{"id":18050,"date":"2026-05-18T06:36:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T06:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oceans5dive.com\/blog\/?p=18050"},"modified":"2026-05-18T06:36:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T06:36:19","slug":"snorkel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oceans5dive.com\/blog\/snorkel\/","title":{"rendered":"The Most Ignored Rule in Scuba Diving"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Where Did the Snorkel Go?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Walk around many dive boats around the world today and you will notice something strange.
Professional scuba instructors enter the water fully equipped with expensive regulators, dive computers, BCDs, DSMBs, backup masks, pointers, slates, cameras\u2026 but one simple piece of equipment is often missing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The snorkel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that raises a very important question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If instructors themselves ignore one of the most basic equipment standards in scuba diving, what other standards are they willing to ignore?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At\u00a0Oceans 5 Gili Air<\/a>, an SSI Instructor Training Center on Gili Air in Indonesia, this is a discussion we regularly have with divemaster candidates and future instructors during the SSI Instructor Training Course. The snorkel may seem like a small detail, but the philosophy behind it says a lot about professionalism, consistency, and respect for standards in the diving industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNobody Uses a Snorkel Anymore\u201d\u2026 Really?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the most common comments heard in the diving industry is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSnorkels are outdated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI never use it anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet many training standards from diving organizations still clearly state that instructors or students should be equipped with a snorkel during training dives. The wording may differ slightly between agencies and programs, but the principle remains the same: the snorkel is still part of standard scuba equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So why has it disappeared from so many instructors?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer is often simple: convenience and appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some instructors think it looks less \u201cprofessional.\u201d Others find it annoying when taking photos or videos. Some believe they will never need it. Over time, the industry slowly created a culture where ignoring the snorkel became normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that is exactly where the danger starts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standards Are Not Created Randomly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At Oceans 5 Gili Air, we strongly believe that standards exist for a reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standards are not written to make life difficult for instructors. They are designed around safety, consistency, risk management, and professionalism. Every requirement in an instructor manual has been discussed, tested, and evaluated over many years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, a snorkel alone will not magically make someone a better diver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the real issue is something much bigger:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens when instructors start deciding for themselves which standards are \u201cimportant\u201d and which standards can be ignored?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today it is the snorkel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tomorrow it may be ratios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next day it may be skill performance requirements, supervision standards, or safety procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once instructors start creating their own curriculum instead of following the system they represent, consistency disappears. And when consistency disappears, training quality often drops quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dangerous Culture of \u201cSelective Standards\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest problems in modern scuba diving is selective standard enforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many instructors follow standards only when it suits them. If a rule feels inconvenient, old-fashioned, or unpopular on social media, it suddenly becomes \u201coptional\u201d in their minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But professional diving education does not work that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an SSI Instructor Training Center<\/a>, Oceans 5 Gili Air teaches future instructors that professionalism means following the complete system \u2014 not only the parts you personally like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When candidates join our SSI Instructor Training Course, they quickly discover that our philosophy is very straightforward:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you choose to teach through SSI, then you teach according to SSI standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not your own standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not Instagram standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not \u201ceverybody else does it\u201d standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The standards of the organization you represent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That consistency is exactly what creates strong and reliable instructors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Snorkel Is Not the Real Problem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s be honest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The snorkel itself is rarely the actual issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modern diving conditions, boat diving, and equipment configurations sometimes mean instructors barely use their snorkel during dives. That is understandable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The real discussion is about attitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professionalism in diving is often measured in small details:<\/p>\n\n\n\n