Snorkel Purge Valve

N

numbersman

Joined
Nov 28, 2010
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Hi all, I have just bought my niece (12 yo) a snorkel set for her birthday. The snorkel has a purge valve, for when water gets in the snorkel. You blow hard and the water is expelled via a one way valve at the bottom. My question is, what happens if the snorkel fills up with water, say after a duck dive to go and check out something on the bottom? Does the purge valve only work for small quantities of water, or for a full snorkel as well? I'd like to be able to give her some advice before she tries to use it and drowns!
 
It only works for a small amount in the bottom of the snorkel, the technique to clear it when coming back up is to simply blow it out like a whale surfacing.
 
Depending whether the snorkel has a float ball/valve at the top end or not, the snorkel may fill up with water. When returning to the surface from a dive, it's always good to have enough air left in one's lungs to be able to completely clear the snorkel. It doesn't take much. In my experience, some of the water in the snorkel comes out of the valve and some out the top of the snorkel. If your niece is not sure if there is water in the snorkel and is out of breath, she can just spit the mouthpiece out when she reaches the surface and take a breath without the snorkel until she becomes more comfortable with it. What I often do when returning to the surface, is blow out/clear the snorkel and then take a very small, shallow breath first to insure that I don't inhale any water that may be left in the snorkel.

I would suggest that your niece start out by holding on to the side of the pool or standing in shallow water, with face (mask and snorkel on) in the water and just practice breathing and clearing the snorkel a few times. Then swim around a bit on the surface (face in the water). Practice letting the snorkel fill and blowing it out. I'm sure she'll get the hang of it quickly. The main thing is to know that you have to clear the snorkel every time the end not in your mouth dips below the water's surface (unless it does have a valve on the upper end - I've never used one like that so I'm not sure how effective they are.

I know this is way too wordy, but hope it helps a bit. Mike

Yes, what cricketdave said.
 
Mike157 said:
Depending whether the snorkel has a float ball/valve at the top end or not, the snorkel may fill up with water. When returning to the surface from a dive, it's always good to have enough air left in one's lungs to be able to completely clear the snorkel.
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Unless you are breathing out while free diving (and most don't when snorkeling, especially kids) there will be no less volume in your lungs when you surface than when you initiated the dive.
 
I think it's a lot easier and cheaper to just buy a straight snorkel and learn to clear it (very simple). I've never seen an experienced diver using a snorkel with any kind of purge valve.... [I got my first SCUBA certification (YMCA) in 1979].

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
I cannot swim, cannot float and have had a, shall we say colorful, history with water. Several near drownings. So I tend to get a bit more panicky than I should. To fix this water aversion, I got a snorkel and mask, just so I could get a little more used to being in the water. the one I have has a valve and "catch basin" at the bottom. As a kid when I learned to swim, I couldn't get enough air out to clear the old kind of snorkel, I just couldn't get the force up, and then when the first bit of water got back to my mouth.... badness. This new snorkel I can clear with about a mouthful of air. like they tell you in baby cpr, and I can drain the tube, then a slow breath to refill, and a quick pop clears the rest. Its helped some. What has not helped is all of the people telling me how easy it should be. I'm not kidding when I say that I do not get along with water. I've been in some hairy situations, but nothing messes me up like having water over my nose and mouth. Hopefully Numbers's niece has a better time than I have.
 
desmobob said:
I think it's a lot easier and cheaper to just buy a straight snorkel and learn to clear it (very simple). I've never seen an experienced diver using a snorkel with any kind of purge valve.... [I got my first SCUBA certification (YMCA) in 1979].
Click to expand...

In SCUBA I don't even use a snorkel. If necessary, just kick on my back to the descent site. I use a snorkel when snorkeling/free diving. (PADI and IANTD with IANTD cert number below 5000).
 
My niece is a very slim young lady. She might not have the lung power to clear a snorkel full of water. And this is her first mask and snorkel set. Give her time gents!
 
Those purge valves were nice when I was a kid. They help to give you a little bit of confidence to get rid of the last ounce of water in your pipe. Get it!

I sometimes don't use a snorkel either but that is only for small fresh water bodies where I don't plan on watching the bottom.

Nothing like a snorkel when you are in 3 meter waves waiting for your dive boat to return.
 
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