Flexable Snorkels

[MBanks]

Hey,
I just wondered if anyone here has used any of the flexable snorkels that are available and how they compare to the rigid ones?

I'm looking to buy a new one and would be greatful for your opinions and suggestions. Something streamlined I guess.

What do you use?

Martin

 

[rcerdena]

Omer Zoom Pro


RC

 

[MBanks]

I have found a few differenet ones but I was wondering if they make a differenct in performance or have certain flaws? like if water turbulance around them would cause them to wobble and cause drag etc.

 

[icarus pacific]

Pretty much any snorkel is going to wobble, it's just a matter of how much you're willing to put up with.

My favorite, the Farallon isn't being made anymore, naturally, but the OMER Zoom is a vcery good, very flexible snorkel. Almost too flexible. The old Scubapro Shotguns and the Dacor models similar in shape are also good choices. Go to ebay and prepare to drop $10. Also AQA makes copies of all of these and more at sweet prices. Go to HanaPa'a and ask for Kimmy.

Stay away from the hard plastic tube jobs at this stage as they'll snag and next thing you know, you have an aquarium in your mask. Once you put in some time and know how to deal with kelp and all, you can try a Impulse with the collapsible mouthpiece or the same design from AQA.

 

[Narsil]

I'd highly recommend a Beuchat Activa. Nice soft feel in the mouth, holds its shape well despite being fully bendable for saftey while hunting in caves etc.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

I like the Riffe Stable. Like most Californians who hunt white sea bass, I drop my mouthpiece as I start the dive to keep from emitting bubbles and scaring fish. With J-snorkles like the Omer Zoom, I invariably get too vigorous in removing the mouth piece and cause it to rotate where it attaches to the rest of the snorkle. Then when I put the mouthpiece back in my mouth, the upper part of the snorkle isn't pointing up.

The accordion hose on the Riffe just lets the mouthpiece fall away from my mouth.

 

[kmo]

Could you please describe what is meant by a "collapsible mouthpiece"? I've never heard this term before.

Kmo

 

[XabreTooth]

another question:

The Omer Zoom comes in a 'soft' version as well as the regular one.. is the soft version the preferable?

 

[Mr. X]

I'm currently using an Beauchat Tubair Activa:

It's flexible & I like that (esp. when I snag weed or floatline - it reduces jarring). I find it hard to get the last drops of water out of the J bend ...because of the 'patented' mouthpiece shape (I had a feeling that might happen when I first saw a picture) -- not a big deal, just a little annoying sometimes as it can be noisy (rattle or blast?). I have camo'd it with acrylic artist paint. The orange tip tape had to be glued back in place several times (I think it is a useful safety measure, others may disagree). About half the price of a mimetec Omer Zoom or flex (I would have preferred a Zoom clear or camo or flex but the prices were just silly).

I just got a Seacsub Seatil Combat (as a friend just became a seacsub dealer), I haven't used it yet:

I think it will be a very good snorkel, flexible but a little stiffer than the Activa. The area of the J beneath the mouthpiece looks likely to clear well. Unusual soft rubber/plastic clip - looks better than normal stiff clips. The combat version is camo & black... but the black & clear one looks equally good:

The black tip tape seems daft. Reasonably priced too (about half the price of the beauchat) & made in Italy - this must be a best buy...I no longer crave a zoom.

I'd be happy with a non-flexible snorkel ..although some flex somewhere in the snorkel (tube, J and/or mouthpiece) seems a like a good idea to protect your teeth & mouth. A flexible tube offers a few minor, additional advantages, as mentioned above.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

The orange tip tape had to be glued back in place several times (I think it is a useful safety measure, others may disagree).

I think it a huge safety measure, although the lime green I've seen on some snorkels is at least as visible.

I guess I'm straying from the subject of flexible snorkels per se, but I want to preach my sermon on visible snorkel tips. If you have not tried to run the boat in rough seas and keep track of a few drifting divers, then you just can't fully appreciate how much an orange snorkel tip increases your visability. Just a week ago I was running the boat in very rough seas with a dark overcast at Santa Barbara Island with three divers in the water. A lot of the time I could find the two divers with orange snorkels, but couldn't find the other guy. Would you rather be found or lost?

Since I like the Riffe snorkel but it has a black tip, I sprayed it with orange paint.

