Some Observations on Snorkeling

Board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology and in maternal fetal medicine, Cecilia Lyons Gaffaney, MD, provides maternal fetal medicine care to women with high-risk pregnancies at the Obstetrics Medical Group in Dallas, Texas. She earned her medical degree at the Karolinska Institute College of Medicine in Stockholm, Sweden, and completed her internship and residency in Ob/Gyn at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. When she is not attending to her patients or conducting research, Dr. Cecilia Gaffaney enjoys a broad range of activities, including travel, and a host of physically active pursuits such as hiking, running, swimming, and snorkeling.

A sport in which one swims on or under the water while wearing a facemask and a breathing tube called a snorkel, snorkeling is a relatively easy way to enjoy the underwater world. Its equipment requirements are minimal - a well-fitting facemask and a snorkel are the only real necessities, and one can optionally wear flippers on the feet to enhance propulsion. The venue requirements are likewise relatively easy to meet - any body of water one can swim in is acceptable. Some people even snorkel in swimming pools. Its prudent, though, to snorkel with a partner for personal safety; this also gives the snorkeler someone to share discoveries with.

Snorkelers generally swim along the surface and watch the underwater vista, breathing through the snorkel so they dont have to lift their heads out of the water. They may also choose to swim below the surface to explore underwater formations more closely. Whatever they do, snorkelers should aim to be relaxed -- its not a sport that requires a great expenditure of energy, and relaxed snorkelers are perceived as non-threatening by wildlife, some of which can itself be dangerous.

Good snorkeling citizenship extends beyond ones behavior while in the water. Snorkelers who travel from one spot to another should clean their gear thoroughly to avoid moving potentially invasive shellfish and seaweed species from one place to another.