How To Stop Quiet Deaths |

[@dirk7816]

I almost drowned at Saint Johns USVI snorkeling the East side of Hawksnest bay. I lived there at the time and was an avid snorkeler but I swam from near the beach where we moored my friends boat all the way to the point by Perkins Cay. While heading back a storm blew in bringing heavy rain and wind. It got choppy I was exhausted and then one of my legs started to cramp. I barley made it to a mooring bouy in the middle of the bay and clung to it till I thought I was strong enough to make it back. I did but barely, it scared the you known what out of me and I never snorkeled again without a inflatable vest. No one had a clue about my situation as they all went down into the boat when the rain started and it was also off season we were one of the few vessels in the bay that day.

[@steadmanuhlich6734]

Thanks for sharing your experience. The snorkle vest is probably scoffed at by most people, but your experience is a good example of why the vest could be a life-saver (literally).

[@dirk7816]

@@steadmanuhlich6734 Thanks, and yes you nailed it with the vest. I was in Saint Croix snorkeling a few months later with my girlfriend and we got smirks from another group out there because we had them on. I'm thinking the jokes on you guys we are the ones better equipped, nothing wrong with that.

[@ronellmostert8632]

Well done for surviving.

[@ZedNevada]

​@@dirk7816I saw people find it hilarious i had one on in the Carribean but the same, you might have the quite literally the last laugh if your the only one wearing one!!!

[@RobertRhorer]

Excellent summary, presented clearly and concisely. Not a wasted word. Thank you for putting out information on a seemingly benign, but possibly deadly activity 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@asmodiusjones9563]

Everyone always says to never swim alone, which is a good recommendation, but I humbly recommend not stopping there. Talk to your swimming buddies about how to signal distress to each other, have a general plan for what to do when someone is in trouble, and practice rescuing each other. (It is *much* harder to swim supporting an unconscious person than you would expect. You don’t want the first time you try it to be when your friend’s life is on the line).

[@vladimirmihnev9702]

Good points, sadly most will ignore them.

[@limyrob1383]

When I was involved in professional diver safety in the UK North Sea long haul flights were recognized as a significant risk factor and several days interval were recommended.

[@ZedNevada]

Recommended for snorkelling or both snorkelling & scuba too?

[@limyrob1383]

@@ZedNevada At the time only scuba, but now I would include snorkelling.

[@garman1966]

As a kid I snorkelled by myself many times never thinking I was in any danger. But then there was the time I took a day scuba diving trip on a big catamaran, also as a kid, from the hotel on the beach in Hawaii, and we were as a group suiting up to go diving. At some point they said to jump in the water, but I had forgotten to inflate my buoyancy compensation vest. I also didn't have my mouth piece (regulator) in my mouth, or maybe it fell out when I jumped in, but anyway, I sank like a stone. I had to kick my feet like hell to get to the surface. I couldn't find my regulator as I desperately tried to stay on the surface, so I then grabbed the Buoyancy compensation inflation tube and blew it up until I could float. It scared the crap out of me and it appeared that no one even saw what happened, and I was like 14 years old! I could easily have drowned before anyone saw.

[@firefeethok_tui2355]

Wow, that must have been so scary, especially since it was your own courage, brute strenght and level head that saved yourself.

[@chrisotis8111]

Being from Hawaii I swim everyday. I have had to rescue 5 people in my 26 yrs here. The one thing they all had in common when being rescued was they could not talk or yell out for help. They would just sink under the water. They never thank me also, but I understand.

[@pathoover2786]

If I got into a situation and was helped, I would make it a point to find that person. But, sometimes other circumstances can come into play. So I'm thanking you for the people you saved. Life is precious.

[@lizardkeeper100]

yep I was just about to mention that. also I would like to say thank you for saving them.

[@TarpeianRock]

As a former lifeguard I’ve had the same happening to me : we once rescued a drowning man, restored his breathing through mouth to mouth and never saw that person again after the ambulance took him away. As if he was ashamed. To be clear : I was really not expecting a thank you.

[@tiny_toilet]

@@TarpeianRock It sure sounds like you were expecting a thank you. Why would you assume he was ashamed?

