How to snorkel without swallowing water: 6 fixes, easiest first

Most mouthfuls come from three things you can fix today. Your lips aren’t sealed on the mouthpiece, your head is up, or you’re breathing too fast. If waves keep splashing in over the top, a dry snorkel stops most of it.

On my tours in Croatia, nearly every first-timer comes up coughing at least once. It’s rarely the gear. It’s a smile, a lifted head or a rushed breath, and each one takes a minute to fix.

Six reasons you swallow water, easiest fix first

1. Water is getting past your lips

Bite the two small tabs on the mouthpiece gently. Then close your lips all the way around the soft rim in front of them. Water sneaks in at the corners of your mouth when you smile or talk.

A good mouthpiece stays put when your jaw is relaxed.¹ If yours pulls to one side, slide the snorkel’s clip along the mask strap until the mouthpiece sits straight. If it’s too big for your mouth, get a smaller one. Kids and small adults need this most.

2. You’re lifting your head

Look down at the bottom, and only a little ahead. The top of the snorkel should point up above the top of your head.¹ That keeps it as high out of the water as it can be.

When you lift your head to look forward, the tube tips back. Its top drops toward the water, and a small wave fills it. Turning your head to the side does the same.

Want to look around or talk? Stop, lift your head all the way up, and take the snorkel out. When you put your face back in, blow into the tube first. Then breathe.

3. You’re breathing too fast

Nervous swimmers breathe fast. A quick, hard breath in pulls any drops in the tube straight to your throat. Short breaths also pull the same used air up and down the tube. So you feel short of breath, and you breathe faster still.²

Breathe all the way out. Then breathe in slowly, like sipping through a straw. How to breathe through a snorkel walks you through it in a pool first.

If you can’t slow down, stop. Lift your head, take the snorkel out, and breathe open air until you feel calm. A snorkel vest lets you rest like this without kicking.

4. Your mask leaks into your nose

Water in your mask runs down to your nose. That makes you sniff or gasp, and a gasp pulls in any water sitting in the tube.

Test the fit before you swim. Hold the mask to your face with the strap out of the way. Breathe in gently through your nose. If the mask stays on by itself, it fits.³ Then:

• Keep your hair out from under the edge. One strand is enough to let water in.
• Wear the strap high on the back of your head. Make it snug, not tight. A tight strap bends the soft edge and opens gaps.
• Breathe only through your mouth. If you breathe in through your nose, any leak goes straight up it.
• Mind your mustache. Facial hair breaks the seal. Here are the fixes for snorkeling with a beard.

If a little water gets in, lift your head. Pull the bottom of the mask off your lip and let it drain.

5. The water is choppy

Waves splash over the top of the tube. No trick with your mouth stops that. Calm water does.

Wind makes chop, and on most coasts it builds during the day. Here on the Adriatic, our summer wind, the maestral, fills in by late morning and is strongest in the afternoon. So I take first-timers out early, while the sea is still flat.

Learn where you can stand, in a pool or a sheltered bay. A calm, sandy beach like Rainbow Beach on St Croix is a good place to start. If it does get choppy, turn your whole body to look around, not just your head.

6. Your snorkel is a plain tube

A plain open tube lets in every splash. Two other kinds keep more water out:

• Semi-dry: A splash guard on top turns away spray. A purge valve, a one-way flap at the bottom, lets water out when you blow.
• Dry: It adds a float valve at the top. When a wave covers the top, the valve shuts.

If you keep getting mouthfuls, a dry snorkel is the fix that works best. It’s the one I hand to nervous swimmers. My pick is the Cressi Supernova Dry, about $30.

There are two catches. A wave can shut the valve just as you breathe in. Lift your head and it opens again. And the air sealed inside floats, so the tube tugs at your mask when you dive down. What a dry snorkel is and how it works covers both. If you need a whole new kit, here’s the snorkel set to buy.

Don’t use a full-face mask to fix this

A full-face mask covers your eyes, nose and mouth, with no mouthpiece to bite. It looks like the easy way out. It isn’t.

