You Should Always Take This Precaution Before Your First Time Snorkeling

Snorkeling can be an incredible experience that allows you to behold the amazing landscapes and creatures hidden beneath the ocean waves, with destinations like Hawaii offering a number of mesmerizing snorkeling spots. However, it can also be intimidating for newcomers to strap on a mask and dive into the water. For the best experience possible, purchase your own snorkel gear and familiarize yourself with it before embarking on your first adventure.

The last thing you want is to be in the ocean when you discover something wrong with your equipment or that you simply don't know how to swim without using your arms. It can take time to learn how to breathe through the mask and float along the water's surface, so why not spend that time in a pool or beach closer to home rather than losing your precious vacation hours figuring out the basics?

Breathing through a snorkel isn't always intuitive, and floating at the water's surface and propelling yourself forward with big flippers instead of using your arms is a new experience for those who haven't snorkeled. While snorkeling, you want to relax and move slowly through the water to preserve energy and avoid startling the creatures you want to observe in their natural habitat. Practicing in the water before you go on your snorkeling trip is a good idea.

Not all pools allow snorkeling equipment, but if you can find one that does, it can be the perfect spot to practice. If that isn't possible, try your favorite local swimming spot, like a lake or beach without serious waves. Give yourself plenty of time to adjust to this new way of swimming and get comfortable in the water. Then, when you go snorkeling in the ocean, you can focus on the incredible marine world below instead of your mask and fins.

You've done your research and officially found the best snorkeling spot in the Caribbean. You're trying to admire the beautiful coral reef, but suddenly, your mask fills with water. If it fits properly, you can clear your mask without leaving the water, but if not, your mask won't seal around your face like it's supposed to. You can test this on land when buying the mask by seeing if it creates suction when you breathe in through your nose, but the best way to be 100% sure you've purchased the right size and adjusted your straps correctly is to try it out in the water.

While discovering you've purchased fins in the wrong size won't prevent you from seeing the reef, it might make it hard to get around. Though you should be able to get a pretty good estimate of your size, it's worth noting that they will feel a bit looser as soon as you get in the water. Before heading out for the real deal, you'll want to get used to how your fins feel in a more controlled environment.