This Blog Will Find You The Best Divemaster Training…

If you’re wondering what a Divemaster is, or what it takes to make the most out of your training… wonder no more.

I had unquestionably the most challenging, rewarding, invigorating and life expanding experience possible when doing my Divemaster course. Truthfully I would challenge anyone who wished to prove they made more out of their experience than I… And here’s why.

Invariably the requirements to become a Divemaster are the same under any course structure, be it PADI, SSI, SDI, RAID or any of the professional bodies you chose to progress with; I’ll be referring solely to the PADI Divemaster Training course in this article. However, what you can take from it, in what ways you can best use the opportunity and time you have and how you select the best place to suit your ambitions for the course is a variable and broad spectrum.

This is where you should take into account a whole bunch of different considerations. We did a lot of research and from it came one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.

So, I’m going to offer you an insight into my experience and a couple of tips when considering your Divemaster Training course, from why to do it, when and where to do it to who to do it with, whether you should pay for it and how to get more out of it than your co-Divemaster Trainees. Then you too might be best able to plan your Divemaster training; to understand what is required to simply qualify and most importantly what changes it into a life changing an utterly incredible experience, and let’s see if you agree with me by the end.

Firstly, why does anyone do their Divemaster training?

Officially speaking, becoming a Divemaster is the first professional qualification you can gain in the industry, many people do it to open up opportunities for employment in foreign countries and as a means of work and travel. However, the training aspects of becoming a Divemaster begin with yourself and end with the customers. You have to know how to look after yourself before others; by which you should know your gear back to front, inside out and be able to make routine manoeuvres (like deploying your SMB) with your eyes shut.

Individually speaking ,people become Divemasters for a variety of personal reasons and this is why my own perspective will differ from everyone else’s in one way or another. However, I think on a general scope most do it to gain more confidence and simply because they love diving. So, much like with any hobby, you always look to advance your skills and get to the next level, or to shift into a niche platform; like tech diving or underwater photography for example. It is simply the next step on the ladder.

Study days don’t look like they used to in school.

What does a Divemaster status allow you to do?

Well, qualifying as a PADI Divemaster allows you to guide up to four qualified divers around dive sites, up to two Discover Scuba Divers on their second dive, you can go through the ReActive programme with guests and it signifies that you have been trained and tested in the importance of safety processes, fitness and knowledge to be competent enough to do so. All of these make you far more employable to dive companies looking to hire extra hands!

How do you make the most out of the course?

How long do you have?

That’s an important question, it doesn’t impact how much you can get from it but it does impact how hard you might have to work to get it. If you have little diving experience before starting your divemaster’s, say perhaps just the 40 logged dives required to begin it, you may want to consider giving yourself longer than four weeks. If you’ve been diving recently and you have a lot of experience, perhaps the leap will not feel quite so monumental and within the four weeks you can progress swiftly enough to still get your maximum potential out of it.

Some people quit their jobs and travel halfway across the world to start their professional career. Others take an extended vacation and simply want to increase their dive skills whilst having an extended diving holiday! Yes, that is one key thing to consider when booking your Divemaster Training Course – how much value can you get out of your investment, what is it you really want to learn and where would you really like to go diving?

Do you want to know how an expensive resort runs and the standards they hold for customer service or, do you want to know what it feels like to hook on in the strong current as mantas fly over your head and sharks cruise by? But then again, perhaps you want something local to avoid travel costs and allow you to participate at weekends.

It’s a good tip to remember that you will be paying for a course that is to enhance your dive skills, so a place where they offer an unlimited amount of diving with the course is preferable (usually this is conditional depending on space on the trip; but with really good programs you’ll find they will make space for you on trips a few times a week at least). Considering the amount of diving you’re doing, you should chose somewhere that would inspire and challenge you, perhaps somewhere you’d like to work if that’s your goal. This is the perfect time for networking with prospective new employers.

The dive industry’s social calendar rivals that of Beyonce.

Do you even want to pay for your Divemaster Training Course?

There are plenty of internships out there, this means the dive shop will offer you free training in exchange for your employment afterwards, essentially then working for free to pay it off. My advice would be, that if you can afford to pay for it or, if you can wait to save up and pay for it a bit later on – do that.

As with most things in life, if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is and there’s no such thing as a “free” internship. Not only will you end up paying it off for longer than it would take to earn the money to pay it upfront, I would also be presumptuous enough to say that, if you’re not paying to be taught you stand less of a chance getting proper training and guidance from someone specific. This renders you as a source of free labour rather than a customer, where they will simply let you ‘learn on the job’ rather than having a mentor guide you. If you pay, you have the ability to question the standards you’ve paid for or ask why you haven’t had sufficient attention or time in the water. Makes sense!

