Foldable or Rollup Pocket Snorkel

[dludwig]

Anyone have a opinion on Pocket snorkels?

[Hemlon]

What's a snorkel?

[chinacat46]

I have a foldable one I used to keep in a BC pocket now I don't even bother. I normally bring a snorkel but it seems to just stay in the dive bag unless I'm teaching or snorkeling.

[wxboy911]

I saw one a few dives ago and it seemed like a good idea-It would be there in the BC pocket if you needed it and it would not be stuck to the side of my head not getting used! Its on my list of things to get for next season.

[diversteve]

I have the Sherwood Avid. Folds up nice and small and fits in my BC pocket with room left over. I've used it once since I bought it and it worked well enough although the corrugations in the tube cause it to breathe a little wet if you dunk the top.

Edit: I see from the post below that they're discontinued now.

[WV Diver]

These things are snorkels only in the academic sense. They are not what one would want to have if left by the boat and spending the night or a long day on the ocean.

[CompuDude]

The Sherwood Avid had what was probably the best portable snorkel design ever, from a portability standpoint, but those are hard to find now that they were discontinued some time ago. (If you try to buy the one linked above, you'll see it's no longer available)

I think the Oceanic Pocket Snorkel is probably the best design made today, at least from the standpoint of actually using it as a snorkel.

Tilos makes a roll up snorkel entirely out of silicon that is very inexpensive and very small in your pocket, but it's of marginal use as an actual snorkel.

Another good option is the Tusa Platina HyperDry snorkel, which is not only a GREAT snorkel, but it can actually be folded up (not that they advertise this). It's not technically designed to work that way, however, and I worry about hurting it over the long haul, so I would get the Oceanic one if I was planning to keep it primarily in my pocket, and the Tusa one if I was going to use it as a snorkel frequently, and would keep it in a pocket only occasionally.

For the record, I own each of the snorkels above (except the Avid, but I can appreciate a good design), and have used each extensively.

[WV Diver]

I have a Sherwood Avid, it may be the best of the snorkel wannabes but it is still just a piece of plastic/whatever having little real value. IMO

It looks cool but in a practical sense it is just so much junk. I am no snorkel expert and I haven't tried all of them out there. But I have seen and tried several and ended up going back to the basics and have never looked back. It would take some good convincing to sway me toward a portable snorkel.

But that's just me, if it works and serves ones purposes than it is good as gold.

[Splitlip]

Originally Posted by WV Diver

These things are snorkels only in the academic sense. They are not what one would want to have if left by the boat and spending the night or a long day on the ocean.

This comes up often, and I am not sure I get it.

If I were left by the boat, I would want my head up scanning the horizon (been there).

[WV Diver]

Originally Posted by Splitlip

This comes up often, and I am not sure I get it.

If I were left by the boat, I would want my head up scanning the horizon (been there).

Well sure you would, until the sun begins to fry your face like and egg or until something starts nudging your leg. It is important to save your energy and not get dehydrated and sun burned. Once your tank is out of air your snorkel becomes your best friend. A poratble snorkel with all their problems aren't worth it. They can leak, are easily lost, are hard to clear, often breathe wet and in rough seas can be a real hassel.

Let your emergency signaling equip. do the bulk of the work and use your ears to tell you when there is a plane or boat in the area. Then use your whistle, horn or flare. They will see your sausage, beacon or light long before they will see your arms waving like a maniac.