The underwater world is really beautiful, but safety must come first. As with all marine activities, there may be some risks associated with the natural environment during snorkeling, such as currents or dangerous species, or other marine activities. What does safe snorkeling mean to you? We believe this is an important prerequisite for a great beach holiday. Here you will find some simple tips to improve your safety while snorkeling!
Preparation before snorkeling
- Assess individual physical condition
In general, snorkeling is an activity that does not require much physical activity, but if you are not sure you are 100% healthy and have symptoms of a cold or heat stroke, wait until you are healthy before doing this activity. When there are strong currents or waves, or when you are far from shore, it is likely to be exhausting and you will need a lot of physical strength to get back to safety.
So remember, don't overestimate your fitness if you don't have some professional training, some places are only suitable for experienced snorkelers. Beginners need to always assess their physical condition well and avoid unnecessary risks.
- Check local weather and sea conditions
Changes in sea state can be measured in seconds, tides, wind, atmospheric pressure, air temperature, etc., all factors can rapidly and drastically change sea state. A perfectly calm sea can become choppy in a very short period of time. Tides can push you off the coast, or suddenly lower the level of the reef flat, or send water into your snorkel, or throw you over rocks. These hazards may not be visible, so be sure to inquire about local weather conditions before entering the water.
And, in order to snorkel safely, you also need to take beach warning signs seriously and follow the lifeguard's instructions, learn how to recognize rapids and how to escape if you get caught. If it's a place with no directions for snorkeling, ask the locals for conditions, currents and things to see. Before you go snorkeling, check entry and possible exit points, and make a plan of where you can come out if you get tired or uncomfortable, or don't have the energy to swim back to where you came in.
- Choose the right equipment
Snorkeling is an activity that requires very simple equipment, don't skimp on your gear and buy good products from trusted manufacturers. Having well-made snorkeling gear is essential for a safe snorkeling holiday. In general, diving masks, snorkels, and fins (known as the "three treasures of snorkeling") are usually available. Take some time to pick and buy quality snorkeling equipment and learn to use them properly, don't ruin your snorkeling trip with equipment issues.
Of course, in order to protect your skin from sunburn, you can also wear a swimsuit or sunscreen. Some people also wear gloves in the water for better protection when they come into contact with rocks.
Remember, for your safety, please wear an extra snorkeling vest. For open water snorkeling, carry a highly visible swimming buoy. It makes your snorkeling buddies and others in the ocean stand out. Passing nearby boats will easily spot you, and if you get tired, you can rest on this buoy. Snorkeling vests and swimming buoys are also basic snorkeling safety equipment and should always be part of your snorkeling gear.
While snorkeling
- Don't act alone
One of the golden rules of snorkeling is to always snorkel with a buddy so that if anything goes wrong like cramps, discomfort, fatigue, etc., you can help each other. Snorkeling is a lot of fun and is generally pretty safe, but you are out in the water, and you always want to have a buddy with you to make sure that you're okay, and you're there to make sure that your buddy is okay. And again snorkeling is just more fun when you do with other people. It's an experience that's meant to be shared and enjoy together, so always build with the buddy.
- Always observe your surroundings
Next one is that when you're out snorkeling try to be aware of your surroundings. When you're out snorkeling, you want to keep looking down and not up, this is partially true when you're out there snorkeling in the ocean. Generally you're going to be looking down at the reef and the fish below you, but every minute or so you're going to want to look up and look around and see if there's any boats coming or there's any hazards out in the water. So just be aware of your surroundings also you're gonna want to keep track of your snorkel. You're gonna want to know where they're at, you're gonna want to know where your groups at. So about every minute or so go ahead look up out of the water and look around and see what's going on above the water.
- Close to shore or reef
If you go to a designated snorkeling area, be sure to stay in this area, which means you can spend safe snorkeling time in the water. Staying within the buoy line means the area is not only safe for swimming, but also free from boats. So, stay close to the shore or reef when snorkeling.
- Don't touch sea creatures at will
And the last point of safety we need to talk about is don't touch things. Don't touch things below the water we don't want to harass marine life, we don't want to touch the coral or anything like that it can be a hazard to you, fire Coral can grow on rocks and different corals and you don't necessarily see it, but when you touch it you will definitely feel it it could sting you so don't touch things. Also coral can get damaged by people touching them excessively so let's just try to avoid that. We're out there to look and enjoy what's out there not to touch and damage things.
When you are snorkeling, you need to keep these warnings in mind, then follow them well, and enjoy the joyful time with your friends.