You breathe in and out of the same space, so part of every breath is air you just breathed out. In a 2023 lab test with light exercise, full-face runs were stopped for too much carbon dioxide 45% of the time. With a normal snorkel, it was 20%.⁴ In March 2026, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission told people to stop using one full-face brand right away. It warned of labored breathing, passing out and drowning.⁵

Stick with a normal mask and snorkel. Our review of the Seaview Kradan set explains why we pick a separate mask and snorkel over a full-face one.

What to do when you get a mouthful

Don’t try to breathe through it.

1. Stop and lift your head. Take the snorkel out of your mouth.
2. Cough and spit. Then take a few slow breaths of open air.
3. Rest. Float on your back, hold on to your buddy, or lie back in your vest.
4. Clear the tube. Put the snorkel back in and blow one hard puff to empty it.
5. Go slow on the first breath. Put the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth and breathe in gently. A slow breath lets you breathe past any drops that are left.⁶

If you can’t swim, a gulp of seawater feels far worse. Read how to snorkel as a non-swimmer before you go out.

Can swallowing seawater make you sick?

A mouthful won’t hurt you. Your body can handle a little salt. Seawater only harms you if you drink it, because it’s far saltier than your body can deal with.⁷

The real risk is germs. When the water has germs in it, swallowing it is how most swimmers catch them. That can mean an upset stomach, throwing up, diarrhea, a headache or a fever.⁸

So skip city beaches after heavy rain, and any spot where you can see a drain pipe.⁸ Check signs and local websites for swim warnings before you go in.⁹

Frequently asked questions

Do you have to know how to swim to snorkel?+

No. Wear a snorkel vest, start in calm water you can stand in, and have someone watch you. The vest floats you face down, so you don't have to swim or tread water. Our guide for non-swimmers takes you through your first swim step by step.

Why does my purge valve let water in?+

Sand, most of the time. One grain under the rubber flap stops it from closing. Rinse the bottom of the snorkel in fresh water and gently squeeze the valve to flush it out. If the flap is bent, stiff or torn, it can't seal, so replace it. Rinsing your gear after every swim keeps it working.

Why does my snorkel fill with water when I dive down?+

Because the top goes under. Every open tube floods when you dive, and that's fine, since you're holding your breath. On the way up, look at the surface. Blow a small puff into the tube as the top breaks through, and the air pushes the water out. A dry snorkel shuts on the way down, so less gets in.

Is it normal to get some water in your snorkel?+

Yes. I'm in the sea all summer, and I still get a splash now and then. A few drops in the tube don't matter. What you want to stop is water reaching your throat. Blow it out with one sharp puff, then take your next breath slowly.

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Resources

Footnotes

1. Guimbellot, Barry and Ruth. “Snorkeling: Tips for Getting Started.” Dive Training, 4 June 2019, dtmag.com. ↩ ↩²

2. Toklu, A. S., et al. “Ventilatory and metabolic response to rebreathing the expired air in the snorkel.” International Journal of Sports Medicine 24(3), 2003, PubMed. ↩

3. “Masks.” PADI Gear, Professional Association of Diving Instructors, on the mask fit test, read 27 Sept. 2026, padi.com. ↩

4. Grundemann, J., et al. “Full-face snorkel masks increase the incidence of hypoxaemia and hypercapnia during simulated snorkeling.” Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine, 2023, doi.org. ↩

5. “CPSC Warns Consumers to Stop Using OUSPT Full Face Snorkel Masks Immediately.” U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 5 Mar. 2026, cpsc.gov. ↩

6. International Training. “Everything You Need to Know About Your Snorkel, Part 3: Clearing Your Snorkel.” Scubaverse, 6 Feb. 2017, scubaverse.com. ↩

7. “Can humans drink seawater?” National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, read 27 Sept. 2026, oceanservice.noaa.gov. ↩

8. “What Affects Human Health at the Beach.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, updated 21 Nov. 2025, epa.gov. ↩ ↩²

9. “Preventing Swimming-related Illnesses.” Healthy Swimming, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 6 June 2025, cdc.gov. ↩