[@doctoronishispsychosislab1474]

I'll thank you on thier behalf ^^ Thank you ^^

[@JammyGit]

Back in the early 90s I spent a few years living in Tenerife. I wouldn't class myself as a strong swimmer at all, but I loved snorkelling, and on several occasions I used to snorkel about a mile around the coast to our appartement. I never felt in any danger at all (apart from the fear of sharks I had 😆) and with those flippers it was almost effortless. So I had to watch this video because if there was one water activity with all those deaths attributed to it, I would not have guessed in a million years that it was snorkelling 😮 I would probably blame the amount of cheap snorkel equipment online for a start, and I find those full face snorkels particularly scary. To anyone tempted to buy one of those - Don't! You're not a f@cking navy seal, a simple J pipe is probably the best design for simplicity, and when you need it to breathe, you need it simple 👍

[@karlnordinger5968]

" You don't know what you don't know " - great video learned about Rapid Onset Pulmonary Edema today .

[@someguy-k2h]

Open water snorkeling is a serious activity that most people think is completely safe. They think that because they have no experience with open water dangers. I do agree that all water sports should be done in pairs or in groups. My guess is that nearly all of these deaths occured in people who were alone.

[@user-jy9so6kt2f]

Very useful overview. Thank you for the follow-up links as well.

[@BrianSmith-gp9xr]

Lost my best friend snorkeling in Kailua bay . An avid surfer. 1000's of surf hours . Found floating on the surface , his mask still on. He just left.

[@mohammedm2362]

sorry to hear. was it a full face mask? any idea of the reason? it's scary to happen to an avid surfer

[@ronellmostert8632]

Sorry about your loss.

[@ioidt]

Very sorry for your lost!

[@carlosa.sanchez896]

Great advice, especially for older folks who can easily overdo it. We had a classmate in his mid 20s who drowned near the surface from a scuba gear issue. I don't doubt there was some ROPE factor involved.

[@Iris_and_or_George]

Thank you for the video was very informative! I have a question though. Shouldn't that study include the amount of people participating in the water events? Fir example: Maybe there are 10,000x more snorkellers than free divers giving the number of deaths 200 and 44 respectively a completely different meaning!

[@suedenim9208]

Number of participants is a major factor, and not just for the different activities that resulted in drowning. Hawaii sees millions of tourists in a normal year and a significant percentage of them go snorkeling. The 200 dead tourists in that 10 year period was probably out of at least 30 to 50 million people who went snorkeling. Very rough guess, but lets say that adds up to 100 million hours of snorkeling, which means there's one death for every 500,000 hours of snorkeling. To put that in perspective there's about 1 traffic fatality for every 75 million miles of driving in the US, which is perhaps 1 for every 2.5 million hours. That a watersport might be 5 times as dangerous as driving doesn't strike me as meaning there's a particular problem that requires a lot of attention.

[@Iris_and_or_George]

@@suedenim9208 Thank you! This is what I tried to say but waaaay better! Thank you.

[@sammoyers905]

Excellent report Mark. I am surprised the full face snorkel systems did not take a big hit it this study. It would be interesting to see a study of carbon dioxide buildup in them. Thank you for sharing this video.

[@ScubaDiverMagazine]

Yeah, the report only looked at 4 FFSM and from what I could tell only measured the breathing resistance. If you look at the testimonials they published from snorkellers most of them said that they would never use a FFSM again...

[@chrisphilhower6029]

@@ScubaDiverMagazine What Scares me about them is the Valves. I use a Sherwood Tiga. Has a Valve in top that has Closed at the Worst Times. Other times, Doesn't close at all. At least with the Separate Snorkel I can remove it if Necessary.

[@nztrog9625]

@@ScubaDiverMagazine I came across this guy explaining the issue with the full face snorkels.....it's pretty scary! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nprPgYOAetykbKs

[@KoDeMondo]

@@ScubaDiverMagazine hi there interesting to say those type of mask have been recycled and used in Italy, during covid pandemic instead of face mask 😂

[@ThierryC2373]

Full face mask are not readily available everywhere, that maybe, was the reason for a lack of data about them. Anyway, I have a full face mask that I use occasionally and there is no more danger to use them than a tuba as long as you don't want to go underwater which is very difficult with a full face mask. Unless the full face mask has a silicone nose, you can not equalize underwater and you have to push really hard to pull that massive bowl of air that just want to go up. I tried this in my pool when I was living in Florida and it is not worth doing it. I would say the full face mask should be reserved for calm exploration from the surface only and it is great at just that, no painful jaw, breathing with your nose calmly and here you go. I like using it after scuba diving while waiting for everybody to come back on the boat, no apnea, perfect.