So, if you’re going to pay for it and it should include a substantial amount of diving, it also makes sense to be selective of where you want to go and which company you choose to apply to. Here is where I think my experience may have easily trumped many others and how you can make the right decisions to make the most out of your Divemaster’s and your money and more importantly, your time that you’re intending to spend doing it.

Will your DMT include a free liveaboard trip?

Firstly, take up the challenge.

If you want to learn, find a location where you can learn the most. I chose Komodo. Why? Komodo means currents, currents mean fantastic marine life and challenging conditions. It means you’re kept on your toes and in my case – plunged into environments (crazy currents) I’d never felt in my life, never mind managed other divers in.  You might be more interested in macro, so you might look for the most diverse macro specific dive site locations. There’s any number of ways you can intensify your course by making your initial choice the right one and deciding from on the outset that you’re going to learn more than just how to draw a dive map and brief a dive site.

Batu Bolong in Komodo National Park can be dived in a few different ways depending on the whether the tide is rising, falling or slack
But there’s some insane currents that pass around it, so when guiding here it’s always a new challenge!

Who do you want to learn from?

I was assigned to a mentor and I was his solo Divemaster trainee for the duration of my five months training. That meant, much like he was Yoda, I asked him everything and anything I could think of; stupid questions, questions I’d asked twenty times already and I made plenty of mistakes in the comfort of knowing they’d be recognised and resolved, with a confidence in my potential. I was pushed, notably a lot harder than some and, in the moments where I wasn’t sure, I learnt the most. I was always given a debrief on situations, circumstances, my actions and advice on any improvements and praise for just about anything.

Can you get this sort of personalised training, support and genuine investment when you are in a group of twenty, or maybe just eight Divemaster trainees? I think it’s worth considering how many other trainees they intend on taking on and how they allocate you a mentor. It’s worth nothing that there were four mentors in Blue Marlin at the time I was there, each had a ‘Luke Skywalker’ to pass down their Yoda skills to, yet each counselled and offered advice to me too, not to mention they all challenged my skills with equal fervour and supported my development.

You get to meet new people everyday who are endlessly interested in what you’re doing and excited to learn about our underwater world!

The rest is up to you!

Like most things in life, the energy you put into something determines the outcome of it.

I spent a year saving up to get myself out to Komodo, I invested in my own equipment and when I arrived I threw myself into it; full effort, full energy, with a sheer determination to get as much as  I could out of the experience. I did that by not only pushing myself out of my comfort zone to learn more but by being surrounded by professionals who wanted to offer me their time, passion and knowledge and to challenge me to my limits.

I’m lucky to say that by the end they were friends who had believed in me when I was unsure and cheered me on when I was just about exhausted, guided me after steep learning curves in challenging situations, shared some of my most treasured diving moments, ambitious personal challenges and some of the proudest moments I have had in my twenties! From coffee in the mornings to sunset beers and late shifts, diving with them three times a day for up to fourteen days in a row, l couldn’t have chosen a better company or a better team of mentors. Part of it is luck, but most of it is planning and making sure that you personally make the most of it.

So best of luck to you if you’re considering doing the Divemaster Training Course. It’s a once in a lifetime experience, full of comradery, challenge and if we’re honest.. Beer. Push yourself if your mentor wont and don’t forget to take a rest when it’s absolutely necessary, nobody wants a wiped out Divemaster on the boat. But mostly, have fun! It should be a blast and like me, you should make memories and friends for life.

Thanks so much to the Blue Marlin for the amazing facilities and incredible Divemaster program, to the Blue Marlin Divemaster Mentor team of 2018 for everything they did for me. And of course to my instructor and personal Yoda who saw me through from walking in as an Open Water Diver with just 17 logged dives to qualifying as Jedi status with 200 dives and more knowledge than I knew what to do with… Until I started my IDC that is.

 (Disclaimer, don’t expect all mentors to sneakily train you to Instructor standard on the sly.)

Simply the best.

What Really Happens on a Scuba Diving Rescue Course

Who do you trust with your life? Who would rescue you? I mean, truly. Because if you’re taking on an activity like scuba diving, it involves a significant amount of risk for a recreational activity each time you decide to take part; regardless of your certification or experience. So with changing circumstances and perhaps changing buddies and certainly changing environments and conditions – it’s important to feel secure, to feel like the risk is mediated by your expertise, awareness and processes that you personally take to mitigate any of the controllable hazards taking place.

