USVI-On-Line

Sister has jumped on board last minute, to come on my shortie trip with me, and would like to learn to snorkel ! YAY! Has anyone found a website with demonstrations on snorkel related topics - how to put fins on, how to kick, etc? She might enjoy watching some videos while we waiiiiitttttt....

I ran across one a long time ago. I will do a quick search.

Of course you can find a video on anything on yourtube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDzXYJAe5yU

also listed along with many other snorkel videos;
how to survive a shark attack
how to look hot in a bikini
how to get better grades
and
how to make a bird feeder out of a milk carton

ain't life in a high tech world wonderful? How did man ever survive the pre-internet world??

Just an idea...you might encourage your sister to check with a local gym like LA Fitness or with the local YMCA. Places that have large indoor pools typically offer swimming lessons, so they may even offer a snorkel training course too.

Personally, I think she'll be fine with you showing her the ropes. If you can show her how to clear her snorkel and clear her mask, she should be good. After that it's basically just swimming and not forgetting to breathe.

Minde - Here's one that I found - http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-sno ... ccessfully

This gives just the very basics so you'll have to tell your sister that everyone pretty much develops their own style once they get into to the water. I don't personally put my fins on before getting in the water. It just seems too clumsy to walk backwards like that when you can't see where you're going. Pretty dorky to me. I'm not as flexible as I used to be so I like to put my fins on in the water so that the buoyancy of the water helps support my body while getting the fins on. I put my mask on and wade in at least waist to chest deep before putting them on - you can take turns handing fins one at a time to each other so they don't float away. The water helps reduce the friction you get with dry fins so it's a little easier to slide your foot in. Take your sister to Maho first because it's an easy entry with calm water and let her acclimate to just floating on the surface and breathing, clearing her snorkel and getting the feel of moving with the water. You need to explain that she should not "fight" the water because she wind up exhausted with a snoot full of water. Just relax on the surface and allow the water to rock her body...don't panic, stiffen and try to keep perfectly straight...that makes you unstable. Once she feels comfortable just laying quietly on the surface, then she can try using the fins to see how those make her move through the water. It's hard to explain how to kick with the fins and I've come up with my own method that works for me. You can't use just your ankles to kick because you'll wind up sore and stiff and you also don't want to bend your leg so much that the fins come up out of the water and slap on the surface, uses too much energy - you do want a little bend in the knee and ankle so that the fins flexes and gives you the thrust you need. I taught a friend recently and likened my method to a modified movement similar to pedaling a bike...bend knee and ankle slight downward and then straighten as you thrust against the fin, like the downward stroke on the bike pedal. She seemed to catch on once I explained it that way. Most of your time should be spent just lying on the surface observing the scenery below once you get to a good spot....allows you to rest up and recharge before moving to the next spot. And never panic and put feet or fins down on the coral! If she needs to adjust the mask or just take a break, roll over into a semi-reclining posture with fins up. The salt water is buoyant enough to support you with your head out of the water.... then when ready, just roll back over to a face down position. Also there's no shame in using a noodle or something along that line if needed. Most of all tell your sister to just relax and enjoy the underwater world that's going to open up to her. Once she gets absorbed in that she'll just naturally find what feels right. Have a GREAT trip!!!

I am going to have to check out the one about how to look hot in a bikini. I am a 47 year old male who tips the scales at almost 300 pounds, so that has always been a challenge for me

toes in the sand wrote:
also listed along with many other snorkel videos;
how to survive a shark attack
how to look hot in a bikini
how to get better grades
and
how to make a bird feeder out of a milk carton

Nice post, Lindy!

Costco has nice quality equipment if she has access to a pool before your trip. My. 10 year old has been practicing!

Thanks Augie! I'm sure that anyone who is really trained or proficient in snorkeling is rolling their eyes. But hey, it works for me! I didn't start until I was over 50 yet I can snorkel circles around my friends and I have fun.

Thanks, all. Lindy, your explanation is about how I would describe it! I thought it would add to my credibility if I could send her a video or two, as well as giving her something to visualize I used the link from here and a couple I found - not much out there...
I sent her home with a mask and snorkel to practice, at Christmas, just in case, but she never got around to going to a pool. I told her to wear it around the house then LOL