DIY Snorkel

If you are without a sporting goods supply store and are in need of a snorkel, you can always make your own, and it will be just as effective as a store-bought alternative. Snorkels allow you to keep your face in the water without having to lift your head out of the water to breathe, which makes all the difference between snorkeling and swimming. With a few commonly found tools and supplies you can quickly make your own snorkel, which will have you breathing underwater in no time.

Things You'll Need

  • 1-inch flexible plastic tubing (30 to 40 inches long)
  • Heat gun
  • Sand
  • Elastic headband
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Instructions

    • 1

      Plug in the heat gun and let it heat up. Heat guns are just like hair dryers, only they get much hotter; they blow hot air, which is used in this case to soften the plastic tube.

    • 2

      Fill your plastic tube with sand. Filling it with sand will keep it from crimping when creating the bend in it.

    • 3

      Gently and slowly apply heat to the tube with the heat gun. While doing this, bend the tube slightly to the desired amount. Generally snorkels have a U-shape at one end, allowing the user to breathe face down in the water with the other end protruding out of the water allowing fresh air to be pulled in. This bend should start 10 inches from one end and should be bent evenly to create a comfortable U-shape.

    • 4

      Empty the sand from the pipe when the desired amount of bend has been created. Place the end of the tube at the bent end into your mouth, and secure the other to your head with the elastic headband. The headband should be tight enough to hold the pipe in place, just in front of your ear, but not too tight as to collapse the pipe and cut off the air flow.