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Can You Snorkel With a Life Jacket? (Will It Help or Hinder)

Snorkeling is a fascinating activity that is enjoyed by many people around the world who want to get a glimpse of what life is like under the sea. If you want to be able to see marine life in its natural habitat, you are going to need a few pieces of snorkeling equipment. This includes a snorkeling mask, a snorkel, and a pair of swim fins. However, some people may choose to wear a life jacket as well. The question is, will wearing a life jacket when snorkeling help or hinder your experience?

Wearing a life jacket while snorkeling is seen as acceptable. However, because life jackets are designed to keep your head out of the water, they will be somewhat limiting while snorkeling. They will also prevent you from being able to free dive into the ocean. Some commercial snorkeling experiences require you to wear a life jacket or some other type of flotation device if you choose to use their services.

In this article, we are going to examine the advantages and disadvantages of wearing a life jacket while snorkeling. We will also look into the reasons that commercial snorkeling experiences have for requiring you to wear a life jacket if you want to use their services.

Advantages of Wearing a Life Jacket

Perhaps the biggest advantage of wearing a life jacket when snorkeling is that it can prevent you from drowning. Inexperienced snorkelers may not be the strongest swimmers and may need a little assistance. Outsider View says that another advantage of wearing a life jacket while snorkeling is that it keeps your body in the optimal position for beginners, allowing them to calmly float in the water, while still getting the opportunity to see what is going on under the surface.

Another significant advantage of wearing a flotation device during your snorkeling experience is that it allows you to relax. This gives you the chance to tread water comfortably. Inexperienced snorkelers say that this is important because their snorkeling experience tends to be much better if they are comfortable. Because they do not have to put a great deal of thought into keeping their body in the optimal position, they can direct their focus on many different forms of marine life under the water. After all, this is why they decided to snorkel in the first place, isn’t it?

Disadvantages of Wearing a Life Jacket

Wearing a life jacket while snorkeling is not a very popular choice amongst experienced snorkelers. While life jackets are designed to prevent you from drowning by keeping your head above the water, they may hinder your snorkeling experience for the same reason. Another disadvantage of wearing a flotation device while snorkeling is that experience snorkelers do not like their body to be in a vertical position, according to the website Open Water HQ.

There are floating devices that are specifically designed for snorkeling. These devices are appropriately named snorkeling vests. If they are required to wear some form of floating apparatus, experienced snorkelers usually prefer to wear snorkeling vests because they are less limiting than life jackets. They are also are much more comfortable. However, the most experienced snorkelers will tell you that the only way to truly enjoy snorkeling is without any type of floating device.’

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Commercial Snorkeling Experiences

While it may not be a popular choice amongst experienced snorkelers, many commercial snorkeling experiences are now requiring their customers to use a life jacket or other flotation devices, according to Aqua Sports Planet. While it might not be an official law that you are required to wear a life jacket while snorkeling, many insurance companies require businesses to take all precautions necessary for the safety of their customers.

Obviously, these businesses deal with many inexperienced snorkelers. They choose to make the customer’s safety a priority. These commercial snorkeling experiences will usually have a brief orientation in which they show their customers how to properly snorkel with a life jacket. This may be frustrating to experienced snorkelers, but beginning snorkelers will find this especially beneficial. Experienced snorkelers may need to seek out another commercial experience that will not require them to wear a light jacket.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we have determined that inexperienced snorkelers will see more benefits of wearing a life jacket while snorkeling than experienced snorkelers. Life jackets will keep people who may not be the most proficient swimmers safe because they are specifically designed to keep the snorkeler’s head above water. Experienced snorkelers claim that life jackets hinder their snorkeling experience because of this reason. Life jackets also give inexperienced snorkelers the chance to be more relaxed, which they say makes their experience better.

If you want to get the most out of your snorkeling experience, being able to have your head under the water will allow you to see much more aquatic life. However, most commercial snorkeling experiences now require their customers to wear some type of flotation device if they wish to participate in their snorkeling activities. Whether you choose to wear a life jacket or not while snorkeling, the goal is for you to have the best possible experience. After all, isn’t that why you chose to go snorkeling in the first place?

Can You Snorkel With a Life Jacket?