Snorkeling consists of swimming on the surface with your face submerged, breathing through a snorkel while observing the seabed. You don’t need to be a diver or have previous experience: with the right basic equipment and the right breathing technique, anyone who knows how to swim can get started. In this article you will find everything you need for your first time: what to wear, how to breathe, what to do when water enters and how to manage initial discomfort if you have never worn a mask.
If you want to practice from the first day in a safe environment and with real marine fauna, the Mediterranean gives you options that are hard to beat. One of the best options for beginners is to snorkel in Tabarca Island, a Marine Reserve with crystal clear waters, no current and depths that do not exceed 6-8 meters in the entrance areas.
What snorkeling equipment do you need before getting in the water?
The basic snorkeling equipment consists of three elements: mask, snorkel and fins. You don’t need anything else to get started.
- Mask: covers eyes and nose. Make sure the silicone seals well against your skin before buying or renting one. The test is simple: place it on your face without the rubber band, inhale gently through your nose and release it. If it sticks, the fit is correct.
- Tube: the tube through which you breathe. For beginners, a rigid tube with a purge valve at the bottom makes it much easier to empty when water enters. Full-faced tubes can generate CO₂ buildup if they do not vent well, they are not the recommended first choice.
- Fins: they allow you to move with little effort. Choose fins that fit snugly to the foot, without squeezing the sides. If the water is cold, wear neoprene booties between the foot and the fin.
Optional but useful: lycra or thin neoprene wetsuit if the water is below 22°C, and buoyancy vest if you feel insecure in the water.
How to put on and fit the snorkel mask correctly
Before entering the water, adjust the mask on land. Remove the hair from the contact area (even a single strand breaks the seal and water enters). Place the mask over the face, adjust the back rubber band halfway up the skull (not at the nape of the neck) and tighten until you feel even pressure without pain.
Once in the water, insert the mouthpiece of the tube into your mouth without biting down hard, just hold it with your lips. Tilt your head down naturally and start breathing through your mouth. If the seal of the mask is correct, no water should enter through the nose.
Breathing with the tube: the point at which almost everyone fails at the beginning
Breathing in a snorkel is slower and deeper than usual. The snorkel has its own length and volume, which means that between the air you exhale and the new air you inhale there is a small lag. If you try to breathe at your normal or fast pace, you will notice that the air “doesn’t come in right”. The solution is not to force: it is to slow down.
Inhale slowly and deeply through your mouth. Exhale calmly, also through your mouth. In the first few minutes it is normal for breathing to feel strange or forced. It is pure adaptation. Most people resolve it in 5-10 minutes of practice in calm water.
What to do when water enters (tube and mask)
This happens, especially in the beginning. Knowing how to handle it calmly is what differentiates a pleasant first experience from a frustrating one.
If water enters the tube: do not inhale. Raise your head to pull the tube out of the water, and exhale loud and short through your mouth (purge breath). The water exits through the lower valve. If the tube has no valve, tilt it down as you exhale. Then continue breathing normally.
If water enters through the mask: raise your head slightly, press the upper part of the mask against your forehead with one hand, exhale sharply through your nose. The air displaces the water downwards and exits through the lower part of the mask. Do not take it off.
Practice both techniques in shallow water, standing or leaning, before swimming offshore. At Dive Academy we always teach this before any snorkeling trip: five minutes of practice on shore eliminates 90% of the fear of water entry.
How to dive and resurface
Snorkeling is a surface sport, but diving briefly allows you to see the bottom up close and is one of the best sensations it offers. The basic technique to go down is called duck dive or dolphin dive:
- Surface swims with moderate momentum.
- Bend your body at the waist downward, as if you were going to touch your feet in the water.
- Lift your straight legs above the surface. Your own weight will carry you down.
- Use the fins to descend without excessive effort.
- When you want to climb, look up and hit the flippers.
Before ascending and sticking your head out, exhale a little air through your mouth to purge the tube. This way you don’t inhale water when you come back to the surface.
Fear of the mask: how to overcome it
One of the most common brakes to snorkel for the first time is not the sea itself: it is the feeling of claustrophobia generated by putting on the mask. Feeling that you can’t breathe freely, that it squeezes your face, that the glass distorts your vision. It is completely normal and does not indicate that snorkeling is not for you.
The solution is gradual exposure. First practice with the mask on land, without the snorkel, breathing through an open mouth. When you feel comfortable, add the snorkel without going into the water. Then put only your face in the water, in a pool or on the shore. There is no need to overcome any fear all at once: the body adapts with short and repeated practice.
If the fear has to do with the ears or deep pressure, that is ear compensation, a separate technique that is best learned from someone who can correct it in person.
Safety tips that are not optional
Snorkeling is a low-risk activity if basic rules are followed:
- Never alone. Always go accompanied or with a guide. Most snorkeling incidents occur in people who snorkel alone.
- Check the sea conditions before entering. Wind from land or swell component completely changes the conditions in 30 minutes.
- If you swim in an area with boats, use a marker buoy. Make yourself visible.
- Do not touch the bottom, rocks or marine organisms. Coral and posidionia take years to recover from rubbing.
- Respect your level. If the water is choppy or the current is pulling, it’s not the day to explore.
Discover snorkeling in Tabarca with Dive Academy
If you want to take the plunge safely and in a spectacular setting, the snorkeling trips to Tabarca Island with Dive Academy are designed exactly for this. Tabarca is a Marine Reserve since 1986 and has the highest density of Mediterranean fauna of the Alicante coast: moray eels, bream, starfish, octopus and posidonia in a good state of conservation. Departures leave from Santa Pola, last between two and three hours, and include a technical briefing before entering the water.
Equipment is included, monitoring is constant and the level of experience required is zero. You just need to know how to swim.
