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CURIOSITY + INGENUITY = SNUBA

By Carole Herdegen

Published in Michigan Sports & Fitness Magazine

Take man's curiosity to venture into new frontiers. Add to it his ingenuity and a new sport is invented. That is exactly the formula used by Mike Stafford of Northern California about 15 years ago when he created SNUBA. Unlike other acronyms, the word, SNUBA, is a combination of the words SNorkel and SCUBA, itself an acronym for "Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus."

The popular activity of snorkeling limits the "diver" to underwater exploration by restricting the depth of the adventure by the length of the snorkel (tube) and the breathing capacity of the diver. On the other hand, the SCUBA diver has greater independence because he carries with him his own air tanks. Unfortunately, the trade off for this independence is the exposure to other, more serious physical concerns. Therefore, while the snorkel adventurer can virtually swim all day long near the water's surface, the SCUBA diver must be ever aware of dive time, depth, water pressure, air supply and surfacing.

With SNUBA, the diver, although restricted to the depth of a dive by an air line to the water's surface, is prevented from entering increasing water pressures (and problems) that face the SCUBA diver. Yet, because of the air line, the diver is not dependent upon breathing capacity or the length of a short snorkel tube. The result is that the SNUBA diver, like the snorkel diver, can spend a much longer period of underwater exploration but at a deeper depth.

Snuba

Today's travelers will now find advertisements for this relatively new underwater adventure in the Caribbean, Hawaii and the South Pacific. Therefore, if you are planning a vacation to an island or seaside resort and this new activity has peaked your interest, inquire if the resort offers SNUBA. To participate, one requires only the basic swimming skills and good health for this sport that is ideal for families, children and even seniors. And, I can personally confirm that your underwater adventures will be enhanced now that you can swim even closer to the fantastic attractions of underwater reefs.

SNUBA diving has attracted more than 3.5 million injury-free swimmers. In fact, after a SNUBA experience, a great percentage of participants have gone on to become certified for SCUBA diving. I often have told people that Scuba diving in the underwater coral reefs is like viewing a Jacques Cousteau film. But now, you are a part of the film and, swimming in an arena of beautiful colored coral and tropical fish must be on the list of top adventure activities.

My "maiden" adventure took place on St. John's Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Frank and Tammy Cummings operate VI SNUBA EXCURSIONS. After being fitted with diving masks and swim fins, Frank led our group of four to Trunk Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in the USVI. Once we donned our gear in shallow water, we began our short course of instruction in Snuba diving.

In the shallow water, there were two rafts each with a compressed air cylinder. We divided into two pairs and each pair was assigned to a raft. From each cylinder were two, 20 foot breathing lines with regulators. As each pair of us would swim in tandem underwater, the raft and tank would remain above us on the water's surface. The regulator was the mouthpiece through which we would obtain air via the breathing tube (or air line) connected to the cylinder.

Snube

Although we were restricted to a 20-foot dive by the air line, Frank had to fit each of us with a weight belt to prevent us from floating to the surface. We were now ready for practicing. Like snorkeling and scuba diving, a cardinal rule is to breathe through the mouth and not through the nose. This discipline is aided by the fact that the mask is designed to cover both the eyes and nose while sealing out the water.

In waist-deep water, we practiced our new adventure. It was really simple - and, everything worked. I was breathing normally, just like snorkeling. Our next instruction was breathing control. This is necessary to control one's buoyancy. Too deep of a breath would inflate one's lungs and tend to force one to surface, while completely deflated lungs would tend to make one sink. The solution was to control one's breathing to achieve equilibrium or balance. In short, not too much air or not too little air. After proving our newly acquired breathing skills in shallow water to Frank, we were ready to set out on a guided tour of the reef. Frank led the way in his full SCUBA gear. My first SNUBA experience was both comfortable and most enjoyable. Even only at depths of less than 20 feet, I had to clear the pressure on my ears; however, this presented no problem whatsoever. I was now "almost" a SNUBA pro.

Snuba

The marine life I viewed was fantastic and fascinating. One can view many films on underwater life; however, to see it first hand is an experience never forgotten. We remained in the water for about 45 minutes, which was approximately the length of time one air cylinder would supply air for two people. And, most welcomed was the fact that my new underwater adventure cost less than $60.00.

For further information on travel to the United States Virgin Islands
http://www.usvitourism.vi

U.S. Virgin Islands SNUBA excursions with 2 locations,
Trunk Bay on St. John's Island; Coral World on St. Thomas Island.
For reservations, contact:
Frank and Tammy Cummings
E-mail: info@visnuba.com
Tel. (340) 693-8063 / (340) 779-4519
Web site: www.visnuba.com

SCUBA diving instruction can be found in the yellow pages.
A few centers in the Detroit Metro area are:
Rec Diving, Royal Oak 248-549-0303
U.S. Scuba Center, Rochester Hills 248-650-9500
Advanced Aquatics Diving Inc., St. Clair Shores 586-779-8777
Diver's Den, Lake Orion 248-693-9801
Diver's Inc., Ann Arbor 734-971-7770
Novi 248-344-9260
Great Lakes Dive Center, Shelby Twp. 586-254-7670
Sea the World Scuba Center, Inc., Farmington Hills 248-478-6400

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