How can you best do this? By becoming a Rescue Diver. Simple.

A four to five day course where you’ll of have an intense array of circumstances present to you and you’ll be informed, demonstrated and supported in learning how to prevent and manage them all.

The intensity increases as you go through the course, so don’t panic, there’s nothing that you can’t handle by the final ‘hell dive’. Oh yes, the final dive of the course is called the hell dive.. and it’s where you put all your instincts, training and underwater ninja skills in to action. But we can come back to that – don’t freak out just yet.

Day One

If you already have an EFR (Emergency First Response) certificate, that’s going to reduce the time you’ve got out of the water, if not you’ll need to go through the training which crosses over into diving scenarios and how EFR is applicable within emergency situations in and out of the water, like with DCS (decompression sickness) and other likely forms of injury. After completing the EFR training you’ll begin to go through basic scenarios in confined water, like a training pool. This allows the instructor and assistant to demonstrate to you the most common and dangerous scenarios you might come across in open water and scuba diving scenarios, but on a very basic level at this stage. Everything is fully explained, demonstrated and then you have the opportunity to practice the communication, approach and execution of your rescue technique.

Days two and three…

…will see you in open water, where you will be presented with the same scenarios in a more real life environment, but again, this will be only a touch more realistic to allow you to build ‘muscle memory’ for the situations and confidence in your approach. The thing is, it tends to be irrelevant when you’re told to relax or enjoy the dive – I spent every moment wondering if someone was distracting me to turn my tank off. But this wasn’t the case, and generally this dive should be the one where you know what is going to happen and it shouldn’t be overly dramatic. But they might decide that the visibility is just too good for a search and recovery and zinc up your mask like mine… Can’t. See. Anything.  

The third and fourth day… All bets are off.

This is the day that aims to build your confidence in your abilities by putting them to the test with much more realistic acting by your instructor and assistant, and will aim to catch you off guard. Regardless of knowing this at the start of the day, everything still happened when I least expected it – straight after a search and recovery I found myself with an unconscious diver at the surface, who I had to tow to the boat, haul onto the deck and provide theoretical CPR, until thankfully they sprung back to life before EMS was needed. Another time, whilst a fellow DMT completed his 400m swim in open water, I was told to make a life float and swim to him with it, little did I know he was in on this scenario. So, as I gently motion the float towards him, his eyes turn wide and unseeing, no longer a friend but a panicked swimmer, he jumps over the float and right on my head! I have no time to process this as I gasp for air back at the surface, only for a moment before I’m plunged with two hands on my head back into the ocean – cheers mate!

Then I had the pleasure of rescuing him as unconscious diver and dragging him on to a real life desert island for CPR! As you can see, total success!

Another classic bluff was being told that I’d been tested so much and done so well in my few days that we were just going to do an unconscious diver scenario on my last dive – well, don’t believe that for a second, what a naïve diver and student I was, let me enlighten you.

On the hell dive…

…I’m told I’m guiding the dive with not one but three divers, all of whom were capable instructors and divemasters. Cool, no problem, I just need to keep reef left and check their air occasionally. Five minutes in and I turn to see an array of mischief occurring; grasping at anemones, trying to catch fish with a hook they’ve found, lost fins, run away ascents whilst getting tangled in their SMB. Of course, as I’m assisting these terrible divers, my air runs dry – someone’s turned it off whilst I was trying to help them!

Not so long later, in a galaxy not far away, one’s now decided to be unconscious and incredibly heavy on the ocean floor, whilst another has stolen all my weights and swum off… what on earth! Cursing through my regulator I dash around, up and down, desperately wondering what in earth is going on. After an unbreathing, unconscious diver scenario sees me shouting ‘Bob Marley, Bob Marley, prepare the tea and biscuits!’ offering rescue breaths as I tow to the boat and haul myself on, before managing to get a man twice my size on there with a good heave-ho! Exhausted! Make sure you have a good breakfast and coffee before you begin your day on a rescue course.

Mania, but what an epic dive that was, and no one died! I couldn’t have come up feeling more confident than I did. Strangely you end up feeling weirdly grateful to have been tested so thoroughly – it removes so much doubt about what you could or could not handle in an underwater emergency and builds your confidence as a diver ten times over.

Why should you do your Rescue course?