[@promacpic]

Perhaps the problem with snorkeling is hypercapnia & respiratory acidosis induced pulmonary edema. As an open circuit scuba diver, I control my exertion and breath well within my air supply. Snorkelers can’t and are constantly exerting themselves while holding their breath while under water in a dive, and at the surface involuntarily, taking many short breaths - air volume that barely clears the snorkel, due to face being in the water, relaxation, excitement, hypothermia, fear of water getting in the snorkel, etc. snorkeling should be restricted to water less than chest depth unless certified as an open water snorkeler and equipped with fins and an inflatable buoyancy device or buoyancy compensator. Many snorkelers are unaware of the dangers of surf and riptides, corals & sea life. Snorkelers need to watch their breathing, just like scuba divers. Drown-proofing is another essential skill many snorkelers lack - if you become out of breath or get a mouthful of water, you need to know how to recover. Snorkeling seems like a very simple activity, but like scuba has many risks.

[@suedenim9208]

Maybe we should require people to be certified before offering their uninformed opinions on the internet. A significant proportion of the snorkeling deaths in Hawaii happened in water shallow enough to stand up in, but the people who end up in distress often don't get the chance to stand up. I'd also think somebody who's "open circuit" certified should be better than the average person at figuring out that pretty much every snorkeling problem can be solved while still floating face down.

[@promacpic]

@@suedenim9208 Your comment isn’t helpful. The issue is snorkeling induced rapid onset pulmonary edema (SIROPE), a condition caused by fluid from the body drawn into the lungs. Acidemia is common in severe pulmonary edema & a study shows it’s caused by metabolic and respiratory acidosis. Swimming-induced pulmonary edema is a leading cause of triathlon-associated emergencies and death, so it’s not the snorkel. I believe SIROPE is caused by the body’s inability to manage the buildup of carbon dioxide. Swimming uses a lot of muscles & those muscles are going to generate a lot of carbon dioxide. If you’re holding your breath regularly or frequently, as swimmers naturally do, it’s going to build up in the body.

[@suedenim9208]

@@promacpic Great. Now some moron will probably come along and suggest that we require people to get certified for swimming unless they stay in the kiddie pool.

[@promacpic]

@@suedenim9208 Better than some left-leaning commie wanting to ban water sports altogether. “If it saves one life…” Better to world-proof our children rather than trying to child-proof the world. ☝️

[@andreagriffiths3512]

I’m a fairly experienced snorkeler but I did a snorkel tour on my last cruise holiday. It was probably a lot safer than I felt. The water wasn’t rough. But I was definitely not doing well. I didn’t feel safe because I didn’t have a designated buddy. I covered this by staying real close to the tour guides. But my heart was pounding and my breathing was certainly on the wild side. Looking back on it, I made the right call to stay on the boat and not swim the last area. I’d decided to keep the poor girl who’d been stung by a blue bottle company. I don’t think I’d ever go on another snorkel tour again. I also wonder just what affect undiagnosed high blood pressure might have had.

[@outlaw565]

Just some advice for anyone who inhales water into there lungs and you cough it up and think your ok, go to the emergency room or doctors, you can die from something called secondary drowning. Goggle it, you can save someones life. I found out about this after I inhaled salt water and Coughed for aat least a week like i still had water in my lungs. Luckily i got better. I found out later about secondary drowning.

[@slimjim7411]

Not to mention the risk for pneumonia is extremely high and can also be fatal.

[@josephgurneck2577]

Great content Mark maybe in the future you could suggest some better high quality snorkel’s

[@etmax1]

This should be compulsory viewing for anyone considering snorkelling, especially for the first time.

[@denislemelin7653]

Good information, headed to Tobago in two months.

[@travelsouthafrica5048]

excellent video , thanks

[@tombstone4986]

Thanks for the excellent information. I just shared this w my teens..

[@cachachu]

You got my like. I love science and I love snorkeling. Great job.

[@duncan2565]

Thank you for this video very educational!

[@alanjohnson2613]

Amazing always thought of snorkeling as a safe low impact sport.

