Posted by Franko on June 19, 2002 at 11:08:29:
In Reply to: info snorkels posted by George on June 18, 2002 at 21:10:17:
George,
There's no strong consensus among the freedivers I know on snorkels, but they seem to divide into two camps. A lot of folks like you like a traditional no-frills snorkel with no purge. Omer's Zoom seems to get positive mentions at least as often as anything else. I bought one from Blue Water Hunter in Santa Barbara (see their snorkel page at http://www.blueh20.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/snorkels.html ). I haven't compared snorkels enough to be able to say whether this is what you'd consider large-bore.
Other freedivers I know, particularly those who spend a lot of time in choppy water, don't mind using one with a purge. A lot of people seem to like U.S. Divers' Impulse II. These are available in a lot of local dive shops. Not quite as purist a snorkel as the Zoom, but I carry both in my bag and I have to admit I've usually been using the Impulse. It looks like it might be unweildy, but I haven't had any problems with it fluttering as I descend/ascend unlike some other makes I'd tried previously.