For me, this course was the most impactive, the most useful but also the most fun course I’ve completed since starting on my scuba diving journey. Allowing me to overcome fears of being unable to cope with situations, confidence in my gear and my own understanding of what can both prevent and help manage an emergency situation. I have since assisted two rescue courses over my Divemaster training, and the students who passed agreed with the sentiment wholeheartedly, ‘what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger’, and have no doubt, they will try to kill you… Honestly, it’s a fantastic course.

Thanks to Blue Marlin Komodo for an yet another epic experience!

PADI Advanced Open Water Course – Everything you need…

An introduction…

It seems logical to me that you would want to expand your skills once you enter the world of diving from your initial experience of perhaps a Discover Scuba Dive or your Open Water certification, that is of course because I loved completing my Open Water course and without much persuasion decided I wanted to qualify to become a Divemaster and live my life as a mermaid (a lifelong goal since the age of 5). Not only did my open water course prove to me that life truly is better down where it’s wetter, along with the vibrant corals and fish, the feeling of scuba diving also fulfilled my dreams of flying weightlessly and so there wasn’t any resistance to my new found hobby; only that I had to wait over a year to get back in the water whilst I saved for the dream. It helps of course, that Aaron is a divemaster and was most definitely a dolphin in his past life, I mean, merman, mermaaan himself and so with a shared goal we managed to save our way through a year in London and make our way out to Indonesia all the way to Labuan Bajo in Flores and right into the Komodo National Park; well, we didn’t wait over fourteen months to go somewhere less than spectacular and for anything less than the ultimate experience for us both.

For those who haven’t heard about the diving  in Komodo National Park – hello! Where have you been? Joking (I was clueless too – I had only just picked up the hobby, I knew nothing!) But Aaron knew, because being a diver he’s well aware it’s world renowned for its diverse and flourishing marine life from megafauna to macro, multiple and unique dive sites and challenging currents – cue the current junkies from all corners of the globe!

So here I am, situated in the perfect place to advance my scuba diving skills, and as it happens I’m planning on going the whole way through to PADI Dive Professional status, as a Divemaster. But, first thing’s first, scuba diving beyond 18 metres here I come!

What are the benefits of doing the PADI Advanced Open Water Course?

If you’re considering doing your Advance after Open Water it’s a great idea for many reasons, but mostly because it enables you to dive deeper, on successful completion of an Advanced PADI Diving course you are certified to dive depths of 30 metres, having successfully demonstrated five new skillsets.

What does this mean for your diving?

It means greater depths, greater opportunities and great variety of dive sites and a more confident and fine tuned dive style (we would hope) with an extension to your understanding of both your skills and the marine world.  The five skill sets are made up by three predetermined skills and two of your choice, or of the dive schools choice. They may be predetermined by the dive school because certain specialities require certain environments – for example, you can’t choose wreck dive if there’s no wreck, or you can’t complete the course, similarly if you want to do a drift speciality and there are no places to drift dive, it doesn’t make sense to offer it. So you may need to take the advice of the dive shop you choose an the make the most of the available environment.

For diving in Komodo National Park it’s a Drift Dive Speciality and Fish ID Speciality for me, along with Peak Performance Buoyancy Speciality Dive, Navigation Speciality Dive and a Deep Dive (to a maximum depth of 30m).  With an Advanced course it’s all about reading before hand and following up your knowledge both in the water, displaying it with various skills and finalising it by completing knowledge reviews afterwards.

I did two days of diving and I had a brilliant experience. Expanding your skill sets and understanding the environment by immersing yourself into it is a prime way to increase your confidence, skills and, in turn, enjoyment when scuba diving. It is also the first step to becoming a professional diver, moving from the basic survival techniques taught in the Open Water Course, to becoming a fine tuned scuba diver, understanding the environment and your role within it more as an Advanced PADI Recreational Diver.

A basic break down of the specialities I completed are as follows:

Drift Diving:

This is a technique used to ride a current and explore areas from point A to point B, not returning to the drop-off point. Drift diving isn’t completely passive as may imagine – you used the currents general direction to dictate your dive but you can also cut across it in a zig-zag pattern as not to go too fast and to see more of the dive site. You also need to be able to kick out of the drift to exit your dive. There are many dive sites that use the tides here in Komodo to their advantage for drift diving.

Fish Identification:

Identifying the species local to the area makes diving more fun, it allows you to experience the dive more fully by understanding the habitats, interactions and roles they play as part of the ecosystem… because they do all live in perfect harmony with their environment, many with symbiotic relationships. It’s beautiful to see and fascinating to find out about the more unusual species, the more hidden critters and you’ll soon find the small things as fascinating as the big stuff.