[@pathoover2786]

Nice video. You should consider doing a video on the best type of snorkel to use. I just bought a new full face mask/snorkel. It has 2 breathing tubes , one on each side. I also have but 1 lung, and snorkel always alone , because nobody wants to go. Now you have me a little worried.

[@guessurrio]

Maybe this is a late reply to your comment but I do recommend having caution when using these type of snorkel full masks... I'm a fairly good swimmer, have snorkeled many times since childhood, I just used one of these masks for the first time in my recent trip and I could definitely feel the difference... One example, i swam (no mask) to a reef that was probably 70-90 feet away from shore, went back and no problem... Then some time later I grabbed the mask and went over there again now snorkeling with it and I had to stop, take it off and get back because I felt exhausted like I wasn't getting enough oxygen when breathing... It's a good thing I kept myself calm since I was repeating to myself "you're a good swimmer, you're in good shape, don't panic" and swam (with the mask off) slowly back to shore (or at least to where I could stand) but yeah I knew that if I kept the mask on, that would definitely be a major problem trying to swim back... I don't think I'll trust this mask again (at least not without a vest, which I have never used), or not in deep water... Just in case... Hope this helps.

[@projectdesign4675]

I knew a guy named Brad Day....little fella and from a very wealthy family from western Oregon...was walking the beach in Molokai Hawaii.....felt the urge to dive into a very rough and tumble surf.....he was 56, he also was athletic....alas he washed up on the shore and his 12 year old grandson tried mouth to mouth, he was dead (signs on the beach said "NO SWIMMING)!

[@zeroceiling]

Possibly broke his neck. People think body surfing is a fun easy indulgence….but if they grab you and pile-drive you on your head while your arms can’t break the motion…it’s deadly..even few feet from shore. Happened to one of our engineers literally on the first day of their vacation in the Bahamas…he ran into the water…caught a small wave..was flipped…and has been a quadriplegic for the last 20 years…I’m always aware of this now…

[@nicolasy3392]

What a fantastic description of safety of scuba & snorkeling. Absolutely superb. Thank you for sharing this . I have heart problems, an abnormal heart rythum so snorkeling out of the question then , although scuba diving with full breathing apparatus is out of the question also ? I'd loved to learn to scuba dive . Many thanks for sharing such crucial information. With Love & Light from Niki here in the UK 🇬🇧 Stay safe 🙏🏻🙏🏾❤️💙💗

[@ZedNevada]

Ironically loads of magnesium from the sea is exactly what you need. You can fix your heart stuff within six months or so using hawthorn berries making tinctures & syrups & carefully gradually using them daily. I had a horrfif heart attack, a few others & in danger by bad people so could not go to hospital, then lots of heart pains again & I fixed them all with hawthorn berry's from foraging. You can get them online dried from Eastern European countries too in bags to use.

[@russellavocato2598]

great explination

[@whatsinaname1305]

I'm sure people have mentioned this, but, more people snorkel than scuba dive, free dive, etc, so , maybe the stats are misleading

[@firefeethok_tui2355]

I think they listed all causes of death in water and then just categorized them by frequency. Not sure if he was speaking in terms of percentages of anything. Im shocked more deaths from snorkeling (203) than other causes. And…there were also 151 deaths attributed to “other” so what are those? 😮

[@gideonk123]

It’s generally accepted that freediving is more dangerous than snorkeling (because of the depths and necessity of breath-holding skill involved, and Shallow Water Blackout). So I assume the small number of deaths attributed to it in this study simply means that very few people engage in freediving compared to snorkeling.

[@marlbboro8091]

I am a beginner , a poor swimmer and just got back from snorkeling in a quiet bay in Maui (Honolua bay) and I have a poor heart (smoker). Very very very useful video. It is easy to get careless , blasé while snorkeling, like I found myself doing. Very grateful for this video.🙏🏽

[@Denvertubester]

Interesting... thought this was going to be about shallow water blackout.

