ACQUATICS ACTIVITIES – PE

CHARACTERISTICS OF WATER
 BUOYANCY
 HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE
 ENHANCED COOLING

1. BUOYANCY
 Is the upward force of the water on an object.
 This is the reason why boats and people float on water.
 It also gives a weightlessness feeling, which makes it easier to move, lift knee, or even jog in water.

2. HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE
 on one hand, is the pressure exerted by the water at equilibrium due to the force of gravity.
 It is the weight of the water pressed down on the object
 Exerted on the body from all sides and this pressure combined with buoyancy, helps keep standing
balance in water.

3. ENHANCED COOLING
 characteristics that transfers heat away from the body much quickly than air given in the same
temperature.
 this is the reason we can stay longer in water and can tolerate longer workout feeling being
overheated.

 SNORKELING
Snorkeling (British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkeling) is the practice of swimming on or through a body
of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped breathing tube called a snorkel, and usually swim fins. In cooler
waters, a wetsuit may also be worn. Use of this equipment allows the snorkeler to observe underwater attractions for
extended periods with relatively little effort and to breathe while face-down at the surface.
 one of the best but simple way to see, discover and appreciate the intriguing underwater life is through snorkeling.
 Snorkeling builds greater lung capacity as one forced to hold breath underwater for sustained period of time.

HOW DID SNORKELING BEGIN

1. HOLLOW REED ( 3000 B.C)

 skin divers of the island Crete in the Mediterranean used hollow reeds to breather while submerged in water as
they collected sponges.

2. ANIMAL SKINS WERE FILLED WITH AIR (9000 B.C)

 an ancient bas-relief dating 900 B.C divers in Assyria using animal skin filled with air to lengthen their air stay
underwater.
3. DIVING BELL ( 300 B.C)
 Alexander the Great encouraged the development of the 1st. Diving bell, which was a cauldron designed to trap
a pocket of air when it was lowered into the water.
 one of the writings of Aristotle, he mentioned divers using a tube connected to the surfaces to the snorkel
remarking that it worked like “ the trunk of the elephant”

4. EYE GOGGLE FROM SHELLS OF TORTOISE ( 1300S )

 the shell of the tortoise was used to develop a gadget to protect the eye as well as to see more clearly in water.
 The shell was sliced very thinly until it became translucent then polished for vision clarity. It was then used by the
Persian divers.

5. HOLLOWED TUBE AND SKETCH OF WEBBED SWIMMING GLOVES. (1400S)

 Leonardo de Vinci proposed and created the 1st. Contemporary snorkel,
 A hollow tube designed attached to the leather-head helmet of the diver.
 he also had a sketch of webbed swimming gloves, an idea that led to the modern-day fins.

6. WOODEN PADDLES (1717)

 Benjamin Franklin came up with an idea of using wooded paddles attached to the hands and feet to help
swimmers swim faster.

7. MODERN FINS (1912)

 Modern fins were invented by Frenchman louis de Corlieu Patent for this was obtained in 1933.

 WHAT ARE THE BASIC EQUIPMENT IN SNORKELING?

Snorkeling equipment went through different innovations in time. It became more refined and more features were added
and various designs have been introduced in the market.

A. MASK
When you go snorkeling, chances are you are doing so to take in the sights of something you've never
seen before. With a full-face snorkeling mask, you will get the widest views possible, giving you the best sights in
the ocean! You will no longer feel limited by the size of your mask. Your mask is so big that there is hardly a
limitation at all! The mask serves as the viewing device appreciating the world beneath the water. Without the
mask, everything viewed underwater will be blurred or distorted. The airspace created in the mask is what helps
in seeing clearly underwater.

There are two most important things to remember in choosing a mask.