Peak Performance Buoyancy:

The first of the three obligatory skills, this has a great practical application – because when you have your buoyancy on point everything else is just blissful and that is what diving is about, being weightless, being perfectly, neutrally balanced and in control of your movements. Fine tuning your buoyancy means less movement, which means less air consumption which, my friends, results in a longer dive with no accidental damage to yourself, coral or anything else!

Navigation:

As an Open Water certified Diver you’re allowed to take a buddy and plan your dives unassisted, unguided and so it makes sense that you should have some additional navigational skills. This builds upon the basics learned in the Open Water course and reconfigures you with your compass skills by presenting an situation in open water, in which you will need to navigate a reciprocal bearing and a square, both times returning back to your starting spot. Generally a good skill to have  if you plan to head out diving without a guide.

Deep Dive:

This will bring you to your deepest depth thus far in your diving experience – how exciting! Allowing you to see the change in colours, mostly the depletion of the red tones at depth, perhaps the start of narcosis from 23m, noticeable with a small maths test using fingers to count to a number so you can see how your mental processing may slow. It also allows you to notice the change in air consumption at depth, you may find you have a shorter dive than usual!

Plenty of time to complete other specialities along the way if you aren’t able to cover the ones you’d ideally like to do on your course, but this is a great step towards becoming a better diver and it’ great fun too! The course usually runs over two days or four dives but it can vary wherever you go.

Happy bubbles!

WD.x

The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Scuba Diving

So, you’re interested in scuba diving? Fantastic, we couldn’t recommend it more! Take it from two divers with very different amounts of experience. One of us is a certified divemaster and underwater photographer with close to 1000 dives under their (weight) belt and years of experience (how else do you think we have such wonderful underwater photography?). Whilst, the other achieved their open water certification in 2016 and has logged just over twenty dives. We’ve got the complete lowdown on diving, including what it’s like to get your open water scuba certification and the opportunities scuba diving can present!

First things, first – it doesn’t really matter if you can or can’t swim, what matters is, do you want to be under the sea!?

Scuba diving is for everyone and anyone that is fit enough to lift a tank and intuitive enough to remember to breathe. Let’s be honest, most of us have been successfully completing the latter requirement rather well since birth. The extent to which you progress with your diving skills is up to you, but during an open water course, you’ll learn all the basic diving techniques, etiquette, communication, safety and survival skills. You’ll do this under the supervision of an expert dive instructor, who will instruct and support your development from the classroom to the pool and finally to your initial descent into the open water.

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Scuba diving opens you up to the world beneath the waves – the communities of fish, corals, crustaceans, mammals, nudibranchs, cephalopods, zooplankton to name but a few. As they thrive in all their beautiful patterns, colours, shapes, sizes and all move, hunt, survive and interact differently within their habitats. Then there’s the experience of diving, the peaceful harmony in which you float weightlessly amidst a busy ocean or intrepidly through caves and wrecks. Caught in moments where you can become so immersed that you forget yourself,  allowing yourself to be utterly entranced by a moment of complete awe and childlike curiosity.

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So, what are the steps to taking your first giant stride into the ocean?

Well, for those who aren’t sure if they are going to enjoy the scuba diving experience there’s a Discover Scuba Dive option. This forgoes the training and in turn the qualification as a scuba diver, but offers you an initial experience with full supervision and guidance for one or perhaps two dives. This option gives you the basic guidance on how to use your scuba diving gear and allows you to experience the sensation of diving.
The next step if you enjoy this, or perhaps you’re already confident you’ll enjoy it and want to invest that money and energy straight into getting your qualification, is to take your Open Water Course. There are many recreational scuba diving agencies with which you can complete your first initial diving courses. However, we have both competed ours with PADI, which is recognised worldwide and is one of the largest accrediting authorities. Completing the open water course with PADI means you’ll be able to dive in locations across the world with a buddy up to 18 meters.  SSI is another highly recognised agency and is a popular choice due to its electronic-based learning system, which can make the course materials a little cheaper. There are many other options too, depending on where you are in the world, that essentially offer the same thing. The important thing is to go with a recognised agency that follows the strict safety standards, with the end goal of enabling you to go diving anywhere in the world!

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What should you expect on your Open Water Diving Course?

Your initial perspective of the diving world is very much dependant on where in the world you complete your course. Half of Wander Deeper completed theirs in Thailand and the other in Western Australia, both rather incredible places to begin – no wonder we’re hooked! But you can complete your Open Water Course in so many places right here in the UK, one of our very best friends started her course in the UK but completed her qualifying dives in Malta.

