Introduction I have always loved to swim in the open waters of rivers, lakes and the sea. But since I've learned how to snorkel dive with mask and flippers, my fascination for the underwater world has become unstoppable. With my mask I can clearly see what lives down there and my flippers give me the power to swim far and safely and to go deep and return safely to the surface. It has taken me a long time to master the techniques of skin-diving and to train myself to go deep and to stay down for a long time. But then I wondered why it had taken me that long to learn and whether I was really any different from anyone else. To cut a long story short, I discovered that the capacity to stay under is present in everybody and that the main technique of snorkel diving is to preserve energy, and to overcome your fears. Anybody could learn how to become a good snorkel diver in a very short time. It is true that one becomes better at it through practice but it takes a very long time of practice to become any better at it than the average person. In this essential snorkel course I will try to set out my newly discovered techniques and suggest a training schedule to prepare you for it. As you may notice, I'll pay a lot of attention to you before you'll even get wet. You can do all this yourself and it is entirely free!

f020020: snorkelling can be an enjoyment for the whole family because even young children can keep up with their parents. And there is so much to share and learn.

f010221: the advantage of snorkelling in marine reserves, is that the fish there have become used to people. There is usually also more fish and they are bigger too.

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1. Some people fear sharks because they have seen horror movies about them. Let me tell you this: I've made nearly 2000 dives and never seen a shark yet. Sharks are large predators but also cowards. Predators simply can't risk an 'honest' fight because the slightest damage to their own skins could cause an infection with fatal result. Big predators are extremely cautious to eat anything they don't know well. And you are unknown food to them. Just look at the many fatal and non fatal shark attacks. The sharks never ate their victims. Should you meet a shark, show him that you are not his food. Swim up to him. Show him you're not afraid. He'll turn away. In any case, in most countries, sharks are not a problem.

2. You may fear other animals in the sea such as poisonous snakes and fishes. They do not jump at you, but rather swim away. I swam amidst poisonous sea snakes in Niue, and although they are curious, they just leave you alone. Most of these animals are very old and know what is prey and what is not. I swam with Galapagos sharks at the Kermadecs, but as soon as I turned my back on them, they became disinterested.

3. You may fear to get entangled in a seaweed. Seaweeds grow close together and if there was a chance of entanglement, the seabed would look a real mess from all the knotted and entangled seaweeds. The reality is that seaweeds are slippery and formed in such a way that getting entangled by them is very unlikely. While in the water, touch the various seaweeds and learn to recognise them with your eyes closed. In strong wave action, seaweeds help you to stay in one place.

4. You may fear to drown. But we'll deal to that. We'll pay a lot of attention to your wetsuit and weights so you cannot sink accidentally. You will always float!

5. Not being able to breathe is very frightening. That is just natural but we'll pay a lot of attention to this before getting into the water.

6. A lot of snorkel courses make the mistake by making you fear all the things that could possibly go wrong. I want you to forget what you've learned before. This course is different. It focuses on the enjoyment of safe snorkel diving and your innate abilities.

f029214: a snorkeldiver follows a long-tailed stingray (Dasyatis thetidis) as it takes off from the sandy bottom.

f029221: snorkeldiver and long-tailed stingray. These stingrays are quite relaxed about people.

1. I want you to just hold your breath as long as you can when the hand arrives at 60/0. Don't cheat. It'll get you nowhere. Remember that snorkelling is not about competition. It is about enjoyment. You'll probably give up between 20 and 40 seconds. Remember that your body 'needs' a breath every 3 seconds so you have skipped between 7 and 13 breaths. Very well done. Note that your body doesn't really 'need' to breathe all that often.

2. I want you to do this again. Wait a minute to 'catch up' and do it again. You will now probably do between 30 and 50 seconds. That is a real improvement. I want you to do it again and again till you'll discover little improvement.

!! The important lesson to learn is that by just repeating the exercise, you improve considerably. My first dips are ALWAYS horrible but after some 15 dips, I start feeling better.