[@ScubaDiverMagazine]

Another dangerous phenomenon we should all be aware of

[@oltasinanaj6424]

I am a non-swimmer ( i can swim a little when i feel safe so I don't really consider myself a swimmer). I am now in Aruba with my husband and we wanted to try snorkeling. We had a small accident when the waves where pulling us away from the shore (although we were very close to it, we could touch the ground). We struggled a bit to come back due to the full face mask. I didn't realize it at first but then got much better once i removed it from my mouth. I thought i just got tired very quickly. Luckily we had each a buoy with us. Anyway, second try we went to some very very shallow waters where my husband was basically walking me. I didn't want to risk it so he was so nice to hold my hand while I held into my buoy and enjoyed some safe snorkeling. We kind of marked a perimeter that was safe and sticked to it. There were some fishes and corals there so as my first time, it was cute. Better safe than sorry.

[@ken244]

lots of info 👍

[@alle_namen_schon_vergeben708]

Did they control if the salt concentration in the air that the snorklers breath may be a reason too? If you get salt water in your lungs the body tries to even out the mineral concentration of your blood with the mineral concentration in your lungs. The body does that by putting more water towards the higher concentration (in this case the lungs). As you are talking this was my theory why there was an edema.

[@eljanrimsa5843]

Has the salt concentration risen in the last decades?

[@alle_namen_schon_vergeben708]

@@eljanrimsa5843 the travelors did

[@livingpositivelytoday]

Really appreciate this. 👍👏❤️ I’m not going to do this because I have hypoxia encephalopathy and have already been having trouble practicing breathing through my mouth at home with the snorkel gear.

[@stevea9604]

Interesting...Pulmonary edema is very rare...Why is this a sudden increase...Could be a possible Covid response...Covid has had a very high effect on the pulmonary effects...

[@GusMac-kv7zi]

Causing a lot of problems in every sport just not among the high vis athletes such as NHL, NFL, BB. Can't have too many of them kicking it without suspicion. I follow someone who tracks deaths in sport and to date 2,400 have dropped ded from teens to 30's all of them went suddenly with no forewarning, post treatment protocols.

[@TheIncredibleMrG777]

Better than dying in an old age home.🤷🏻‍♂️

[@piecartbox]

I'm going to link this to a NZ gold miner who uses a snorkel while working hard.

[@marsrii4372]

Some people might be susceptible to this condition and not know it. I would advice new snorkels to start carefully and have a snorkel buddy. I have snorkeled and free dived all my life with no issues, reaching 40 ft easily and never had any issues. Learn your limits and don’t push yourself!

[@ZedNevada]

Yeah except with freedivinb they say you cannot know yoir limit because your limit is when you blackout or Samba. So either way then you are f***** if not with a buddy.. definitely don't take that risk freediving or certainly not for more than like 1 metres or so & few seconds!

[@victorkochkarev2576]

Thank you Mark for the great explanation.

[@TheAgentAssassin]

There is an added danger now added to the equation which apparently baffles most doctors these days.

[@dghtr79_36]

I wonder how much of this is due to the recent health thing, that thing is known to cause lunge damage even after a seemingly mild case, I know I have it, and perhaps a lot more people also have reduced oxygenation capacity after getting the thing, which could contribute to breathing issues when doing above normal (to them) physical activities

[@suedenim9208]

You mean you're wondering how many of the deaths from 2010 to 2019 were caused by that "recent health thing" that cropped up around the very end of 2019? I'm reasonably sure it was very few of them.

[@river7732]

Good point

[@GusMac-kv7zi]

@@river7732 After the countermeasure was taken you mean. I had the flu in Feb 2020 and it was just the same as a previous flu many years earlier, recovered no issues and I have reactive airway disease and heart defect which remains benign ( congenital, mitral valve prolapse) I had to give up swimming and diving because even standing up to my neck caused crushing feeling and heart palpitations was an avid diver and swimmer, no other issues with any other activities.

[@BlackBuck777]

Well worth watching, and a reminder that just about any activity in the water has the potential to be dangerous. Safety first.

[@ClickClack_Bam]

The most dangerous part of diving is if you forget you have a mouth. Forget that & you're in some shit right there.

[@chrisphilhower6029]

I Snorkel in a Pool at my gym. From 2 to 3 Miles per Session. Doing Breath Holds from one end to the other. Along the Floor. 3' 6" to 7 or 9' Depending on which pool I can use. Every now and then I get a Pain in my chest above the heart. Even at work. Last Night I did 220 Laps, No pain. Had some pain at work earlier in the day. I have Right Branch Bundle Block in my heart, Asthma like condition, Sinusitis. I have been using a Sherwood Tiga

[@outlaw565]

Hey man, do you know about shallow water blackout? I suggest you look it up, your life depends on it.People die in pools doing laps on breathholds if they don’t know exactly what they’re doing and have someone watching them. Plus you have known heart problems! and pain ! I free dive and what your saying sounds like your trying to kill your self. Not worth passing out and drowning Chris, shallow water blackout happens with ZERO warning, I suggest you stop the underwater laps immediately. I suggest for someone who has any kind of a heart condition to not do any breath hold work in a pool. Best to ya Chris.