First you have to get the theory down, so there will be initial teaching in the classroom and pool sessions, this is where you’ll crunch the numbers, get to grips with depths and descents and get your head around the principals of diving and safety – this isn’t as head scratching as it sounds, it’s enjoyable and involves a few good acronyms you’ll enjoy and in the pool you’ll get to grips with your kit and practice your skills, such as understanding the purpose of all elements of your dive kit and how to assemble them, kit up and complete pre-dive safety checks (remember: Bruce Willis Ruins All Films – that puts you one acronym ahead of the rest already!). In the pool sessions, you’ll be able to get used to the sensation of breathing underwater for the first time! You’ll practice controlling your buoyancy, clearing your mask, emergency scenarios, and basic rescue tows.

Your qualifying open water dives will be in actual open water, relaying back everything you’ve learnt in and out of the pool in practical application with full supervision and hopefully, success! It may all seem rather daunting but it’s not anywhere near as unnatural as it sounds. If the sound of it excites you then no doubt you’ll be like a fish to water! We recommend the open water course to anybody that has an interest in nature and the underwater world, anybody that loves snorkelling and anyone with a sense of adventure the is up for a challenge! It is one of the most rewarding, enjoyable and memorable few days you will ever have. The best thing about it all? At the end of the course you’ll be free to go diving anywhere in the world up to a maximum depth of 18 metres! And it doesn’t end there, the Open Water Course opens up a world of potential and opportunities for those that want to expand further into the world of diving. It has certainly changed our lives for the better!

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If you’re not convinced enough to go take the plunge? Well, there’s always a Discover Scuba Dive option for those who aren’t 100%  comfortable or confident about the idea of scuba diving, but beware – you may end up a scuba addict!

WD.x

Useful links:

PADI website: https://www.padi.com

SSI Website: https://www.divessi.com/en/home/

 

All images and content are our own, please contact us if you’d like to know more!

Snorkelling: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide

So, you’ve booked your holiday of a lifetime, there’s beautiful beaches, clear waters and perhaps even a reef – this is the perfect time to grab your snorkelling gear and go exploring! But you’ve never snorkelled before…

There’s a very simple art to snorkelling but nonetheless, it is an art, so for anyone that is yet to take their first snorkelling plunge (and we will presume that you are as you as you’ve wisely decided to read this post) don’t fear! We’ve created The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Snorkelling just for you.

This snorkelling guide will have you effortlessly snorkelling and exploring reefs like a fish (or a mermaid/man if you’d rather) in no time!

First thing’s first – can you swim?

Yes? Good, okay. Then next let’s determine how strong a swimmer you are.*

Those who are less experienced or confident swimmers, such a children, elderly or those who can’t remember the last time they last dipped a toe in some water (aside from the bath) this might include you too.

The general setting for a good snorkel is the open ocean. This can be a short swim out into a quiet bay just offshore or it can be a beautiful spot in the middle of the ocean with a tour boat. Both of these locations can have currents, waves and potentially sticky situations! Meaning you should never go out alone, always ensure you have a buddy or a guide.

If you’ve classed yourself as a strong or confident swimmer then skip right ahead! However, if you’re being totally honest with yourself and you aren’t sure, consider the following – how much are you willing to spend on a tour that you might struggle to enjoy? Instead, why not get to grips with the basics before you head offshore, renting equipment is usually very affordable and practicing with the snorkelling gear near shore before going out into the middle of the ocean is a much better idea. Should you then decide, after a few short swims in the shallows with your new snorkelling gear, that you’re ready for the plunge – that’s fantastic. You’ll be all the more confident to do so.

However, boat trips usually cater for a range of capabilities and they may expect you to swim a considerable distance, so it might be advisable to ask for a float to aid you. Even if you do think it’s excessive it won’t deter from your experience and will ensure that you enjoy it comfortably and confidently with that bit of extra support. Having worked daily on these tour boats you can take it from us that a lot of people use them and have an equally fulfilling experience – more so than they would have without it!

*If the answer is no and you can’t swim we’d advise that, although you can use a float to stop you from sinking, the currents can be strong and this could potentially be more dangerous than no float. We met many people that decided to learn how to swim and snorkel in one boat trip and it wasn’t much fun – for them or us! So, what we’re kindly suggesting is – don’t go snorkelling if you can’t swim and always be careful when using inflatables in open water.. you might find yourself out of your depth far more quickly than you’d think.

Now that we’ve decided you’re ready to snorkel, let’s get down to the details which,  if you get them right will make the experience all the more enjoyable!

Choosing the right snorkelling equipment:

To buy or to hire?

