I find it amazing that there have been 6 people die snorkeling on Maui in the last 9 days! Almost all have been middle aged tourists. I doubt any are masters swimmers. Seems like snorkeling is a very low impact form of recreation, but instruction is necessary to do it safely.
I find it amazing that there have been 6 people die snorkeling on Maui in the last 9 days! Almost all have been middle aged tourists. I doubt any are masters swimmers. Seems like snorkeling is a very low impact form of recreation, but instruction is necessary to do it safely.
I would be curious to learn what the causes were. Breathing with your face in the water is the opposite of instinctive and its pretty easy to get confused and take in water and then panic in my opinion. I've choked more than once learning to use a swim snorkel. The dive snorkels usually have a ball to block water from getting into the tube, but you still need to know how to clear it.
The other problem may be fins providing an artificial sense of swimming capability when little or none exists, and having no experience or sense of the open water, especially where the currents are strong, like Mexico.
I've been snorkeling (not alone) off the Lava fields (we walked way out) at La Perouse Bay, Maui and further down in a small embayment below the fields - you're pretty much on your own and could get in trouble quickly. But, the snorkeling was freakin incredible. Much better than off the hotel beaches.
Full face snorkels were used in some of the cases. I wonder if carbon dioxide build-up will be cited as the cause of death in any of those. Some dealers refuse to sell/rent them because of safety concerns.
Full face snorkels were used in some of the cases. I wonder if carbon dioxide build-up will be cited as the cause of death in any of those. Yes, it is cited