3. We'll now teach you a technique to stretch your breath-holding even further. Before holding your breath, take five deep breaths. Like IN - HOLD 3 SECONDS - OUT. In that manner you'll store oxygen into all circulating blood and into your big muscles. Now hold your breath again. You will most likely give up after 40-90 seconds. So that's a MAJOR improvement. Do it again to see if it gets better.

!! If you take much more than 5 deep breaths, you may start to feel dizzy. You have washed all carbon dioxide out of your blood and this allows you to stay down past the safe level. You could faint and drown. Stay within 5 breaths and don't experiment without someone knowing about it and watching you.

4. I also want you to measure your heart rate. Do this by feeling the pulse in your neck. You count 1,2,1,2, until the seconds-hand is on a mark. Then count 1,2,3,4,5,6 as normal until 6 seconds done (one tenth of a minute). Just multiply the score by ten. While sitting still, your rate could run at 60 but the slightest work will raise it to 100. With a pulse over 110 you won't be able to hold your breath very well. Fit people have low heart rates whereas unfit people have higher heart rates.

!! Snorkel divers should try to keep their heart rate under 110.

2. FITNESS. The better your circulation and the bigger your muscles, the more oxygen your body can store and the longer you will be able to stay down. Fit people have more ATP (Adenosine triphosphate) in their cells, and more mitochondria, all necessary for higher performance. They also allow for more anaerobic combustion, work without breathing, which helps snorkelling.

3. GENDER. Girls should be better at breath holding than boys. Their body's metabolism is more efficient.

f044504: in tropical waters a wetsuit is often not needed, and this removes all impediments. Here a snorkeller inspects a small cave in a deep coral reef pool.

f044522: in a deep coral reef pool, a snorkeldiver discovers colourful fishes. Snorkelling in clear warm waters, full of sea life is an unforgettable experience.

Don't buy a transparent (silicone) rubber mask because these reflect the sunlight into your eyes while looking down. These masks are sort of okay for divers but a no-no for snorkeldivers. Silicone masks are weak and can be damaged easily but they last longer when treated gently. Rubber masks can eventually 'rot' away. Ironically, rubber masks last longer when not rinsed in fresh water after the dive. The salt on it will dry and kill micro-organisms that dine on its natural rubber.

Your mask must have glass windows, not plastic. Plastic is very cheap but it scratches easily and fogs up constantly. The window should be of one piece or of two pieces but rigidly joined together. Swimming goggles would not allow you to see clearly under water. They show a double image. The glass itself is 'tempered' to make it hard and strong and to make sure that it pulverizes into small squares, should it break. Check for the 'T' mark or the word 'Safety'. The mask must fit over your nose so you can let air in. In order to be able to squeeze your nose (to compensate the pressure in your ears) it is best to buy a mask with a nose. Avoid fluoro colours. It scares fish unnecessarily. Choose a blue or black mask.

A new mask has all sorts of grease on its windows. Use toothpaste and plenty of patience to rub it clean. Silicone masks stay greasy almost all of their lives. They need more frequent cleaning with tooth paste.

To test whether a mask fits your face, pull the mask strap back and snuggle the mask onto your face. Then suck it in place. It should stay on your face and not fall off. It shouldn't leak air.

The best way to put a mask on is to put it on your forehead first while pulling the strap over your head. Then lift the mask and snuggle it onto your face while removing your hair and hood from the mask's seal. But adjust your straps first. Many people have their straps too tight, which is uncomfortable, and deforms the mask. It then starts leaking.

Before you put a mask on, spit into it. One good spit for each window. Then rub it in. Wash it off with only one rinse. Splash some water onto your face to cool it off. This closes the pores in your skin and reduces fogging. I always do the outside too. It allows me to see better above the water.
 
 

Most important is the correct diameter. Your snorkel should not be wider or narrower than your index finger for performance freediving and your little finger for recreational snorkelling. Stick it into the pipe to select the right size. A wide snorkel is difficult to blow clean. A narrow snorkel may hinder the passage of air. If in doubt, take the narrower one because when snorkel diving, one usually doesn't breathe fast. It is more important to be able to blow the snorkel clean. However, for fast swimming on the surface, the snorkel must be wider to let air pass through with ease.