We all love to own our own gear and look the part on holiday; well, this is your time to shine after all. You may, however want to consider hiring some gear initially, to test out whether you like the experience before you invest in your own equipment. For those who see this as a once in a lifetime experience – in the literal sense – then hiring gear is the perfect option for you (even though we’ve no doubt you’ll be hooked by the end of it).

Finding the right fit and putting your snorkelling gear on correctly is pretty vital if you’re going to have a good time out there; trust us when we say there’s nothing worse than having a leaky mask.

To get the right size and shape mask for your face follow these steps:

  1. Sweep away or pull back any hairs from your forehead.
  2. Take the mask and place it on your face without putting the strap over the back of your head.
  3. Once you’ve got the eye piece against your face, just make sure it’s not dropping below your top lip, but sits on the bit between the bottom of your nose and your top lip – it needs to create a seal. Guys, if you have a moustache or stubble you’ll need to either put vaseline on it to create a seal or, have a shave.
  4. Then inhale gently through your nose and briefly hold your breath whilst you let go of the mask with your hands – remember the strap should be loose and not on your head.
  5. If the mask suctions to your face when you let go, BINGO! It fits – you’re basically a snorkelling Cinderella – now off you pop to find Prince Charming in the ocean! Don’t forget to start breathing again please and catch your mask as it drops off your face!
  6. If your mask doesn’t stay on your face, try again making sure no hair was caught in the mask and you took a big inhale through your nose to vacuum the seal onto your face. If you still have no luck, try a different size or style of mask.
  7. When you put your mask on properly for the water, be sure not to over tighten it – this will only cause the rubber to warp around your face and create ridges which will let water in, it should simply fit comfortably; the pressure of the water on your face will secure it more tightly once you’re in. Ideally you shouldn’t end up with goggle marks when you take your mask off, if you do, it’s too tight.

What about getting the correct snorkel?

When it comes to your snorkel, they generally come in an adult or child size and there’s not much more to it. Sure there’s ones with fancy valves and they come in different colours, but the key to these is simply knowing how to use it properly, which we will get to shortly.

Fins – does one size fit all?

The trick is simply getting your fins in the right size, they may seem slightly tight on land but bear in mind you’ll be in the water and you don’t want them slipping off or rubbing if they’re too loose.

A trick here is to pop the fin on your foot and stand up, then keeping the ball of your foot on the floor, bend your knee and raise your heel off the floor, if your heel stays in the fin – you’re good to go! If it comes off, you need to try again with a smaller size. At the same time, the foot should be comfortable in the fin pocket. If it’s too tight you could end up with foot cramps or blisters.

Bear in mind that foot sizes don’t translate exactly across countries and different brands of fins.

To Wetsuit or Not to Wetsuit?

Depending on where you are in the world, you may or may not need a wetsuit or exposure protection. This depends mostly on the temperature of the water and how susceptible you are to the cold. Bear in mind that you’ll be in the water for a while – half an hour or longer, and you’ll be moving very slowly. Water conducts heat away from the body much faster than air does, meaning that you become cold more quickly. Find out the temperature of the water where you are by asking local guides and whether or not they would recommend wearing a wetsuit, rash vest or just your swim suit. If you’re on a tour and a wetsuit is required, they’ll most likely have them available to hire. A proper fit is required in order for the wetsuit to be more effective, it should be tight so that when you enter the water, a thin layer of water is held between your skin and the inner layer of the wetsuit. This layer of water is then warmed by your body heat, and this in turn insulates and keeps you warm in the water. if the wetsuit is too loose, it won’t hold in that layer of water and you won’t stay insulated! The sizes of hired wetsuits are generally pretty simple – S, M, L etc. so start by picking one that coincides with the size of clothing you usually wear.

Where to snorkel:

If you are new to an area, which is most likely the situation you find yourself in on holiday, the local information centre will be able to provide you with the best snorkelling spots and recommendations for tours. This is the smartest and safest approach to venturing into open water you’re unfamiliar with – whether you’re a novice or not.

How to use your snorkel to swim like a fish (or a mermaid/man if you’d rather!):

Firstly, your snorkel should be attached to your mask with a clip, which hooks on to the strap of your mask. Once you’ve got you mask on and correctly fitted, pop your snorkel in. Get used to it in your mouth, the plastic bit should sit between your teeth but your shouldn’t need to bite onto it – it’s simply there to stop the mouth piece falling out, not as a pacifier! Your lips should be around the mouth piece – intuitively you’ll probably do all this without the need for those instructions. Breathe in and out of your mouth a couple of times and then – in you go!

