Any Divers/Free Divers out there?

[Smossy]

Been thinking of taking up some Snorkeling/Free Diving this Spring/Summer with my lady, Dont know much about it other than the fact that I want to do whats considered "Out of the norm" To what everyone I know does. Sounds fun and I just got a new Dive case for my Gopro, looking forward to some crystal clear underwater HD footage.

After doing a-bit of looking around on the web for different styles/types of snorkels I came across these.
Buy Kapitol Reef Kadence Package Mask Fin Snorkel Set: How to Wear This Puppy!

They run about 100$ and seem like they would be the best bet, Specially being as I already struggle with breathing sometimes from my asthma.
What do you guys think about this product, anyone know anything about this brand?
Also, what types of scuba diving class's are out there, and what do they require/cost to attend?

Any information would be great!

[lokidog]

Have you been in the water in PS any time other than August (deeper than 5' even in Aug. it is still only about 54 degrees) or in Hood Canal?     Do you have a wetsuit?  Or drysuit?  I'd think about those before spending a bunch on a snorkel. 

I've used the snorkel I bought in 1980 until a couple years ago when it got crunched.  The simple/old style worked fine.

If that is $100 for the kit, thats probably a good price, however, two things to do - try different masks on, one will probably jump out at you as being more comfortable since everyone's face is shaped a bit differently, comfort counts, and second, if you are going to wear wetsuit booties or a dry suit, you will need fins with bigger foot holes than just barefoot ones.   

[Smossy]

Have you been in the water in PS any time other than August (deeper than 5' even in Aug. it is still only about 54 degrees) or in Hood Canal?     Do you have a wetsuit?  Or drysuit?  I'd think about those before spending a bunch on a snorkel. 

I've used the snorkel I bought in 1980 until a couple years ago when it got crunched.  The simple/old style worked fine.

If that is $100 for the kit, thats probably a good price, however, two things to do - try different masks on, one will probably jump out at you as being more comfortable since everyone's face is shaped a bit differently, comfort counts, and second, if you are going to wear wetsuit booties or a dry suit, you will need fins with bigger foot holes than just barefoot ones.   

Yeah its for the kit, Theyre all new designs that are supposed to make things easy. The snorkel has a special valve so that you dont have to hold the water out with your lungs, You just stop breathing and your good to go. And yeah Im gonna get a wet suit, They run about 100$ also for a full size "Full arm and leg length" The wett suits have no booties tho, Its open hands and feet. It might just be limited to shallow summer dives in the sound or lots of lake diving chasing lil fish.

And I also read about the mask sizing thing, Comfort is 100% most important. Gotta find a mask that fits great.

[Da stump]

i was a padi instructor, naui certified, and have an associate degree in diving technology from highline college.  I do not recommend snorkles with the valves in them.  What i highley recommend is taking a proper coarse and learning decent skills.  Even free diving without tanks or surface supplied air you can get into trouble fast.  Just one problem is a condition called shallow water blackout, look it up.  Really that is just one issue, tides and current, fishing line, seaweed, hypothermia, all can ruin your your day far more than anyone can fix.  There are many other issues that you should learn about as well.  Diving is a great hobby but don't cut out the training.  When you get you cert let me know and i can tell ya some great spots.
Dale

[Smossy]

i was a padi instructor, naui certified, and have an associate degree in diving technology from highline college.  I do not recommend snorkles with the valves in them.  What i highley recommend is taking a proper coarse and learning decent skills.  Even free diving without tanks or surface supplied air you can get into trouble fast.  Just one problem is a condition called shallow water blackout, look it up.  Really that is just one issue, tides and current, fishing line, seaweed, hypothermia, all can ruin your your day far more than anyone can fix.  There are many other issues that you should learn about as well.  Diving is a great hobby but don't cut out the training.  When you get you cert let me know and i can tell ya some great spots.
Dale

Recommend any places/teachers to get that done at? Certification that is..

[dscubame]

A snorkel just gets in the way.  I have literally thousands of dives logged in the Puget Sound.  I may come under fire for this comment but I dropped the snorkel a long time ago.

Get a decent drysuit and undergarment.  A bc with weight sacks built in (no weight belt).  Steel tank for better buoyancy characteristics (less weight in your bc bags) and higher pressure characteristics.

Get the best mask and fins you can find.  Equals easier less energy and stress in movement.

If your interested in doing what most don't then you will find yourself wanting to go deep.  A pony bottle for back up is a must with a independant octopus.

Good dive computer and understand what it is going to tell you.  First time I went to 160 feet the read out was skewed for reasons to lengthy to go into here but I will say understand your dive tables because what the computer says can be misunderstood.

This is my contribution but there is a great deal more.
 

[lokidog]

Have you been in the water in PS any time other than August (deeper than 5' even in Aug. it is still only about 54 degrees) or in Hood Canal?     Do you have a wetsuit?  Or drysuit?  I'd think about those before spending a bunch on a snorkel. 

I've used the snorkel I bought in 1980 until a couple years ago when it got crunched.  The simple/old style worked fine.

If that is $100 for the kit, thats probably a good price, however, two things to do - try different masks on, one will probably jump out at you as being more comfortable since everyone's face is shaped a bit differently, comfort counts, and second, if you are going to wear wetsuit booties or a dry suit, you will need fins with bigger foot holes than just barefoot ones.   

Yeah its for the kit, Theyre all new designs that are supposed to make things easy. The snorkel has a special valve so that you dont have to hold the water out with your lungs, You just stop breathing and your good to go. And yeah Im gonna get a wet suit, They run about 100$ also for a full size "Full arm and leg length" The wett suits have no booties tho, Its open hands and feet. It might just be limited to shallow summer dives in the sound or lots of lake diving chasing lil fish.

And I also read about the mask sizing thing, Comfort is 100% most important. Gotta find a mask that fits great.

With wetsuits you have to buy seperate booties and gloves.  If you want to be able to walk when you are done swimming, you will want booties, unless you like just trusting that your feet are below you w/o being able to feel them.

When you surface, you will blow the air out of your snorkel like a whale blows the water off the surface of it's blowhole.  As far as diving w/o a snorkel, I would recommend starting with one, especially if you have to swim to where you go down or you may use more air than necessary.  It is, IMO, easier to just swim with your face in a comfortable position at the surface.  I don't have thousands of dives in PS, just a few, but I dove a lot in CA where the water is warmer and you can catch lobsters.   

There are probably dive places doing classes in your area, google it.  Diving can be a lot of fun, but it gets spendy very quickly, especially outfitting for two.

[jaymark6655]

I second the snorkel without a valve, have always hated them.  A snorkel full of water isn't hard to clear or to keep out of your mouth.  Tried one with a valve once and  one time I sank a little too low in the water, since there was no water in the tube I tried to inhale and got nothing.  That freaked me out a little.

As far as classes, I can't really recommend any place since I took mine in Oki.  I do know there is a store somewhere along Lake Union and one over close to Alki that probably offer classes.  To start get fins, mask, snorkel that you have worn at least in the store before buying.  Everything else can be rented, till you save up some money or figure out what is right for you.  For fins I like the ScubaPro Twin Jet (they aren't too great on the surface, but undwater they are hard to beat).  I have no clue what my mask and snorkel are.

Loki: I do miss lobster in CA, but Bahamas also has lobster and its warmer than CA.  To me water temp seems the same between WA and CA, only difference is how warm you get after you leave the water.