The chief advantage of snorkeling over other water related sports such as Scuba diving is that so little equipment is actually required, and those pieces that are required have such low cost. In essence, you will need a properly fitted snorkel mask with its associated snorkel tube. Although you could select a plain snorkel tube, choosing one that has one or two valves presents an added convenience.

Snorkeling isn’t really a dangerous sport or hobby but, as in any sport and in particular water sports certain hazards are apparently built into the hobby. Snorkeling is no different in this respect. There are the normal water sport type hazards one would encounter if you were swimming or diving. Occasionally you might encounter a few situations underwater that make you a bit fearful. The first thing you must realize is do not panic. The best tip for a snorkeling beginner however is not to go alone! Take a buddy with you.

SCUBA diving and Snorkelling is becoming more and more popular and accessible to millions of people every year. The booming tourism industry has brought people and coastlines together for many years and peoples’ desire to explore and venture further has naturally increased the popularity of diving and snorkelling. As with anything in tourism, the more popular something is the more associated problems and pollution there is. With SCUBA diving and Snorkelling, the effect of unnaturally bringing thousands of people into close proximity with marine organisms is no different and has many documented negative effects. However it doesn’t necessarily cause problems depending on HOW you dive or snorkel. There are many things that the visitor can do to hugely reduce their impact on the environment and marine species through some simple actions and overall awareness. This simple guide from the Reef-World is based on years of research and collaboration working within the dive tourism sector in SE Asia and marine science institutes.