Re: [Paddlewise] snorkeling while still in a kayak

In a message dated 5/15/2002 2:21:44 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
kayaker37_at_hotmail.com writes:


> He mentioned 
> that he saw someone once that would use a mask, and had some sort of 
> snorkel 
> rigged to the side of the kayak, and would paddle out and invert at an 
> interesting spot.
> 
> I don't know if this was to scout out an interesting spot to snorkel, if he 
> 
> would regularly snorkel while still in the kayak, or if the person telling 
> me this was pulling my leg.
> 
> Which is it, has anyone heard of such a thing?
> 
I used such a device to help my wife improve her rolling. We used a Radical 
Gear snorkel breathing tube(www.radicalgear.com). It is a foam block for 
under the thighs, a rubber tube and a snorkel mouthpiece. 

The foam block fits under your thighs and the tube runs under your spraydeck 
with the mouthpiece coming out right where you need it. They did work well 
for helping adjust the roll student to adjusting to proper body and paddle 
mechanics under water as there was less of a threat of air deprivation.

2 caveats that I can think of: the air inside your hull won't last that long 
and you really should charge it after every couple of rolls by lifting the 
spraydeck; and the air quality is not particularly tasty as it has a lot of 
resin or poly taste to it from the actual boat. Additionally, dirt and debris 
in the cockpit and water accumulation may give you a bit of a muddy cocktail. 
(I guess that was three caveats).

After every roll session you might want to do a roll or two without goggles, 
nose plugs or snorkel as the real thing can be much different. Just my humble 
opinion.

Rob G


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