Is SNUBA safe?----serious answers only please!?

Question

My brother-in-law keeps insisting we do SNUBA as opposed to snorkeling on our Hawaii trip. I'm really concerned about the safety of this! I once talked with a woman who regularly SCUBA dives and she said SCUBA is pretty dangerous really, and you can kill yourself easily if you aren't careful! I read about risk of air embolism on wikipedia. Is this really easy to mess up and get air embolism? I fear for my and my husband's lives, that we may accidentally do something wrong, cuz it's new, and accidently die.

I know this sounds crazy, but just HOW easy is it to mess up and how dangerous is this? Do you advise against SNUBA?

Answer 1

Snuba is as safe as diving, provided you listen to your instructors, and follow their direction in the safety briefing.  

Snuba is still bound by many of the rules of Scuba, though.  

Equalizing, never holding your breath still apply.

Answer 2

Snuba should be guided by suitably qualified instructors who should give you a thorough safety briefing.

I teach SCUBA diving and we do 'Try Dives' all the time to a wide variety of people. 'Try Dives' are very similar to the SNUBA you intend to do and the one golden rule we have is to ensure that you keep breathing.

The reason for the golden rule really applies when you are making your ascent and this should all be explained to you.

There really isn't anything to worry about at all, you should have a good time. Try and relax and just look around you - it really is quite amazing underwater.

If you're too concerned about this I would wholeheartedly recommend doing a 'Try Dive' rather than the SNUBA. Check out the PADI dive centres where you're holidaying. PADI is a worldwide recognised diving body. I've put a link below which may help you track down a centre in the right location.

http://www.padi.com/padi/common/dcnr_dis...

Answer 3

With snuba you only go down about 15-20 feet, and if you are uncomfortable you can go just a few feet if you want.

The good news is that you are looking to try this in the US so the place will likely adhere to safety guidelines etc....

Snuba is really a cross between snorkeling and scuba diving and attempts to provide the best of both worlds without the dangers and rigourous training associated with scuba diving.

Answer 4

Snuba or scuba??

I'm a new scuba diver...and as with any sport there are risks, that's why you have an instructor and do a course. They teach you how to scuba safely and what to do if something might go wrong.  But things rarely go wrong.

As for the air embolism thing....you probably wouldn't be diving deep enough to really be at risk for that.

But trust me...scuba is the best!! it's beautiful and peaceful and you see things you could only dream of!

Feel free to mail me :)

Also I found this on SNUBA:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snuba

Personally...I'd rather do SCUBA....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scuba_divin...