[@chrisphilhower6029]

@@outlaw565 I am Trying to Impress a Swiss Goddess!!! I have swam Up To 300 Laps. Modified Snorkel Freestyle. Broken Collar Bone. Do them in sets of 20. 1st Breath hold to Deep end. 20th Breath Hold Deep to Shallow.

[@chrisphilhower6029]

@@outlaw565 I just pushed 350 Laps today. Distance of 5 Miles. I'll do Anything to prove myself to Goddess Sally!!!!

[@Brigidz]

@@chrisphilhower6029 Are you still alive?

[@deadstock82]

@@chrisphilhower6029 what are you talking about? Ridiculous

[@cecillee2543]

It would be useful to see how many percent of each category (free diving, swimming, scuba) died. The large number of snorkeler fatalities could simply be attributed to the fact that more people snorkel than, say, scuba. So, if 1,000 people scuba and 100,000 snorkeled, and exactly 1% of each category suffered fatalities, then you would have 10 scuba fatalities and 1,000 snorkeling fatalities, but percentage-wise, it would be exactly the same, ie 1%

[@GusMac-kv7zi]

According to the search results, in 2021, the number of people who participated in scuba diving in the United States was approximately 2.48 million. There are no stats for snorkeling.

[@someoneelse1904]

I wonder how this data maps out per capita of people taking part in each activity. Snorkelling is so accessible and requires very little expertise or equipment that I imagine the numbers of unsupervised participants is vastly higher than most others.

[@ericmason349]

This seems like a thorough approach except there is a concern I have always had when traveling. Tourists are the ones using rented equipment. If they are cleaned with any disinfectant, it is not anything one would want to inhale. Any remnant of the disinfectant could cause bronchial irritation or even an allergic reaction which can lead to pulmonary edema.

[@hueyen3113]

I always assumed the were rinsed with water after the disinfectant?

[@ericmason349]

@@hueyen3113 True, lots of good, clean, H2O would be needed. I'm just thinking that if people were having respiratory problems snorkeling then the equipment was not rinsed properly.

[@DavidWheelerPhD]

I play underwater hockey. I will have to research this danger to see how it impacts our sport.

[@captaintimbailes7971]

What the video/Survey doesn't talk about is the average "Tourist" that come to Hawaii. Those with questionable swimming skills, over-weight, not use to being in an ocean environment, much less one like Hawaii, just for starters. I think the report said they tested 49 different snorkels. You can find about that many cheap foreign made snorkels right in Waikiki at the local ABC Store. I think they are on the right track, but clearly have a ways to go.

[@eljanrimsa5843]

But the swimming fatalities have not gone up in the same time period, neither the diving ones. Either the average snorkel design got worse, or some outside factor is in play, like the elevated risk after flights.

[@yarpenzigrin1893]

@@eljanrimsa5843 Obese land whales trying to be sea whales generally don't do swimming but think they're fit enough for snorkeling. The amount of Americans with no self awareness is alarming but I'm glad they find a way to remove themselves from the population.

[@ketsuno4914]

Best snorkel design? How do you find out what the best snorkel design is? How do you find the information about best air flow etc and which brands do you consider reputable? Giving this advise is all very well and pointing out the possible dangers of snorkeling is admirable. But, unless you can also give recommendations of design and reputable brands this info is just scare mongering in my opinion. I do however totally agree with your comments on full face snorkels. Also has there been any comparisons with other parts of the world where snorkeling is also a tourist activity?