Your snorkel should be long, in order to poke out above the waves. It should stick out at least 8 cm over your head. Your snorkel should have a simple shape, a short bend under the mouth and a long bend to curve around your face. The mouth piece should be strong and durable and it should fit into YOUR mouth. Your lips go over the flap while your teeth bite into the knobs. These should be big enough to open your mouth sufficiently for the air to pass between your teeth. Many snorkels these days, do not satisfy these requirements. Take your time to buy the right one, and don't forget that price has nothing to do with it. My own snorkel cost US$4.
 
 

The flippers The best flippers (or fins) are also the cheapest. Go for a rubber fin with heels. Should you decide to wear booties, take a bigger fin, but keep booties small. The bigger the fin, the more power (up to a point). Avoid fluoro colours, because fish don't like them. Blue and black are best.

Fins should be flexible, not stiff. They should act like the fins of a fish. The fin must spring back after bending. Many plastic fins don't do this. Avoid these. Also avoid jet fins, split fins and very long fins. I've done extensive tests to prove that these do not provide more propulsion for less effort.

Fins should be angled. From your foot they should not point straight forward but bend down. When you stretch your leg, the flipper should point in the direction of your leg, not your foot.

At the moment, the shops are awash with useless fins, and very costly too! The salesmen are always keen to tell you that the latest fad makes all others obsolete, and what I have written is madness. Ask them how deep they free-dive.
 
 

In New Zealand your neoprene suit needs to be 3 to 5 mm thick. You need to have a hood as well, because much heat is lost through your head and neck. The 'parka' wetsuit with a fixed hood is a good choice but a loose hood is equally effective when tucked in under the wetsuit. Avoid fluoro colours. They scare the fish with every move you make. The thinner your suit, the easier it is to control your buoyancy. Sometimes it pays to have two wetsuits, one for summer and one for when the water is colder. Advanced snorkeldivers prefer wetsuits with smooth outer skins, and indeed this reduces friction.
 
 

The weight belt The weight belt is the most critical bit of equipment because too much weight is right-out dangerous, whereas too little weight prevents you from staying down. The belt must have the right weight for YOU. That depends on the thickness of your suit and how heavy your bones are and how big your chest. You have to find the right weight by trial and error. Your instructor helps you with your first guess.

1. Start with too little weight. Go in the water in a vertical position, relax completely and breathe in. Your eyes and nose should only just poke out of the water.

2. Breathe all air out. Your eyes should go under but you shouldn't sink.

3. Now float on your belly with face down. It helps if you pull the weightbelt up towards your chest. When you breathe normally through the snorkel, without making any movements, you should float without any problems. When you breathe out completely, you should almost sink but not quite.

If you are not using a wetsuit, you may still need a weight or two, depending on your natural weight. Go through the above procedure to check it out.

In the pool or in shallow water, you can practise the ditching of your belt, as would be necessary in case of emergency. Weightbelts release their buckle when the loose end is pulled outward.

To put your weightbelt on, let gravity do the work for you. Always take the belt by its open end, rather than the buckle. In this manner the weights cannot slide off. Roll your back into it while gravity holds the other end down.

When the belt is not in use, always lock it so that weights cannot slide off. It is also easier to transport a closed belt.
 
 

Swimming with flippers At this stage I don't really want you to do much swimming because that uses up a lot of oxygen in your body. Yet you should become familiar with your mask and flippers. So just play around until you feel happy with the mask on your face, breathing through your mouth and swimming with the flippers.

There are two ways of swimming with flippers. One is the 'dolphin' stroke by which the two flippers move in the same direction, and the other is the 'flutter kick' with flippers moving in opposite directions (like when swimming freestroke). The dolphin stroke is very efficient under water but difficult to master. Most divers use the flutter kick.

The flutter kick is not like riding a bike. Keep your legs almost straight but with the least amount of effort (to preserve energy). You will find them flexing a little, just like your flippers do. Most of the action comes from your hips. Should you study the flow of bubbles over someone's fins, you should see these bubbles jetting backward, not downward.

Avoid using your arms. Fish hate arm movements. You'll learn later how and when to use your arms. Learn to relax all the muscles that have nothing to do with your kick. Your arms, and body should be relaxed. Keep your arms alongside your body, or fold them over your back.
 
