Features of a good Scuba Snorkel
by Brandon Harrington The most important aspect of a scuba snorkel is of course that you can easy breath from it. The easiness of breathing is affected by the diameter of the tube (bore), the length and the shape of the tube and mouthpiece. Generally speaking, you look for a large bore that you don't breathe like through a soda straw. The tube should not be too long or to short. 45 cm/17inch, give and take, is about the industry-standard. To short snorkels might not stick high enough out of the water while to long ones make it hard to clear them and you re-inhale too much already used air (also called dead air). The bends if the snorkel has to be smooth and round as sharp edges will increase the breathing residence. Another feature of today's popular snorkel is a slightly bended tube so it stays closer to the contour of your head to minimize drag. Most new designed Snorkel have also an optional self-draining one-way valve at the bottom of the tube. That makes it very easy to cl...