 Newbie to Snorkeling and Snuba. Need some recommentions
"1/137" wrote
> Thanks for the advice about snuba and the fact that it's basically
> scuba and the physics lession on air in the lungs. I guess it boils
> down to the fact that the water pressure on the outside of the lungs
> compresses the air in the lung and obviously as one rises the air
> will expand. I gather if one is free diving one doesn't have
> this problem since the only air I'm taking in is the air I managed
> to suck in at the surface... no bends?
Close, but not quite. No embolism . . . probably. Generally speaking, an
embolism is an expansion injury, caused by expansion of gas trapped in an
enclosed space, the lungs for instance. Gas can, and sometimes does, get
trapped in other areas including the alvioli, stomach, intestines, etc.
Only rarely is it a problem.
The chances of getting bent while snorkeling, or free diving, are
exceptionally low unless you've been diving enough to be on the edge anyway.
I suppose it is possible to get bent by freediving only, but you'd have to
do it very deep, a great many times. The point, however, is that getting
bent is a different mechanism. It's caused by nitrogen coming out of
solution while still in the body's tissues. An embolism can kill you in a
single ascent, even if you've not been down for long. Getting bent takes
time and depth.
> ps. Are there any special things one needs to learn about snorkeling.
Don't breathe through the snorkel when it's top is under water. I know this
sounds funny, but divers do it all the time. They're so used to breathing
from a regulator that they simply forget they're not using one. It's quite
amusing.to everyone except the person that does it.
Lee
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