Difference between Scuba diving, Freediving, Skindiving and Snorkeling

January 25, 2019 - Deep Blue Diving

At first glance, free diving and snorkeling may seem more alike than scuba diving. After all, they can be done without the use of a breathing apparatus and don’t require any special certification. So what really is the difference between the two?

While both sports have their own awesome advantages, it’s important to know the differences between the two before you go out and stock up on gear. Here’s an in-depth look at both snorkeling and freediving.

Snorkeling 

One of the greatest things about snorkeling is that it takes very little background and only a few pieces of equipment to get started. At the very least, if you’ve got a mask, a clear day, and some time on your hands, you’re ready to start exploring. Of course, there are a few ways to make your experience even better, so here are the basics of snorkeling.

The Equipment. Because snorkeling is such a low-maintenance activity, there’s not a lot of training that you can do to improve your experience. The equipment you choose, on the other hand, can make your time in the water more enjoyable.

Your first upgrade: your mask. You may think that it’s good enough to just borrow a mask from a friend, but in the case that it doesn’t fit, you’ll probably find yourself adjusting and readjusting when you should be focusing on that gorgeous reef. It’s no use to save the money on buying a mask when your snorkeling experience gets ruined by a leaky mask.

Instead, take the time to find a mask that actually fits you. Whether you want a mask with two lenses or just one doesn’t really matter, but how the skirt (or the soft silicone that covers your nose and cheeks) forms to your face does. The first thing to look out for is whether the mask stays on your face without you having to hold it. If it stays, that’s a good sign.

Next is to test the skirt. Although it may seem silly, the best way to do this is to test how the mask will fit when you have the snorkel in your mouth (or, in other words, when your facial muscles are activated). Since you don’t want to be putting your mouth on the snorkels in the store, it might be a good idea to borrow a friend’s. When you’re trying on different masks, you want something that forms tightly to your nose and doesn’t allow any air to escape when you try blowing out through your nose.

Since a few years you can also get full face snorkel mask. These do not just cover your eyes and nose but your whole face. This has tremendous advantages for snorkeling as you can breathe both through your nose and your mouth. These masks have the snorkel integrated and usually they have dry snorkels. That way you won’t swallow any water by accident

So now that you have your perfect mask, it’s time to consider fins. The best model for snorkeling on the market these days are the standard scuba fins or the travel snorkeling fins. The latter are short enough to allow for small, versatile movements around shallow underwater landscapes, and allow for easy maneuverability getting in and out the boat or walking up onto the shore.

Don’t lose yourself, completely. It can be easy to allow yourself to drift off and forget about where you’re headed. Every once in a while, you need to reorient yourself and make sure you haven’t strayed too far from your boat or snorkeling buddies.

Necessary Training

One of the key differences between snorkeling and scuba diving is the amount of preparation you’ll need to undertake before getting in the water.

Snorkeling doesn’t require any training. If you are able to swim you’ll be able to enjoy the activity by simply slipping on your snorkeling gear and entering the water. Someone who has never snorkeled before can be a pro within minutes. More advanced swimmers can dive down a little ways while snorkeling, but they can stay underwater only as long as they can hold their breath.

Scuba diving, on the other hand, requires much more training before you jump in. Since you’ll be well below the surface of the water, you’ll need to learn how to breathe properly using a tank and tube, and you’ll want to know about all the safety precautions one should take during a dive. These training programs are often extensive and many resorts and excursion hosts require training before embarking on a scuba diving excursion. Because of the necessary training, the investment of time and money is much greater for those who want to learn how to scuba dive, but many believe the payoff is greater as well. At Mai Dive, SCUBA training courses are available, such as the PADI Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) course, one of the world’s most popular scuba courses to try Scuba Diving for the forst time.  In just one session we cand teach you the basic skills and you dive with a PADI professional for your first dive right out the front on our extensive house Reef. If you and the PADI Professional think you are comfortable enough after your 1st DSD we can take you out on the boat and show you some of the other sites as well.

Equipment

Each activity requires different equipment.

For scuba diving, the primary piece of equipment you’ll need is a pressurized gas tank with a tube. This tank will be your air supply while you’re underwater. A wetsuit is also necessary to keep your body temperature regulated, even in tropical waters. Foot fins will help you through the water, propelling your movement. And lastly, if you are not an experienced diver, you’ll want a guide to accompany you. At Mai Dive, we make sure your scuba diving in Fiji experience is as safe and enjoyable as it is unforgettable.  We create daily dive plans tailored to the requirements of our diving and snorkeling guests that factor in your experience level, the tides, the water conditions and the weather.

