Tips for snorkeling with little or no experience

14 April, 2022

You may be interested (or convinced) in getting to know the vast marine life that inhabits the depths of the turquoise waters of Quintana Roo. You are not alone in this. Every day, hundreds of tourists are attracted by the idea of exploring its shores under the water's surface. Many take action and venture into this activity, while some others prefer to stay on land doubting whether their swimming abilities are good enough for the experience they want to try.

At Cancun Snorkeling, we are pleased to announce that even with little or no swimming or snorkeling experience, you can experience snorkeling without any problem. Here is how:

 

Conquer your fear

 

The first thing is to lose the fear of diving into the water. It is normal that, if you haven't tried snorkeling before, you feel some panic at picturing yourself submerged. You need to learn to live with that fear. Let us recall Will Smith's words when he talks about his free-fall experience: "The point of maximum 'danger' is the point of minimum fear." Applying this idea to snorkeling, at the moment of submerging, despite being in front of what you consider dangerous (water), the fear disappears.

 

Self-confidence

 

Self-confidence largely determines how we perform in the activities we choose. Snorkeling is no different. It is important that you trust yourself. With that mission, our guides will be there to help you at all times.

 

Patient guides

 

It can be frustrating for first-timers to be guided by people who put pressure on them in terms of achieving goals quickly. On the other hand, having patient and empathetic guides will help make your first snorkeling experience one to remember.

 

Previous simulation

 

A good practice for instructors can be to simulate the experience in a shallow area before the session, so participants can test the equipment, receive suggestions, and feel even more confident.

 

Test equipment

 

A highly important factor for the experience to be pleasant. It is recommended to test masks, tubes, fins, and life jackets before starting the actual dive. Ideally, all participants should feel completely confident about their equipment being in optimal conditions to get the most out of the experience.

 

Presence of a life jacket

You may have doubts about whether you will be able to float or stay on the surface if you do not know how to do it without assistance. There is nothing to worry about as long as you are wearing the life jacket properly. This useful tool will be of great help also if you get tired.

 

Small groups

 

One of the mistakes made by some snorkeling schools is forming large groups to fill all the available spaces on the boats. Not only dangerous, but this can also detract from the quality of the experience due to the lack of personalization and follow-up by the guides. Opposite to that, small groups promote almost individual attention that motivates everyone to keep going.

 

Lifebuoy

 

 

The guides, in their effort to make you feel safe so that you can enjoy the immersion, will carry the typical circle-shaped floating device so that, in case you need support, you can confidently approach and hold on to it to take a breath and continue. Remember that your guides are people you can trust for any emergency.

 

Calm waters

 

In addition to the weather, one of the external factors that can influence the experience is how much current there is in the dive zone. The ideal for beginners is to start in an area with little or no current and with a maximum depth of 4 meters.