And as long as I'm derailing, the same goes for float lines. When I approach divers to pick them up, I need to see where their float line is in order to avoid running it over, cutting it, and perhaps fouling the prop. On that same trip, one diver had the Rob Allen orange foam filled float line, and I could easily see it. The other guys had black vinyl Riffe float lines, and I had no idea where the lines were.

Of course my emphasis here is on finding the divers and lines, but the same principle applies to passing boaters seeing and avoiding them.

 

[pkotik]

FYI - The incredible Martin Stepanek Freediver Gear Bag is now being sold at a deep discount on EBay - brand new. It's here:

[ame]http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140005517693[/ame]

Not easy to find, or buy, but definitely the best.

 

[SanderP]

A few days ago I bought myself also the Beuchat Tubair Activa. Tried it in the water and I'm satisfied. A good standard flexible snorkel. The orange tip tape almost fell off when I took it out of the bag though - it was very poorly glued and it annoyed me, so I ripped it off. Now that you mentioned safety, I started to think that maybe it wasn't a good idea... but what's done is done.

Anyway, a nice and releatively cheap snorkel I can recommend to everyone.

 

[Mr. X]

Drab Green v. Orange
Thanks for the insights Bill, interesting to hear a boat divers perspective. I hadn't thought about the float line issue. RA's low cost polyprop. float lines come in olive green (camo) & hi-viz orange. As a beginner, I thought hi-viz was the best option but they only had green at the time...which it turns out it pretty good for shore-based diving. Sounds like the hi-viz option would be a much better idea when dealing with boats.

Hi-viz Green vs. Orange
For cycling & road work, hi-viz lime green is now considered more visible than orange. I wasn't sure if the same is true at sea, as the sea round here can be quite green sometimes. However, I read an article by a rescue helicopter crew & they commented that they were surprised people were still using orange rather than lime-green (apparently the human eye is particularly sensitive to shades of green). Perhaps we should be moving to lime-green snorkel tops, floats, kayaks & lifejackets?

BTW I have been keeping this thread upto date with my snorkel finds & welcome input from others. It includes images of the snorkels mentioned above.

Update: Saw two Cressi-Sub spearo floats in use at the weekend: one orange, one lime -- both highly visible, but lime really stood out, making the sea behind look almost black by comparison.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

The orange tip tape almost fell off when I took it out of the bag though - it was very poorly glued and it annoyed me, so I ripped it off. Now that you mentioned safety, I started to think that maybe it wasn't a good idea... but what's done is done.

What is done can easily be undone. You can buy more orange tape, or use spray paint like I did.

 

[gserghiou]

Hi All,

I am on Omer Fanatic

I have the OMER ZOOM PRO and also for a few years now the BEUCHAT ACTIVA SYSTEM


Im telling you.....the OMER is good.....but nothing compares to the way the BEUCHAT feels, easy on the jaw, hydrodynamicly good, and because i do lots of short dives (spearfishing) , it clears water extremely well.... The BEST Snorkel i have ever used

GO FOR THE BEUCHAT !!!!!!!!!!!:friday

George

 

[pelagicbeing]

A huge thumbs up for the BEUCHAT from me! Switched recently and it is fantastic, very comfortable and easy to clear. (wish i had switched sooner!!)

Highly recomended!

pelagicbeing

 

[trux]

I use Beuchat Activa System too since couple of years, but it must be an older model - it is no more available in Beuchat's catalogue. It is not foldable like the current model, but it is a very good snorkel too. Additionally the entire tip is from semi-transparent high visible orange plastic, not just a sticker, so it won't fall off (that was a problem at most other snorkels I had before). I'll probably by the foldable type too to see the difference.

​

 

[Mr. X]

Does nobody else get the problem with a little water remaining in the Beuchat tube after clearing (which rattles as you breath over it)? I get this 7 or 8 times out of 10...even after a really good blast. I am wondering if the angle of the snorkel or position of the mask clip is critical, as it seemed to work better once at the weekend & I noticed the snorkel was a little out of kilter. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the abrupt angle in the snorkel in the J, directly below the mouth piece. Will try the Seatil out next trip to compare, however the simple, little 99p Procella snorkel had no such problem.

 

[SanderP]

I was snorkeling at the weekend and I also noticed that a small amount of water sometimes stays in the Beuchat's tube. It wasn't really annoying for me, and I could always clear the last tiny bits with a few extra blasts.