Snorkeling

[silverman]

This should let you all know just how inexperienced I am at beach hunting. I was wondering if snorkeling is a successful way to beach hunt? I have never hunted on a beach, and am wondering if it is too difficult to detect with snorkeling gear, or not. I do not plan to SCUBA, as I have no experience in it. I'm going to VA Beach, and don't think the water is too clear, but am not really sure. Just trying to see how the pros do it.
Thanks

 

[thebarnacle]

i only ever use my snorkle when the conditions are right and when i need to get out that bit furthur but if you have doubts about your ability dont do it - i was once out to my tip toes and a wave picked me up and dropped me another few feet out to sea, it is not a situation you want to be in so i only do it when the water is calm and clear, steve

 

[GaBeachsweeper]

Ok here are some thoughts. Any beach exposed to open water wave action will be a challenge for a novice water detectorist. As it is, in chin deep water you are completely at the mercy of the waves lifting and dropping you, and NEVER in the same spot. So it is that free floating snorkelers cannot maintain position in such environment. Water hunting is a more challenging task even if you do so standing in chest to chin deep levels without waves, and currents- inescapable on open coasts. Pin pointing/target localizing etc. Not tryng to discourage I say more power to ya if this is what you are wanting to do but these ARE some factors which you need to consider. Good luck and good hunting.
Jim

 

[slowmotion]

Hi Silverman;
Big problem is this, if you are in 2 ft. of water snorkeling is not to bad. The deeper you go, the harder it is to dig.
When you are in 4 ft. or more you have no weight to dig. If you use any weight at all you can end up
out to sea or in a hole in a lake. .
Someone has all ready done that.
You should all ways hunt with someone in the water with you.
Be safe first, fun next.
Willard in Spokane.

 

[grumpyolman]

You can bend over and see better what you are doing when in waist to chest deep water if you snorkel. The way to reduce the danger is to get an inflatable life jacket. If the worse things happens you yank the cord and float like a cork. All Coast Guard and law enforcement wear the inflatables while at work. They dont wear the bulky restrictive kapok foam filled anymore. Make sure you get one that does not automatically inflate if submersed. You do have to practice and rehearse finding the inflate knob so it will be muscle memory when you need it...Jim

 

[silverman]

Thanks everyone. I just found a PI Pro, and can;t wait to try water detecting.
I will use all of your pointers, especially concerning safety.
Thanks again.

 

[aushunter]

Gudday Silverman,
I use snorkel 80% of the time, but I have been snorkelling since I was at least 4/5 yrs of age.
As Willard said, the deeper ya go the harder it is to dig and get down to the target.
I usually go on the low tide and work back on the rising tide. Also visibility plays a part also.
I'm lucky that we have pretty clear beaches over here, most of the time.
I tend not to use fins as they restrict my movement also.
You also don't get as much attention from onlookers and don't get the kids crowding you, not unless
you have some of your own like I do, but they are usually in the water with me.
Anyway HH and good luck, look forward to your postings,
Aushunter

 

[silverman]

Thanks aushunter,
My postings won't be until mid August during my vacation. Thanks for the fins info. I may just get the snorkel now since that is a good point. Willard is right on for safety. You can see my little guy as my avatar, so no risk taking here. He's my world, and I'll play it safe every time.
Thanks again everyone for the great info. This is a whole new world for me, and I can't thank you all enough for the help.