[@Chasethefishh]

I’d say In general you can look at high quality free diving and spearfishing snorkels! I think a lot of the problem probably comes from the overly complex design of some of these tourist water blocking snorkels and snorkel masks etc…

[@eljanrimsa5843]

You are funny. Somebody puts up a KZbin explaining the findings and implications of recent study which identifies a first link in the chain of events which leads to these drownings. And you demand the result of follow-up studies that have not been done, and simplified instructions what to buy. Please watch the video again, he actually makes reasonable recommendations what to do and not to do with these findings. As the study showed, no design protects against ROPE, and it is best to use caution with all snorkels (avoid altogether with certain heart condition, not after long pressurized flights, buddy system, react to first signs of distress).

[@deecee3573]

i am dead set against ful face mask snorkel , a few times i was snorkelinmg with ppl waring them and 3 times i had to interveene as the person waring the ful face type snorkel was in serious distres , i have been snorkeling sinds i was a kid and i wood not tuch those type of full face mask snorkels with a 10 feet pole .

[@babyblue7798]

gosh, you are scaring me.. i never used a snorkel and I am going to cancun in one week and I'm planning to use one.. I bought gear and everything... i dont plan to dive only stay on top with a life vest... i bought ultra dry snorkel. How long should i wait to snorkel after 5 hr flight. no no no, i dont esnt to br scared.

[@ZedNevada]

What happened? So did u snorkel in cancun? With experienced buddy?

[@Thelostgoldhunters]

Maybe I've missed something , I've been snorkeling and underwater metal detecting for over 20 years, for the last 12 years in cold water in Russia, in winter with a 9mm wetsuit and 24kg of weights. Never had the slightest problem despite often doing strenuous work underwater. I'm nearly 60 years old now and still doing it as often as weather permits. A few things , I would say, weight yourself to be neutral or very slightly buoyant and NEVER PANIC, also, if you feel not right, go home. Respect the sea, it's the biggest most powerful thing on earth....

[@tonybarnes3858]

One man's snorkeler is another man's (or woman's) free diver...it was called skin diving when I was growing up and we all learned to equalize and dove to 30 ft.and deeper for a minute or two during our skin diving adventures. I know that hard core (real?) free divers go much deeper. Just saying there's a fine line.

[@philipbohi983]

👍 good comment, Tony. I was an avid reader of the old Skin Diver magazine in the late 70’s and 80’s (back when we sold magazine subscriptions for school, I always renewed with paper route money!), which took me from snorkeling (basically meaning no equalizing) to skin diving (which was a challenge then with those ginormous masks with the huge window pane and barely a way to squeeze your nose) to scuba in ‘85 then to freediving and spearfishing. And when people ask me, “what’s the difference between snorkeling and freediving?” my response is based on a freediving club I used to be in. To qualify as a member, you had to demonstrate 1) proper basic breath-up techniques (no hyperventilating or packing); 2) static apnea - do 3 breath-holds of 2:oo min, 2.5 min, and 3:oo min; 3) dynamic apnea, no fins - swim underwater horizontally 25m (~80’); and 4) complete a constant weight dive comfortably (dive down with fins) to 10m (~30’) and relax there 30 seconds before surfacing and giving the Ok with no LMC for another 30 seconds (no visible loss of motor control from hypoxia). So in my meaningless opinion, if you can comfortably hold your breath, dive down at least 10-12’ and equalize a couple times, and swim around a bit, and come back up without gasping or panicking, that’s the foundation of freediving. You won’t impress anyone, but if you have fun that’s all that matters. None of those club qualifications are hard at all with a little instruction and practice unless you have a physical restriction, and that entire group of divers loved teaching people who wanted to learn the basics and beyond…some were FII or other organization instructors. And do I care if a snorkeler calls themselves a freediver without “proving it” with tests like those? Heck no. Nor did any of those folks. The only thing we really really cared about (and still do!) was making sure someone new was vetted on spearfishing rules and etiquette (plus fish species and regulations) before diving and hunting with them.

[@PTBCANADIAN]

A lot of snorkelers fully submerge under water without removing the snorkel from their mouths. This is a major mistake because under water, if the swimmer accidentally tries to breath, they will end up sucking in water.

[@Primalxbeast]

Who removes their snorkel from their mouth when going underwater? You leave it in your mouth and tilt your head back to blow the water out as you get to the surface.

[@slimjim7411]

@@Primalxbeast I've seen a lot of people do it when spear fishing. But they aren't really just snorkeling they're going for a extended dive and generally when they come up they want unrestricted breathing for a few minutes before resetting for the next dive.