 
 

f026437: a snorkeller face to face with a large bull NZ fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri)

f035011: swimming with seal pups is so much fun as they are so agile and cute.

1. You are lying on your belly and you are breathing through your snorkel. Take your 3 to 5 breaths and push your legs into the air at the same time as you try to push your head down. Keep your legs straight for the best effect. The weight of your legs will shoot you down. Make one breast stroke with your arms to help. This is called the 'duck dive'.
Most people find the duckdive impossible to do, because it doesn't work as described above. You must, while lying face-down on the surface, bend deeply as if wanting to touch your feet. From this position stretch yourself out. Now your legs lift up in the air without any effort at all. The movement brings you in a vertical position and the weight of your legs shoot you down.
2. Hold on to the heavy object and relax. You know that you can stay here for as long as you have shown to be able to hold your breath. Count the seconds of your stay.

!! It is important to relax all your muscles completely while hanging off the heavy weight. You must almost feel lazy down there. It's of no use to go further while not being able to relax ALL your muscles!

!! It is important to learn to sit still under water. Only then will you have the time to observe, to see the slightest of movements. Only then will the fish come towards you. You can stay under for much longer while sitting still than when swimming!

3. You must not be afraid to try and try again. Now it's time to let out some air until you stop floating up. You are now in balance and you can let go of the heavy object. Swim around calmly and surface calmly when needed. Keep relaxing! Try to let out precisely the amount of air to become completely weightless.

!! A snorkel diver goes down with completely filled lungs, to let air out only after arriving at the required depth. After some practice, you learn to go down with the right amount of air in your lungs.

!! Note that it doesn't help much to race back to the surface in a kind of panic. That uses up a big amount of oxygen and makes you pant. It also fosters fear. Just swim up slowly and try to relax completely while going up.

4. The instructor may have placed several heavy objects in the pool. Use your arms to pull yourself along from one to the next. In this manner you will use only small, efficient muscles, which helps you to stay down longer. In the sea we'll use the rocks and the strong seaweeds for this purpose. But make sure you have let enough air out to stop you from floating up!

!! Note that breast-stroking with your arms is very upsetting to fish but using your arms to pull yourself forward and to hold yourself steady, isn't!

5. By now you should feel much more comfortable under water. I don't want you to SWIM with your legs just yet! You should be able to stay 30-50 seconds now. Some of you will be able to stay down for well over a minute.

6. Now we'll compensate our ears. While going down, pop your ears by holding your nose through the mask and blowing air into your nose. Your ears click and ear pain disappears. You must do this with every dive and frequently as you learn to go deeper. You must not wait until your ears hurt because that makes it more difficult to clear them. Should you have problems, you can exercise as much as you like at home, in bed or even in class.

!! If you cannot 'pop' your ears above water, you will certainly not be able to pop them underwater. If you cannot pop your ears you cannot become a free-diver!

7. You may not have noticed how you've already solved the problem of the mask being pressed onto your face by the water's pressure. You simply blew a bit of air into it.

f023317: quietly following a lazy school of blue maomao and trevally.

f034311: snorkelling with dolphins is one of the most exciting experiences of a lifetime.

You should be aware of the risk of blacking out under water (becoming unconscious), which is almost certainly fatal. You need to understand that we have a rather curious method for controlling our breathing. One would have thought that nature measures the oxygen level in our blood, and urges us to breathe when this falls below an acceptable level, but this is not so. Instead, our body measures the carbon dioxide level to urge us to breathe. As we use up oxygen, the carbon dioxide level goes up at the same rate, so there should be no reason for concern.

However, one can suppress the urge to breathe by washing the carbon dioxide out of our blood. It is done by taking quick and deep breaths until one begins to feel dizzy, which is called hyperventilating. By doing this, one can hold one's breath for much longer than without, but as the urge to breathe is postponed, the body may run out of oxygen, which shuts off our brains, causing one to faint. All snorkel divers use this method to some degree, but it is important to know when it becomes unsafe. It is unsafe when you've had a long rest, and your body is at rest. Now it is just too easy to hyperventilate over the safe limit. In this situation 4-5 deep breaths is all you should ever do.