 

[Lou from downunder]

Hi Silverman,
just my 2 cents worth.
I virtually only snorkel but I only work still waters, lakes, bays etc. Theres way to much water movement on our surf beaches for snorkelling.
I wear a full wetsuit, as in a separate jacket and long john, mask, snorkel, flippers and weightbelt.
When I say I snorkel I mean I actually work with my face in the water and even though I hardly ever actually swim, I find flippers are essential.
I generally only work depths that I can comfortably run the coil over the bottom without having to dive under to do so. I wear more lead on my weightbelt than is necessary to achieve neutral bouyancy cause once I find a target and dive down to it I can "hold" bottom easily while I scoop, dig or fan the target out.
If theres a life threatening situation, you ditch the belt and virtually nothing will drown you.
The benefits for me by doing it this way are.....
Virtually no one hassles you, you look like heaps of other people swimming around with a mask on.
The suit keeps me warm in winter, protects me from sun and wind in summer, no need for sunscreen.
Jellyfish are no problem, unless you get one across the lips.
Being able to see in the water is a big bonus. When those itty bittys keep falling through your scoop, I eyeball them easy.
When working areas with rocks its easy to pick out goodies from places that NO scoop can access, I get heaps this way.
A couple of places I work I might as well leave the scoop in the car, but take it anyway.
I can see the sometimes appalling amount of sharp broken glass just waiting for a kid to stand on, this I always pick up and put in my junk bag, if it gets too heavy I hop out and bin it.
And of course I get to see the good things, fish, rays, squid, occys etc. Plus the occasional old bottle.
And I can still keep a close eye on the sweet young things just in case one needs rescueing...lol.

Lou.

 

[grumpyolman]

Consider getting you mask and snorkel from a reputable dive shop. Masks have to fit and ordering them on line is risky. The other thing to consider is that the amount of air volume you can exchange is highly dependent on the diameter of the snorkel. A dive shop will look at your body size and get you one that makes sure you can exchange all the air needed when working. The down size of a big snorkel is it holds more water if you get dunked and it's a little harder to clear all the water out. Years back they kept finding SCUBA divers floating face down in the water,DOA with air still in their tank and it took awhile to find out the divers had surfaced and to save air in the tank for a later activity, they'd snorkel on the way to shore or the next place to dive. They were working hard and the diameter of the snorkel prevented them from exchanging enough CO2 and replenishing O2...and they passed out in the water then suffocated. That's more of concern to a male with big lungs than another person with small lung capacity. The analogy is try running around the football field breathing through a straw. You'll pass out but you won't suffocate. Respect the water and teach your little one to do so also. Life jacket. Life Jacket Life Jacket! Jim

 

[silverman]

Thanks for all of the pointers Lou. Thanks to you also Jim. That is something I have never even thought of. I really appreciate this info. I will be sure and get a snorkel that is appropriate for me, as I am a rather big guy (240lbs). I will also bring a life jacket. I know I'm not a very experienced swimmer, and will not take any chances.
Thanks for all of the help!

 

[Lou from downunder]

With all due respect grumpyolman,

a lifejacket is a waste of time and money.
A wetsuit gives you all the bouyancy you need plus some..... thats why you have to wear a beltfull of lead to achieve neutral bouyancy.
Without the weightbelt you will float like a cork.
I did some experiments to see whether a friends death was caused by shark attack or by drowning due to shallow water blackout.
The most conclusive of these of these was diving to a depth of 90', removing my tank, taking off my belt and on letting go of the bottom, started floating immediately towards the surface.
A wetsuit is THE best floatation device around.
It keeps you warm, protects from the elements and you can still use your arms to swim. It also is steamlined, an inflated jacket puts up so much water resistance that even the weakest of rips will drag you out.
And if you were to pass out then nothing would save you. You need to be awake to activate the vest or drop your belt.

Passing out on the surface because of not being able to get enough air through a snorkel to sustain conciousness is wrong.
Any commercially available snorkel will allow you to breathe as deep and as hard as you want, you can pant on one.
Its breathing on scuba through a crappy regulator that will cause the problems you suggest, especially if you need to breathe hard due to exertion.
You cant pant on a reg and will build up an oxygen debt resulting in oxygen starvation headaches, these are excruciating and I suffered many of these in my 25 years of commercial diving.
What MIGHT kill you is the remedy that you allude to.
A wide bore or excessively long snorkel holds too much used air. A short explanation.... if your snorkel is 3' long your rebreathing the same air over and over until the CO2 builds up enough to turn the lights out. Same deal with a wide bore snorkel.
And as such a large person with a large lung capacity is actually far better off than someone of small lung capacity for they are turning over a far larger volume of air with each breathe.

