Travel
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Can I take a life jacket as carry on?
Stupid question right! We leave to Hawaii this week and are doing a snorkle tour, the boat will have noodles, and the blow up vest. I am a horrible swimmer and I just wanted to bounce along the water. So I was thinking of taking my own life jacket. Of course it doesn't fit in my carry on, can I just walk in with it in a shopping bag?
I thought of wearing it on the plane but I dont think that'll work ;p
Re: Can I take a life jacket as carry on?
I think you should wear it on the plane and when asked why say, "Oh you know.... just in case...."
LOL!
My husband takes anti anxiety meds before long flights, I told him that joke and he did not laugh. lol
You do not need to pack your own life jacket. The ones the boat provides will be more than sufficient, since the whole idea behind snorkeling is that you float on the water's surface and look down.
And also, the body floats in salt water - even without a life vest. This is one of the reasons why divers have to wear special weights to allow themselves to go underwater (and also have to use special buoyancy gear - since the body naturally floats) . You will be fine. Save the packing space for something else.
I can understand being a little freaked out if you are not a strong swimmer. But the boat will have more than enough safety gear for you. They will have a life jacket for you - and I think some companies require you to wear one (I could be wrong about that). If you can try to relax, you will float along just fine. Snorkeling as a sport should be very relaxing.
i went to Hawaii with my mom and she was very nervous about snorkeling because she isn't a strong swimmer. I made her put on the life vest and she got in the water - and then ended up being the last one back on the boat because she was having such a great time in the water. Enjoy it! You will have a blast.
Pantry Raid Blog | Travel blog | My Goodread shelf
Thanks for the info. My friend went snorkeling before and asked to wear a vest and the crew said if she couldn't swim she shouldn't be in the water. So she didn't get to swim/ snorkle because she was to afraid.
....thanks
Do the blow up vest go around youupper body or just neck? When I went to the lake here we rented a pontoon boat and they only provided the ones that go around your neck... http://www.amazon.com/Revere-Supply-Co-safeguard-22-MK1-OR1-Y-Style/dp/B004MSHF40
I didn't feel too safe with those, are the blow up ones better?
Most boats just have the blow-up ones that goes around your neck. That along with a couple of noodles and the salt water you will be floating round just fine.
Says the girl who worked on a snorkel boat in the islands and took out non-swimmers for 13 years.
Sounds good, I guess I will be returning the life jacket.
Thanks for all your help ladies!!
I know it can be kind of scary, but once you get in the water - and especially once you get your face in the water and realize that yes, you can breath through the snorkel and that it takes minimal effort to keep yourself afloat, you will realize that everything is just fine. Just try and take it slow and calm and you will be fine. For me, not much beats the feeling of weightlessness in the water.
Pantry Raid Blog | Travel blog | My Goodread shelf
I would expect a normal life jacket to carry you too high in the water to actually be able to see anything anyway.
Is there a public pool you can go to for some practice? Floating is a lot easier than swimming, and all it really requires is the ability to stay calm and know what to expect. If you just hold your breath and float in an upright position as if you were standing, your head will stay within a few inches of the surface, and you can easily come up for air as needed. Or you can float on your back. Just don't try to breath through the snorkel while floating on your back... As that puts the top of the snorkel in the water and it will then behave as a straw. Everything you do in the pool will be easier in the salt water.
Not that there is any need for practice for your safety, but you'll probably have more fun if you get a little more comfortable in the water first. When I was a kid, my parents took me to some amazing places for snorkeling, but I was too scared to participate (I was totally comfortable in the deep end of a pool, but being a kid with a huge bully for a big brother, I was terrified that there would be snarks). I'm still kicking myself for missing out.
Thanks for the info. My friend went snorkeling before and asked to wear a vest and the crew said if she couldn't swim she shouldn't be in the water. So she didn't get to swim/ snorkle because she was to afraid.
I kinda agree with this. If you don't feel confident in the water or can not swim at all you can be danger to both yourself and others. A reputable company should ask the level of every participants swimming before letting anyone in the water and keep an eye on participants that are not strong swimmers.
I would assume that all boats would carry life vest (in case of emergency) and certainly wouldn't get on a boat that didn't have them.
Personally I would pick a small group tour- the less people the less likely hood of any stress (caused by overcrowding/bumping and others freaking out) and more supervision.
I practiced last summer and I could float. I assumed it would be harder to do in the ocean. I learned how to swim a tiny bit, I feel confortable in a pool.
I guess that is true but she did know how to swim but was still requesting a life jacket. She is like me a big scaredy cat, I just thought it sucked to pay that much and then not be given a life vest after you ask.
My H and I are taking my mom to Hawaii in a few weeks and she literally asked this (more as a joke, but she did ask).
My mom can't swim (she can dog paddle, but that's about it) and she wants to try snorkeling. We aren't planning to go with any tour operators, just off shore, so we'll be renting her some snorkel gear, including a life jacket. I think the life jacket rental is only like $8 for the week or something...and much easier than trying to carry it on.
However, if you are going on a boat, they must have a life jacket for every person on board, so you should be fine with just that anyways.
The ocean is salty, so it's actually easier to float. As hard as it is to believe, you will be more comfortable when you are in the moment and see how easy it is. Or not-- and in that case, I doubt flotation will assuage your fears.
Even without flotation, a deep breath will put you at the surface. Being too buoyant will make it hard to swim (since 1/2 of you is out of the water practically.)
Depending on where you are snorkeling, you will likely be able to just stay in one place, not worry about kicking, hold on to your noodles and just look down. Try that if you are uncomfortable at first. Get used to the new sensations, and then next thing you know you'll be wishing you could dive down to grab the fish :-)