When you are snorkelling actively, the situation is entirely different. Your body uses a lot of oxygen and produces an equal amount of carbon dioxide. Taking deep breaths is necessary to just catch up, and there exists a much reduced risk of overventilating.

There is a slight but important difference in how you take your deep breaths for storing oxygen while not washing out carbon dioxide to excess. It is done by taking a deep breath, followed by a wait of several seconds, a quick refill (breathing out and in quickly), then holding again. This method is more effective and safer than just breathing quickly.

Finally, there exists a risk with deep diving, manifesting itself when going up, just before reaching the surface. As you dive down with full lungs, the air in your lungs becomes compressed, enhancing oxygen uptake in the blood. But during ascent, when your lungs expand, they demand gases from the blood, including the last bit of oxygen. As a result, oxygen levels drop suddenly just before reaching the surface, which could lead to shallow water fainting. This is what your buddy should be watching, as he can pull you to the surface. Experienced snorkel divers who tempt their boundaries, ascend with face up (so you get turned on your back at the surface), fully alert to that prickling feeling in one's skin that arrives just prior to fainting. One hand at the weightbelt's safety buckle to be able to ditch the weightbelt before fainting.

My advice is not to tempt your boundaries until you are very experienced and have a buddy at hand who knows what you are up to. In all cases, listen to what your body is telling you - all the time: fatigue, cold, cramps, headache, snot, dizziness, nausea and so on.

An important secret, seldom told, is that the first dip (dive down) of any day, is terrible, even for experienced snorkel divers. But after a few dips, your body appears to adjust, and it goes better. Eventually it even feels somewhat pleasant. You always need 10-15 dips before settling in. Most people don't know this and they think they can't do it. So never give up before your first 15 dips.

What is that headache and neck cramp? Scuba divers can easily come up with a headache and the beginning of neck cramp, symptoms all too similar to those of migraine. And a migraine it is, caused by chronic carbon dioxide poisoning. Yes, high carbon dioxide levels in the blood to the brain, causes migraines. For migraine sufferers it is caused by brain arteries clamming up (constricting), thereby reducing the blood flow and increasing CO2 levels. In divers it is caused by skip-breathing to conserve air. I've been studying this phenomenon for many years, and here are some tips that work:

• For migraine sufferers: as soon as you feel the tell-tale signs of onset, have a drink of carbonated alcohol (beer, fizz wine, gin tonic) and do at least ten strenuous exercises such as sit-ups and push-ups. As your metabolism kicks in, the migraine should go, at least when you began early enough. However, this method will always reduce the severity of a migraine. Taking half an aspirin (not a pain killer) to dilute the blood, can help too.
• For divers: on your first day of diving, don't push the limits of skip-breathing. In fact on the first dive, don't do it. However, as your body adjusts on day two, you can do some skip-breathing. Eventually you can do a lot of it. Your headache is likely to last all day but will be gone tomorrow.
• For snorkel divers: a headache is a sure sign that you've been too keen. The same rule counts as for divers: the first day has the most risk of chronic carbon dioxide poisoning. So be aware of it.
• Be aware that blocked air passages to your sinuses can cause headaches too, but these headaches are felt in the front of the head rather than the back and neck. When popping your ears, the idea is that this should also pop your sinuses, but for many this is not the case. However, it does help trying hard, until you feel pressure in the corner of your eyes. What happens under water if air cannot compensate the sinus cavities? As your body is under pressure but your cavities not, blood is pressed from blood vessels into these cavities, causing pain. When you feel pain going down, go up again, pop your ears and sinuses with all your might and try again. If it won't work, don't dive! Note that you can try popping your ears and sinuses at any time in the day, so it is unforgivable to find out underwater that you can't.
• So what can you do to free up your sinuses? Again, this problem is most likely to happen at your first dive of the holiday, becoming less with each day. Some divers use nasal sprays, and I have used these too, however with limited success. The best remedy I found in taking a decongestant an hour before diving. The best pill for this is pure pseudoephedrine without anything else like pain killers. Those pills are now hard to get, but your doctor will be most happy to fill out a prescription for 50 tablets for diving. End of problem. On the first dive you may need to take two pills, but on subsequent dives fewer, eventually none at all.
• drinking and diving is condemned almost unanimously, without even considering alcohol's benefits. Yet a modest amount of alcohol (one serving) helps prevent migraines as it widens arteries so that the blood can also de-gas more freely, thereby also reducing the chance of decompression illness. Remember that the effect of increased pressure on the air we breathe, leads to nitrogen narcosis or rapture of the depth, as if the diver consumed one drink of alcohol for every ten metres down? So does one extra drink matter that much?

