By Julie Stupp, Olympic Trials Finalist

Swimming with a snorkel can be very beneficial to pool and open water swimmers of all ages and abilities, as well as triathletes. SwimOutlet.com has quite a few different snorkel options and products to choose from.

In order to help you hone in on the right snorkel for your holiday shopping, I have reviewed five different brands and they have all left me with very little air to train!

The three major benefits of training with a snorkel are: 1) an increased lung capacity; 2) an improved technique with the ability to monitor your own strokes and; 3) being able to enjoy the underwater view for extended periods of time.

Breathing through a snorkel forces you to work harder for each breath, while only allowing a certain amount of air through the spout. Using a snorkel forces you to keep your head in line and looking down this allows you to clearly see what your arms are doing on each pull or stroke. Some long-course triathletes and open water swimmers are required to train for longer periods of time. With a snorkel, these athletes can enjoy the ocean, lake or river views, while outside the pool.

I’ve reviewed them in alphabetical order.

1. Arena Swim Snorkel

This snorkel has quite a few adjustment options on the headpiece, straps and tube, giving it a very sturdy and hydrodynamic feel. The snorkel doesn’t move around on your head while flip turning or swimming at speed. The comfort combined with adjustable headpiece features makes the Arena snorkel a great option for a long distance swimmer or triathlete, who has to have their face in the water for longer periods of time.

2. Finis Swimmer’s Snorkel

This is the perfect open water snorkel for either a triathlete or an open water swimmer. The long tube lends itself to easily blocking larger waves or open water disturbances, which is one of its best attributes. The FINIS snorkel comes in several different bright colors, which make it a “fun” accessory. But they have another purpose: the highlighted colors can help a swimmer stand out in the ocean, lake or river making it a great safety feature, too.

3. Speedo Bullet Head Snorkel

The Speedo Bullet is a super lightweight snorkel that has a very comfortable headpiece with extra cushioning. Those features combined with a smaller spout and shorter tube make it a perfect option for a younger swimmer just learning to swim with a snorkel, or for a more experienced snorkel user looking for an especially hard workout.

4. TYR Ultralight Snorkel

This snorkel is unique because it allows a swimmer to choose one of three adjustable spout sizes. The TYR snorkel comes with two different oxygen restrictor caps. One cap limits oxygen to 30% airflow into the tube and the other 60% airflow into the tube. This snorkel is perfect for a sprinter because of the different hypoxic options available. It will definitely improve your lung capacity, while making your workout very challenging.

5. ylon-a YSTA Snorkel

The ylon-a YSTA snorkel is small, lightweight and has a very minimalist design. These three features make it a very stable snorkel that seems almost nonexistent to you, while you are swimming. I like that characteristic. The snorkel comes unassembled, which is advantageous because you can size and fit it exactly to your own head. This snorkel is perfect for a stroke specialist, because of its tube size and length, its “build your own” fit and its stability while training.

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