1. FIT
2. COMFORT

PARTS OF THE MASK

1. STRAP- holds the mask to the face

underwater.
2. MASK SKIRT- is the soft flexible material
that seals the mask around the face
3. NOSE POCKET- cushions and protects the
nose. Some masks have the purge valve, a
little flap valve located at the bottom of nose
pocket that helps in removing the water that
has entered the masks.
 B. SNORKEL
a hard rubber or plastic tube through which a swimmer can breathe while moving face down at
or just below the surface of the water. There are different kinds of snorkel one can choose from. Their
important differences lie in the feature or part that a particular snorkel has or does not have. The classic
snorkel has the most basic part, the solid tube and the mouthpiece. Sometimes, this can be bent to a
specific shape.

The snorkel with a flexible tube below the strap attachment point is more comfortable than the
classic snorkel. The flexible tube allows the top and mouthpiece to rotate to different angles to better fit
the face. It can also drop away from the face when not in use.

A common feature of many snorkels is the PURGE VALVE. This is a small valve just lower
than the mouth that empties that collected water that comes down the tube when one blows it out.

A SPLASH GUARD prevents splashed water and spray from easily entering the tube. However,
this will not stop water from entering the tube when big wave covers the snorkel or when one goes
underwater.

The DRY VALVE is a special valve on top of the tube that completely stops water (and air) from
entering the tube when a wave comes or when diving underwater. This way, one does not need to clear
the water out when coming back to the surface.

DIFFERENT KINDS OF SNORKEL

 THE CLASSIC SNORKEL

It has the most basic part the solid tube and the mouthpiece this can be bent to a specific shape.
 THE SNORKEL WITH A FLEXIBLE TUBE
-It is more comfortable than a classic snorkel
-it allows the top and mouthpiece to rotate different angles to better fit the face
 PURGE VALVE
-it is a small valve just lower than the mouth that empties the collected water that comes down the tube
when one blows it out.
 SPLASH GUARD
-it prevents splashed water and spray from easily entering the tube, however, this will not stop water
from entering the tube, when a big wave covers the snorkel or when one goes
underwater.
 DRY VALVE
-it is a special valve on top of the tube that completely stops water (and air) from entering the tube when
a wave comes or when diving underwater.

C. SNORKELING FINS

Coming from another well-known brand of scuba diving gear, the Atomic Aquatics Full Foot Split Fins
are designed to greatly enhance the quality of your snorkeling experience. With long durable blades and
an innovative split fin design that reduces water resistance, these fins allow you to go as fast as possible
without expending as much energy as you typically would with non-split fins.
BASIC KINDS OF FINS

 Full-foot fin
 Adjustable fin
 Paddle-bladed fin
 Split fin

IMPORTANCE OF FINS
 water resists or “PUSHES BACK” anything moving through it. This is the principle behind what the fins do.
 Speed and efficiency in swimming are what one gains in wearing fins.
 They provide the necessary locomotion to propel effortlessly in the water.
 fins may also protect the feet from accidental contact with rocks and corals.

D. SKIN PROTECTION
Snorkeling may require one to be under the sun for some time. In order to protect the skin
from the heat of the sun, one may use a good biodegradable sunscreen or a better choice
will be wearing a long sleeve rash guard.
The shirt may also provide jellyfish sting protection. However, if insulation is needed
from the cold waters, them a wet suit will be a better option.

E. snorkel vest
Snorkel vests are small and inflatable, which provide more buoyancy while floating on
water.
This will help in consuming less energy in moving around.

F. SWIMMING CAP

A swimming cap, swim cap or bathing cap, is a tightly fitted, skin-tight garment,
commonly made from silicone, latex or lyric, worn on the head by recreational and
competitive swimmers.

Keeping hair out of the snorkel and the face as well. It will also help in preventing the
scalp from burning on a sunny day.

G. MASK DEFOGGER
Mask Defogger Mask Defogger helps
prevent the mask from fogging up. Be sure to choose one that is non-toxic,
biodegradable, and alcohol free for one's
protection and for the protection of
marine life.

WHAT IS FOGGING?

 FOGGING is when the lens of the mask become hazy or obscured with the tiny droplets of moisture
that are formed on the lens inside the mask.
 It happens when the warmer humid air inside the mask meets with the cold lens and then condensation
happens.