel vest. This way if she slip or if there are waves and she ends up under the water, she won't panic.

 

We knew we'd use the gears for many years to come so we purchased full sets of snorkel gear (mask/snorkel/fins, and snorkel vest). At the end we feel comfortable with putting the snorkels in our mouth, or blowing into our own snorkel vests and not have to worry who had been using them before.

 

I also remember seeing several pictures of people at the SR sandbar. There were several people wearing PDFs or snorkel vests.