Neck Issue, Considering Snorkel....Advice?

RE: Neck Issue, Considering Snorkel....Advice?

swim53 — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 07:23:06 GMT

Good luck gigi. The number 1 tip should be RELAX 'til you get used to it.

RE: Neck Issue, Considering Snorkel....Advice?

gigi — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 09:15:24 GMT

Don't give up on clipless snorkeling so soon Luckily (as it turns out) I couldn't find my nose-clip anywhere I looked so I was pretty much forced to go without and sure enough, I got the hang of it. The trick seems to be to exhale through the nose. I've been out of the water bec. I was borrowing my coach's snorkel and she's gone away with her college team for a few weeks. I ordered my own but unfortunately it took WEEKS for my snorkel to arrive and now that it's here I'm going to give it a try tomorrow at the Y. Hope all goes well - I ordered the freestyle model and I "learned" on a regular... I hope they're not too different Thanks everyone! gigi

RE: Neck Issue, Considering Snorkel....Advice?

poolraat — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 11:31:42 GMT

... nose full of water snorkel shifting sideways after turn incomplete "clearing blasts" resulting in comical choking and gasping I was getting the hang of it by the end of practice, but I think to master the clipless snorkel thing, one has to learn young. I got one a few years ago and at first all of the above was happening. I HATED THE :censor: THING!!! But I stuck with it and eventually became used to it and am actually doing some fast swimming with it. BTW I'm 60 and I don't use a nose clip.

RE: Neck Issue, Considering Snorkel....Advice?

gigi — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 08:43:19 GMT

Don't give up on clipless snorkeling so soon Ok OK! I'll give it a few more tries. I bought a nose clip a couple of years ago bec. I wanted to use it on my back sdk, but I couldn't actually swim with it, so we shall see how it goes with the snorkel. Again, thanks everyone for the advice. If anyone else wants to share some info & tips, feel free!

RE: Neck Issue, Considering Snorkel....Advice?

Former Member — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 06:50:51 GMT

I borrowed my coach's snorkel today and gave it a try (sans noseclip) and your words of wisdom were mocking me the whole time nose full of water snorkel shifting sideways after turn incomplete "clearing blasts" resulting in comical choking and gasping I was getting the hang of it by the end of practice, but I think to master the clipless snorkel thing, one has to learn young. A rare case of YMDV (your mileage didn't vary)...

RE: Neck Issue, Considering Snorkel....Advice?

smontanaro — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 05:49:50 GMT

What is painful for you? I find my snorkel very comfortable. Like Kirk, painful on my forehead.

RE: Neck Issue, Considering Snorkel....Advice?

__steve__ — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 04:51:50 GMT

Don't give up on clipless snorkeling so soon

RE: Neck Issue, Considering Snorkel....Advice?

ourswimmer — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 04:25:20 GMT

I was getting the hang of it by the end of practice, but I think to master the clipless snorkel thing, one has to learn young. I do not think of 40 as young (or old, either), and that's when I got and mastered mine. I had to use it regularly for a few weeks before I really felt at ease with it. Do not give up too fast. BTW, I tried using the snorkel with a nose clip and found that I wound up with more water in my nose that way, not less.

RE: Neck Issue, Considering Snorkel....Advice?

knelson — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 04:13:57 GMT

What is painful for you? I find my snorkel very comfortable. Mine irritates my forehead a little about an inch above my nose.

RE: Neck Issue, Considering Snorkel....Advice?

Allen Stark — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 03:59:54 GMT

Am I the only person who thinks they are too darn painful to wear for any length of time? What is painful for you? I find my snorkel very comfortable.

RE: Neck Issue, Considering Snorkel....Advice?

smontanaro — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 01:52:44 GMT

Am I the only person who thinks they are too darn painful to wear for any length of time?

RE: Neck Issue, Considering Snorkel....Advice?

gigi — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 01:14:58 GMT

I use my regular Finis snorkel all the time - perhaps as much as 1/3 of my swimming, all of my kicking, and the majority of my pulling. I wear a nose plug, much to the amusement of my kids, who learned to swim with their Finis snorkels sans plug at their swim club. Master the flip turn, and the "clearing blast" - forcefully blow air out after the turn to clear the snorkel. Pull the side straps tight enough so that the snorkel doesn't shift sideways due to the water pressure after the turn. YMMV. I borrowed my coach's snorkel today and gave it a try (sans noseclip) and your words of wisdom were mocking me the whole time nose full of water snorkel shifting sideways after turn incomplete "clearing blasts" resulting in comical choking and gasping I was getting the hang of it by the end of practice, but I think to master the clipless snorkel thing, one has to learn young.

RE: Neck Issue, Considering Snorkel....Advice?

rxleakem — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 06:33:41 GMT

It took me a solid month to figure out how to turn without :drowning: with the standard yellow model. Once you figure it out, you'll be fine and use it for more aggressive sets. Best wishes.

RE: Neck Issue, Considering Snorkel....Advice?

__steve__ — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 06:01:58 GMT

I learned snorkel free without the nose clip. It took several weeks of practice but eventually you learn to bleed off nasally before water goes up there. I have the standard snorkel now, it does grab water in turns a little, might try the one you mentioned this year. Hope your neck recovers with snorkeling!

RE: Neck Issue, Considering Snorkel....Advice?

gigi — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 04:59:51 GMT

Thanks everybody - I think I'll get the "freestyle" model and find my nose clip. I'm surprised I got so many responses to this considering that I have literally never seen anyone using one of these. I had the feeling that no one used them at all. I'll be ordering ASAP - thanks again everyone! Gigi

RE: Neck Issue, Considering Snorkel....Advice?

Former Member — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 09:55:14 GMT

I use the regular pipe. I like the purge value on it, which is something missing on the freestyle snorkel. I have suffered through some issues upper back/neck issues the last few years due to nerve damage. The only way I could swim long repeats or multiple repeats of freestyle is with a snorkel. Anything more than a few hundred yards of freestyle, required me to use a snorkel because of the pain that comes with turning the head to breath. Flip turns would make the issue worse with the slight jarring that comes from the wall. When I started using a snorkel, the majority of my issues went away. As others have said, once you get comfortable with the flipturn and snorkel, you can swim freestyle pretty close to your non-snorkel times.

RE: Neck Issue, Considering Snorkel....Advice?

Former Member — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 09:45:43 GMT

RE: Neck Issue, Considering Snorkel....Advice?

knelson — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 05:19:33 GMT

I agree with what other have said. I have the standard model and it works fine for me. I've had it for a few years and it's still going strong, too. Yes, there's a learning curve. Don't get discouraged at first because you will get the hang of it. The only thing I don't like about using a snorkel is it's difficult to look at the pace clock during a long swim since you aren't turning your head to breathe.

RE: Neck Issue, Considering Snorkel....Advice?

Allen Stark — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 04:36:46 GMT

The advantage of the freestyle snorkel is that it is much easier to do a flip turn with.The disadvantage is that it is much easier to get water in,converting it from a snorkel to a straw.I love my regular one.I also have neck issues and it causes me no problems.The only cap I know of for them is to reduce the intake to simulate high altitude.I have never used it as it seemed unlikely to work and if I want less oxygen I just breath less often.

RE: Neck Issue, Considering Snorkel....Advice?

joel schmaltz — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 04:30:05 GMT

I have a old style blue Finis freestyle snorkel that I use every practice during warmup. That along with a bouy is one of my favorite ways to warm up. I have also used it on EZ breaststroke sets to "try" to learn how to keep my head down and properly aligned. I don't have a cap for it so I can't weigh in on that one. Absolutely love it.