It’s a good idea to slide into the water in any situation as with a big splash you’re likely to scare away lots of the marine life, this also keeps you in control over when you put your head in the water – avoiding any water going into your snorkel. Then you simply need to pop your face in the water and breathe through your mouth.

Getting used to the snorkel:

The key thing to remember is that it really isn’t as difficult as you might anticipate, simply remember to breathe in and out of your mouth (not hard to master because you’ll soon realise there’s no way of breathing through your nose even if you try) and keep you head face down in the water. As long as the snorkel is above the water you’re going to breathe easily.

It’s likely, however, that in your excitement, you might twist your head, or duck your head a little further down into the water than you realise and get some water in your snorkel. This could be a little or a lot of water, either way don’t panic – you’re in control.

If it’s a lot of water, at this point it’s advisable to simply raise your head out of the water and take the snorkel out of your mouth to drain it. If you’re choking slightly or feel a bit panicked or out of breath just simply float on your back until you’ve regained your ocean chi!

Perhaps it’s just a little bit of water annoyingly gurgling around at the bottom of your snorkel. If so, then you can either do as advised prior or, if you’re happy to keep your head in the water, simply exhale sharply between your teeth with pursed lips making a ‘T’ (TUH!) noise. This should force the water out of the valve at the bottom of the snorkel or out of the top. Once you’ve practiced this you’ll be able to clear your snorkel at any point with this technique meaning you’ll never need to miss a moment under the water!

Getting used to your fins:

Another tip is to try and make sure your fins are below the water as much as possible. Fin slapping on the top and splashing as your swim will probably scare a lot wildlife away or cause it to seek shelter. This can be hard to master initially, but if you’re aware of it you’ll soon figure out how to minimise the splashing! The best way to snorkel is to go SLOWLY, this isn’t the Olympics! The main objective is to see and take in as much marine life as possible whilst causing the least amount of disturbance to the environment.

Being Ocean Smart:

A good idea, where possible is to initially stay near the boat or shore as you need to get used to your fins and snorkel. A lot of people can get a cramp after a minute, this can be because the water is a bit chilly or the fins can cause them to use muscles they wouldn’t usually.

Also make sure to get your bearings before you go snorkelling away from shore or your boat, find a reference point you can keep track of and it’s advisable to keep popping your head up and checking where you are in reference to where you started. If you are on a guided tour, it is best to listen to your guide’s briefing and stay with the group! You don’t want to miss out on any of the action, as the tour guide is most likely to see and spot way more things than you will initially, more so you don’t want to find yourself disorientated. If you’re on your own use your common sense, find yourself a buddy and don’t drift too far away from the boat, we have had brilliant snorkels simply off the  back of the boat and swimming around it. If the conditions are rough make sure you stay near the boat and get out of the water if you should feel uncomfortable, if there’s a big swell or rough weather it’s unlikely the visibility will be very good in any area, so it’s definitely not worth taking the risk for.

Being Ocean Friendly:

For your protection and the protection of the ocean and all its inhabitants, look and don’t touch the wildlife. It’s all there for your viewing pleasure but it is vital not to disturb the environment. It surprises people and it surprised us too, that we would visit the same fish in the same spots almost every time we snorkelled a location – fish have their homes and communities, much like we do. Touching them could transfer bacteria that they can’t cope with and most likely stress them out. Coral is also a living organism, one that is vital for the protection of its inhabitants; allowing reef ecosystems to flourish and remain balanced. All these beautiful living things have a home and much like us, they’d prefer visitors not to come through and disturb them. Also, there are many types of coral that can sting on contact with human skin, causing rashes, infection or worse. Coral is also very sharp and can cut skin very easily, so it’s best not to touch anything! Always be aware of where your limbs and fins are to avoid contact with the coral and marine life to avoid damaging it and yourself. Coral is extremely fragile and one clumsy fin kick can destroy years of growth!

With conservation in mind, it’s worth noting that any good tour operator will also respect these restrictions and look to protect and preserve the ocean and its inhabitants. It is wholly possible to have as much of an engaging and astonishing interaction whilst still protecting the wonders of the ocean.  It’s important not to support tour operators who encourage tourists to hassle or handle wildlife, or disturb or damage any habitats for their own gain. With a small amount of research prior to your trip, you can have a once in a lifetime experience and support the conservation and protection of these wondrous environments, so they may thrive and be enjoyed for centuries to come.

We’d love to hear if our Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Snorkelling has helped you or if you’ve got any other great tips for snorkelling!

WD.x

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