Snorkeling requires much less equipment; a mask that allows you to see the wonders of the underwater world, and a snorkeling breathing tube, typically 16 inches long, that allows you to submerge your face in the water while still being able to access the air above. Some snorkelers may want to use foot fins as well to move faster and with less effort on the surface.

Both snorkeling and scuba diving masks can be made up of a single lens or multiple lenses, and the latter can even be made to accommodate divers and snorkelers who need vision correction.

Skin Diving

Skin diving is a term that’s not used much anymore. It is basically snorkeling where you dive down while you hold your breath to have a closer look at aquatic life.

The purpose is not to dive as deep as possible but to go as deep as necessary to get a better view of life underwater. It somewhat is a mix of snorkeling and freediving with the difference that you dive down at times while typically moving around snorkeling on the top of the water.

As it is part of snorkeling, it does not require a scuba tank or a wetsuit. The fins used are typically snorkeling fins. The snorkel is used when snorkeling and you want to use a dry snorkel to prevent yourself from sucking in water through the snorkel when diving down. Skin divers do certainly also wear masks.

The masks is where it becomes interesting though. Traditional snorkeling masks are basically the same as scuba dive masks. They have a low volume which makes it pretty easy to dive down. The newer full face snorkel masks unfortunately have usually pretty high volume and as such make it hard to nearly impossible to dive down. At least it’s not easy to dive anymore with such a snorkel mask that covers the whole face.

The lines between snorkeling, skin diving and freediving are somewhat blurry. Most people that go snorkeling will automatically skin dive when they see something of interest inn the water underneath them. Yet most will not dive down into the depths that require or define freediving.

Freediving

Although the differences in gear for freediving and snorkeling are only slight, they are completely separate sports. Whereas snorkeling is all about exploring the water calmly, freediving is not a passive activity.

So what exactly is it? Freediving is diving without the use of a breathing apparatus. As a freediver, you rely only on your equipment, your strong swimming ability, and your capacity to hold your breath underwater. Generally, your dive is only going to last three to four minutes, but that can be enough time to explore depths that you never would have imagine possible without scuba gear.

But while some see this sport as dangerous, freediving truly allows you to cultivate a different relationship with life underwater, one built on endurance and excitement. It also fosters a respect for this challenging environment and an appreciation for its beauty.

Equipment. If we encouraged you to find a good fitting mask for snorkeling, we’re going to take it a step further and insist that your mask is perfect for free diving. With only a few minutes under water, you do not want to be dealing with a leak or fogging issue.

Another key distinction between snorkeling and freediving is the length of the fin. Freediving fins are very long and stiff so that your kick is powerful and energy efficient.

One last thing that you may want to invest in would be diving weights. You’re going to want to calculate the amount of weight that is appropriate for your skill level and the depth that you’re able to reach.

Training. There are many aspects to freediving training that will make you a successful diver. On the one hand, you must be in optimal physical shape. This means endurance training, nutrition, flexibility, and strength.

You’ll also need to train your body to become accustomed to the depths that you’ll be diving. One of the most important things that you must gauge is how adept your body is at equalizing your ears, because you cannot push yourself beyond this limit.

Another important part of training will be to exercise without access to air. This is not only difficult but inherently panic-inducing. Relaxation exercises are key to successful freediving.

Which style of diving will you choose?

Despite the fact that neither snorkeling nor freediving use a breathing apparatus, the two activities could not be more different. Whereas snorkeling is for a tranquil day of taking in the sights, freediving is much more about endurance and adrenaline.

While both are highly enjoyable, you’ll have to choose for yourself which activity is right for you. With either one, you’re sure to have a great underwater experience!

Articles contents are from :

DeepBlueDiving 

Link @ https://www.deepbluediving.org/difference-between-freediving-and-snorkeling/?fbclid=IwAR22Ev6UaGUDGFfFhHSUJDbiHF51A5acjN7KaEmOorxoBpsOlTVpeea8hhc and 

Maidive

Link @ https://www.maidive.com/whats-difference-snorkeling-scuba-diving/?fbclid=IwAR2KCR5mro0yhfbyfULTumlr-puNlOYbaSNC9-i52eb_isHlB7AxqECGXdw