So, lets not complicate things, snorkelling is very safe and a very effective way to hunt.
And Sandman, I'm also a big dude and a sveldt 240 pounds also ...lol.
Go to your local dive shop, dont get the cheapest, dont get the most expensive and you'll be right for years.

Lou.

 

[Lou from downunder]

My apologies on getting your name wrong Silverman.

Lou.

 

[grumpyolman]

I'm not a commercial diver, only trained and worked with law enforcement on body recoveries and evidence collection, but am aware of the CO build up and death of recreational divers by using snorkels with too small a diameter during maximum exertion. Recovered a few of those with air in their tanks. Coroner's conclusion was suffocation following unconsciousness caused by lack of O2. I said nothing about length and in other posts recommended against that experiement. Perhaps all in the dive industry know about the diameter issue and now only make them the right diameter for all. Visit a dive shop lately? There are a kajillion choices and they aren't all the same diameter.
Perhaps the issue is, is silverman going to mostly wade and look into the water with the mask and snorkel to help recovery or is he going to do the surface dive thing and try laying on the bottom and do true snorkeling? I know of certified SCUBA divers that didn't make it to the surface when they 'tried' to dump their weights as they were put on incorrectly, not last on first off...or more often hesitated to ditch the weights because of the expense of losing equipment and not realizing the danger they were in. A padded weight belt with shot weight runs well over $100. That does run in one's mind if there hasn't been training and experience to know when and how to ditch equipment. The apparent casualness of safety by highly experineced commercial divers is a hazzard to recreational divers who may only be in the water an hour a week. For many, hours under water is much less than that. I would hope that any sport diver not try the free ascent from 90' that you did. I think I'd have another search and recovery call out. There is a major difference between a sport diver and a commercially trained diver. Better to err on safety than not. Jim

 

[Lou from downunder]

Jim,

I don't get the point your trying to make in relation to weight belts.
If hes going to snorkel, either standing or lying prone, then he will have to dive down to retrieve the target.
If he's not going to dive down then he may as well wade.
Either way, if he chooses to wear a wetsuit then he will need a weightbelt.
You seem to be overly concerned about belts. Granted some people have managed to kill themselves by incorrect fitting of one, recreational scuba divers are always finding new and imaginative ways in which to kill themselves, but the fact is, if you wear a suit and wish to dive down then you must wear a belt.

Now getting back to this narrow snorkel business.

It appears that you are convinced that this was the cause of some scuba divers deaths.
So be it.
I, despite the fact that a coroner found so, find this to be ridiculous to the extreme and I'm afraid that this only proves that the coroner in question has no concept of the dynamics of snorkelling and as such his recommendations for divers to use a wide bore snorkel to be dangerous for the reasons I outlined earlier.

If you wish to know why I challenge his findings, then I'm happy to continue this debate.
In the meantime I urge all those wishing to take up snorkelling to go to a reputable dive shop and ask or get in touch with some of the larger dive organisations and get their opinion on the matter.

Lou.

 

[aushunter]

Guys lets get back on track here.
Mares,Tusa are most excellent brands that can fit anyones bill.
Safety isn't a big issue if we are only snorkelling in 3 feet of water max, just stay away from
the surf and heavy current areas and just hunt the bays that are used for swimming as long as
you can swim. I, myself snorkel with just a pair of boardies, a surf shirt and heaps of sunscreen
and peaceful surrrounds of what mother nature gives. Oh yes of coarse, snorkelling gear and the mighty Excalibur.
Now get out there and find some long lost goodies and enjoy life, its short, so detect hard.

HH and cheers
aushunter

 

[aushunter]

This is my usual winter garb when hunting in winter.
I dont use the fins so much anymore, but in summer, much less wetsuit.
HH and cheers
aushunter