f026435: snorkelling in cold temperate waters requires a thick wetsuit and heavy weightbelt. Here a freediver is swimming through a forest of broad bullkelp (Durvillea willana)

f027122: a snorkeldiver in cold water ducks under floating bullkelp (Durvillea antarctica)

!! So the main difference between fit and unfit snorkeldivers exists in how soon the next dip can be done after the previous one. Not in how deep one can go and not even much in how long one can stay under. Unfit divers just need longer to 'tank up' at the surface!

You will understand now that it is advantageous to use as many muscles (hands and legs) to take advantage of the anaerobic energy reservoir, hence the use of our hands to pull ourselves forward. But while swimming under water, most energy comes from the legs only. It is a bit awkward to use your hands without interrupting the steady movement of your body. So we swim with our legs only. Try to make slow steady, 'lazy' kicks. Look and feel how the water flows around your own body and that of others. Look how the bubbles flow around your flippers and those of others. check whether your body is horizontal, perfectly balanced.

Once you've duck-dived down, you will let some air out to balance yourself. If you don't do this, you will spend energy in swimming down all the time, rather than swimming purely forward.

You have now learnt my new snorkel method. Keep working at it until you feel you can stay down as long as you can hold your breath in class. The instructor will repeat all steps, even the breath-hold timing, for each lesson. From here on you'll need to learn a few useful tricks.
 
 

Clearing your snorkel Every time you go down, water will fill up your snorkel and has to be purged. Most snorkeldivers do this by blowing hard into the snorkel. But by saying a loud "Duh", causes a powerful burst of air. But there's an even better way. Just before your snorkel breaks the surface, blow out gently. The bubbles push the water out without any effort at all. When the snorkel breaks the surface, it has no water left in it. It's as simple as that!

 

Preventing coughs Salt water in your wind pipe or lungs causes unstoppable coughs. It happens easily when a drop of salt water is inhaled. It can even cause your breathing muscles to clam up so you won't be able to breathe at all. That could last for several minutes, indeed a frightening experience!

To prevent this, hold your tongue in front of your teeth, as if saying "Lll", so that the air has to pass around it. Water droplets are much heavier than air and hit your tongue first. Good snorkeldivers say "Llll" and "Duh" alllll duh time! If you can't clear your snorkel altogether, and you can feel the air bubbling through the water left in it, don't panic! Just breathe in slowly with your tongue in place. Then blow the snorkel clear. This happens often, so get used to it.
 
 

Clearing your mask Water may accumulate in your mask and give you a runny nose. It may get into your eyes and make your eyes burn. A good mask should stay dry but it is very simple to blow it clean. The idea is to replace the water by air from your nose. You can't do it by looking down because your mask, acting as a perfect 'bucket', will hold its water. You have to turn the 'bucket' upside down. So look up for the water to collect under your nose and around your cheeks. Now blow gently into your mask. Air will escape at those low points and push the water out. If it doesn't work well for your mask, use your hand to push the mask gently onto your face, above your eyes. Now the air must escape through the bottom seal around your nose. But always look up! You can do this under water too and experienced snorkeldivers and divers do it regularly

 

f037532: snorkeldiver amongst reeds in a clear freshwater lake.

f037432: snorkelling in the green waters of a freshwater lake.

f042315: freshwater lakes can provide astounding snorkel opportunities.

To go off a beach, leave your flippers off until you stand chest-deep and sideways towards the waves. Then put them on. Of course you'll put your mask on first. To walk in and out of the surf, use your buddy. Put your arm over his/her shoulder and walk out. In this manner the two of you stand on four feet, which makes all the difference.

