Is it embarrassing to admit that until my trip to Destin, Florida in May 2013, I had never in my life been snorkeling? It might be less embarrassing to admit that I had never been snuba diving either.
Yeah I know, it confused me too. Snuba diving with Destin Snorkel is exactly what it sounds like. It is a cross between scuba diving and snorkeling. You aren’t attached to an oxygen tank, but to an oxygen line that is attached to a tank on a raft. You are weighted down and can go to depths of 30 feet without having to surface for air.
I’m totally an adventurous type so I thought for sure snuba would be something that I would love. While we were in Destin, Florida staying at the Emerald Grande Harbor Walk Village, we went to Destin Snorkel for some underwater adventures. We were briefed on how snuba works once we got to the location which was surprisingly, not far from those sugar-sand beaches at all. They instructed those of us who had never been snorkeling to start with snorkeling to get used to breathing under water.
It was the best advice anyone has given me in my entire life.
I grabbed a mask, snorkel, and some fins and hit the water. I thought it would be a cinch, but apparently that whole “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” rings true, because I completely panicked when I tried breathing underwater. A few friends held my hand while I swam around and after about 15 minutes, I felt like breathing underwater was second nature. I got to see some gorgeous fish, jellyfish, and baby shrimp while underwater.
After an hour of snorkeling, I was ready to give snuba a try. I was amped and just certain that I was going to love it.
Once I got my gear on, we headed out to the deeper waters and dove down a few feet to practice clearing our ears. Unfortunately, my nose ring dug into my nose every time I tried to clear my nose, which made me need to sneeze, which filled my mask (half way) with water, which caused me to panic. I surfaced and took my nose ring off, hiding it in my lady lumps, then tried again.
Unfortunately the whole water in the mask thing freaked me out enough that I had a really hard time getting any further down than 5 feet. I was totally bummed. Plus, there was this whole “my butt is extremely buoyant” issue, and I felt like no matter how much weight my guide added, I couldn’t get my rear end to stay under water.
Laugh all you want to. I love my butt.
We were the last group of snuba to go so I felt rushed (totally my own misgivings, not those of Destin Snorkel or our guide). I think had I been given more time to get down to a deeper depth, I would have done fine, but time was not on my side. Being or breathing underwater weren’t the issues. I had a hard time with having to breathe really slowly with the regulator in my mouth, where I wanted to panic and breathe quickly.
That darn regulator and it’s regulation of breaths!
Despite my buoyant butt and fear of the regulators ( mount up ), I had a fantastic time snorkeling with Destin Snorkel. The guys who ran the excursions were extremely patient, knowledgeable and kind. The videographer who followed us around was also super cool and got some great shots of us swimming around the ocean blue.
So let’s assume you go snorkeling and you get tired of being in the water, Destin Snorkel provides kayaks for you to use while the rest of your party is snorkeling away. What a great perk, right? Plus, you can take your kiddos snorkeling, provided they are at least 5 years old.
While planning your next trip to the beach, consider Destin, Florida and make sure you add Destin Snorkel to your itinerary.
Kim @ What's That Smell? says
Hey you got out there and tried which is awesome! I don’t like my head under the water, I get freaked out.
Summer says
It freaked me out too! I’m glad I tried but I definitely think if I had had more time to acclimate to breathing in the regulator, I would have done fine. Low & slow. 🙂
Mom says
Your mask wasn’t tight enough is why you kept getting water in your mask. I used to have to wear a lot of weight when I went scuba diving. I guess we are just floaters!!!