[@Primalxbeast]

@@slimjim7411 It's still not a mistake to leave the snorkel in your mouth as the OP suggested. Anyone who doesn't automatically hold their breath when going underwater without a regulator in thier mouth should stick to dry land.

[@soulsparkadventures]

To be honest I love swimming looking at fish But I don’t find snorkels comfortable and usually just free dive or hold my breath instead.

[@GusMac-kv7zi]

I frequently used to dive but never beyond about 15ft, I lived right on the Atlantic coast, backyard pool was the ocean. I met some snorkerls once who thought I would really enjoy it as they knew I was in the water any day the water was calm. I did not enjoy the experience at all, no thank you.

[@outlaw565]

Very informative, never heard of this. I wonder if they’re breathing very shallow and Using a lot of physical energy and their carbon dioxide level builds up till they pass out, then they float there till there till there larynx relaxes and water goes in there lungs at that point. Nobody notices and they basically drown. It would happen to tourists more cause they do not know how to breath properly through a snorkel and relax. They are totally out of there environment and are using lots of unnecessary energy cause they have no ideas how to snorkel and fins efficiently. People die all the time because they go into a environment that they know nothing about. It is so easy to die quickly in the ocean.

[@guessurrio]

What you're saying is true... But these masks do feel weird... I'm not going to bash on them, but I just had a not so pleasant experience snorkeling with one of them for the first time (I've been swimming and snorkeling since kid) and boy these things feel like when you workout with a thick face mask for the first time... You can definitely feel the lack of oxygen even if you know what you're doing and breathing calmly... Definitely not a good choice for using them in deep water or without a vest for prolonged time.

[@robkasper1052]

Did they check vaccination status when they study this subject?

[@LCLand]

SADS

[@CuchulainAD]

Boom ...safe and effective went to sudden and unexpected

[@ZedNevada]

​@@CuchulainADactually i never eveb thought of that!!!

[@CuchulainAD]

@@ZedNevada I was thinking about this last year but welcome to the party pal.

[@GusMac-kv7zi]

@@CuchulainAD Cancer through the roof, I read that rates of colon bowel cancer are set rise by 30% in the 35 and under category by 2030 from it's typical much older category. Gotta wonder how they know that? Just like children keeling over, meh, it happens, it's normal now.

[@AkilezNewEngland]

Thank you so much for this Short Class vlog i learned a lot. Take Care!

[@jimryan4056]

Unfortunately this video comes after the death by shark of a snorkeler in the Bahamas.

[@shizukagozen777]

What it would have changed if it came before ?

[@jimryan4056]

@@shizukagozen777 wouldn’t have changed anything. Could have added another silent killer to snorkeling to the video.

[@shizukagozen777]

@@jimryan4056 Oh. I didn't think about that.

[@eljanrimsa5843]

They were looking at Hawaii. Bahamas is not in Hawaii.

[@jimryan4056]

@@eljanrimsa5843 funny. I thought it was report on snorkeling in general. Not just snorkeling in Hawaii. My bad!?

[@davidshuff8838]

I can’t count the number of days that I went out by myself. Me and my Hawaiian sling. Locals go diving by themselves all the time it’s not a big deal. They also know there is an inherent risk and they assume that risk willingly.

[@jimwilson3837]

Snorkling was the last session of my PADI open water cert. Divers have vast knowledge of the water. Covid is a lung disease and virus. The stats in the article are alarming.

[@miashinbrot8388]

How can you test the airflow resistance of a snorkel before buying it? Even if they aren't sold in sealed packages (which I don't know), I would expect that a store owner would object to customers putting unsold snorkels in their mouths.

[@leunam3434]

No more snorkeling for me.

[@guntherultraboltnovacrunch5248]

Why is it surprising that 90% of the snorkelers were tourists?

[@deadstock82]

it isn't

[@guntherultraboltnovacrunch5248]

@@deadstock82 1:34 I know its not, but he says it is. I'd like to know why he thinks it is surprising that 90% of the snorkling deaths are tourists when it makes perfect sense.

[@mohammedm2362]

this video doesn't tell how to stop quiet deaths.

[@cunever]

The only thing I learnt were a whole bunch of abbreviations and acronyms. Fascinating but silly…

[@FreeFlyFreak69]

This doesn't answer the real question, why are snorkeling deaths going up rapidly? When was this study done?