To enter the water from a rock. Put your flippers on and go down the rock into the water as far as you can. Squat down and make yourself as low as possible. Wait for a wave that carries you up, then roll down (slide into the water) and away from the rock. Note that divers learn to 'take a big stride forward' to get into the water from a platform. This is okay from boats but is not safe from rocks. You could badly hurt yourself and stamp into sharp sea urchins as well.

!! When entering the sea from a rock, it is important to take your time and to wait for the right wave !! It may even pay to stand half-way in the water!

To exit onto a rock is much more difficult and must be done with care

1. First study the rock under water and look for places to put your feet. Also look for sea urchins because that's where you don't want to place your foot. Make a plan. Take your time and look for an alternative place. Often a better exit place can be found within metres of the first! Study the flow of water. Waves come in big ones and small ones. Wait for the small ones. Don't hurry!

2. Take one flipper off and hold it in one hand. It must be the strongest leg that you will use to lift you out of the water. You can use the flipper later to cover sharp objects ABOVE the waves, for leaning on and stepping on or kneeling on.

3. Wait for a suitable wave to lift you up towards the landing. Place your flipperless foot on the step you've chosen. Balance yourself at the high point of the wave and in one motion stand up as high as you can, putting all the weight on your foot while the water flows back. Hold the rocks to steady yourself.

4. Wait for the wave to wash away. Then quickly clamber up onto the shore. Should a new wave arrive too soon, just stand still with all your weight on your flipperless foot and wait until that wave has flushed away again.

f048625: one doesn't need to be very good at snorkelling to go down to 6 metres (20ft) to enjoy swimming through and alongside tall seaweeds.

f023004: even while staying at the surface, one can see and enjoy much of the mysterius underwater world such as caves, gullies, and coves.

f038535: a freediver finds rare paper nautilus shells no deeper than 5 metres. Only by going down will one be able to make such finds.

When you are snorkelling in a class situation and somebody is responsible for you, you must stay close to the instructor. In that way you will also learn more about underwater life. You must tell him if problems arise or when you want to go back. Don't leave your instructor worrying where you are.

Most snorkel courses spend a great deal of time dwelling on aspects of safety but I think that is not entirely warranted. Snorkelling is just swimming but is a lot safer: you are warm and protected in a good wetsuit, you can see where you go with your mask and you are a much more powerful swimmer because of your fins. My many years in the water have taught me that snorkelling is all about enjoyment: enjoying the environment, enjoying the water and weightlessness and enjoying your prowess in what you can do with your own body.
 
 

f027604: snorkelling in Pupu springs, one of the clearest waters in the world, is quite an experience.

f027514: feeding the long-finned eels in a clear river.

White water is always unpleasant. Because of the many small bubbles, you can't see under water. That gives an eerie feeling. Use your common sense and swim out. Experienced snorkeldivers dive under because the turmoil of the sea quickly reduces with depth, the 'fog' clears up and you can see where to go to.

One real problem with white water is that it usually races over a shallow spot WITHOUT RETURNING. So it is a one way ticket. It may land you in very unpleasant places. But the biggest problem with white water is that you can drown in it. Because of the many bubbles, the water won't carry you as well as water without bubbles. As a result you will sink deeper into it, possibly not being able to lift your head and snorkel above the white foam. Surfers being caught in a wave with white water, can drown in a similar way. So dive down and swim away from white water.

!! Avoid white water unless you are very experienced.
 

Finally As you can see, snorkelling well is not very difficult. You have now learnt a technique that will stay with you for life. As you practise it more, it will give you even more enjoyment. Wherever you go in the world, you can always find space in your luggage for a mask, snorkel and fins. And when people commend you on how long you can stay under, remind them that you learnt snorkelling from Floor Anthoni in New Zealand. Good luck and lots of fun!

 

f050121: these one year young baby trevally (Pseudocaranx dentex ) are very wary of anything bigger than themselves, but after a while they come to trust a patient snorkeldiver. They ae so cute.

f050136: this male sandagers wrasse (Coris sandageri) actually enjoyed being touched, as our relationship with him improved day by day. Snorkelling in a single location has the advantage that the fishes learn to know you.