Snorkelling Snorkels

Aside from the mask, the greatest piece of gear created was the snorkel. It allows your face to be in the water while still breathing air from the surface. Whether it is basic, semi-dry or total dry, choosing the right one does not stop there. Silicone or PVC, replaceable mouthpiece or not, purge valve or no purge valve, there is more in your decision than just a colour.

Although there is an abundance of snorkels on the market to choose from, we believe that you get what you pay for. Some cheap snorkels, plus budget mask and snorkel sets, offer snorkels which are not sealed correctly and therefore when bent and in use the snorkel lets in water not through the top, but through the centre. You won't find any of those here.

Snorkelling Snorkels - Some snorkels are designed for snorkeling, freediving and spearfishing rather than scuba diving. This means the snorkel is shaped so that the snorkel mouthpiece naturally comes close to the mouth. Thus the snorkeller has less pressure on their jaw and mouth, which is great if the snorkel is mostly used for snorkelling as it reduces jaw fatigue. However, for scuba divers who will mostly have a second stage regulator in their mouth, this type of snorkel tends to get in the way during the dive.

Scuba Diving Snorkels - Some snorkels feature an accordion-like piece between the barrel and mouthpiece, which allows the mouthpiece to drop away during a scuba dive, and thus keep out of the way when it's not being used. We call these scuba diving snorkels. Plenty of snorkellers prefer this type of snorkel as well, so we have listed some here.

Note: For child and junior sized snorkels, please look at our Kids' Corner.

For more information about snorkel features please read our advice on choosing the right snorkel for you in our Trusted Advice section.