What is a dry snorkel? How it works and who should buy one

A dry snorkel has a small valve at the top of the tube. When the top goes under the water, a float pushes the valve shut, so no water gets in. When the top comes back up, the valve opens and you can breathe again.

For most people buying a first snorkel, it is the right one. The most common problem for new snorkelers is water in the tube, and a dry top stops most of it. I guide snorkel tours on the coast of Croatia. If you are nervous in the water, this is the snorkel to buy.

How a dry snorkel works

A dry snorkel is a normal snorkel with extra parts at each end. If you are new to breathing through a tube, start with how a snorkel works. These are the parts that make a snorkel “dry”:

• The float valve, or dry top. A small float sits in a cage at the top. When water covers the top, the float rises and seals the hole. When the top is back in the air, it drops and the tube opens.
• The splash guard. Slots or a cap around the top turn spray away while you swim.
• The purge valve. This is a one-way rubber flap at the bottom, below the mouthpiece. Blow hard, and any water in the tube goes out through it.
• The flex tube. A soft, bendy part near your mouth. It lets the mouthpiece drop away from your face when you take it out.
• The mouthpiece and clip. Soft silicone to bite on, and a clip that holds the tube to your mask strap.

A dry top does not let you breathe under the water. The valve keeps water out, so it keeps air out too. You hold your breath while the top is under, the same as with any snorkel.¹

Dry vs semi-dry vs classic snorkel

There are three kinds of snorkel. What sets them apart is the top of the tube.

	Dry	Semi-dry	Classic (wet)
Top of the tube	A float valve that seals	A splash guard, no seal	Open
Keeps out splashes	Yes	Mostly	No
Fills when you dive down	No	Yes	Yes
Purge valve at the bottom	Yes	Usually	Sometimes
Best for	New snorkelers, choppy water, staying at the top	People who dive down now and then	Freedivers and spearfishers

Dry. The top seals, so water stays out even when a wave rolls over you. It is the easiest to use, and the bulkiest to carry.²³

Semi-dry. The top has a splash guard but no valve. Spray stays out while you float. Dive down and the tube fills. When you come back up, you blow it out through the purge valve. It suits people who like to dive down now and then.²

Classic, or wet. A plain J-shaped tube with a mouthpiece. Nothing stops water from coming in. It is light, cheap and simple. Freedivers and spearfishers use it because nothing on it floats or drags. They clear it with one hard breath out.

Should you buy a dry snorkel?

Buy a dry snorkel if any of these fit you:

• It is your first snorkel, or your first time in the sea.
• You swallowed water on a past swim and it put you off. There is more help in how to snorkel without swallowing water.
• You plan to float and look down, not dive.
• You will swim where there are waves, boat wakes or kids splashing.
• You are not a strong swimmer. A dry top pairs well with a snorkel vest, and there is a full guide to snorkeling if you can’t swim.

Skip it, and get a semi-dry or classic snorkel, if:

• You dive down on most breaths. The air sealed in the tube floats, tugs on your mask and slows you down.
• You freedive or spearfish.

A dry top is a good choice for kids too, but size matters more than type. Adult snorkels are not meant for anyone shorter than 150 cm, about 4 feet 11 inches.⁴ Buy a kid’s tube. The guide to kids’ snorkel sets covers how to get the fit right.

My advice for a first snorkel is simple. Buy a dry one.

Which dry snorkel to buy

A dry snorkel costs from about $12 to $75. The cheapest ones with no brand are where the trouble is. Some have a breathing hole that is too small. Others have a valve that sticks shut.⁵ Pay a little more for a known brand.

• The one to start with: the Cressi Supernova Dry, about $30. It has the float valve, a splash guard, a purge valve and a soft silicone mouthpiece.⁶
• For travel: the Cressi Alpha Ultra Dry, $44.95. The tube is all silicone, and it folds flat to pack in a bag.⁷
• The upgrade: the TUSA Hyperdry Elite II, $75. It has a big purge valve, a clip that swivels and a mouthpiece shaped to ease jaw ache.

Prices were checked on September 27, 2026. If you need a mask as well, see which snorkel set to buy.

How to use a dry snorkel

1. Test it before you get in. Dip the top in a sink, a bucket or a tide pool and try to breathe in. It should shut. Lift it out, and it should open. Sand can make it stick, so check it each time.
2. Clip it on so it does not pull. The mouthpiece should sit in your mouth with no tug from the tube.
3. Keep your face down. Look down and a little ahead. The top of the tube has to stay out of the water.¹ If you lift your head to look forward, the top tips back into the sea. The valve shuts and you get no air.
4. Breathe in slow and out hard. Slow, full breaths keep water from being sucked in.¹ They also flush old air out of the tube.
5. Stay calm if it shuts. A wave can close the valve for a second. It opens as the water runs off. If it stays shut, lift your head, take the mouthpiece out and breathe. Then tap the top to free the float.

How to clear a dry snorkel

A dry top keeps out water from above. Water can still get in at your mouth, most often when you smile, talk or take the mouthpiece out. It pools at the bottom of the tube, just above the purge valve.

To clear it:

1. Keep the top of the tube out of the water.
2. Bite down gently and blow one short, hard puff, like saying “too!” into the tube. The water goes out through the purge valve.⁴
3. Breathe in slowly, in case a little is left. If it is, blow again.¹

After a dive down, the valve has kept the tube dry, so you can usually breathe right away. Take the first breath slowly anyway.

The downsides

• A wave can cut off your air. The valve can’t tell a wave from a dive. For a moment you pull and get nothing. It passes quickly, but it can scare a new snorkeler.⁵
• The valve can stick. Sand and dried salt jam the float. Rinse the top in fresh water after every swim, and move the float with your finger. The guide to cleaning snorkel gear has the full routine.
• Trapped air pulls on your mask. When you dive, the sealed tube is full of air, and it floats. It tugs on your mask strap and can break the seal, so the mask leaks.³
• It is bulky. The valve adds size and weight at the top. That means more drag, and more to pack.
• It costs more. A plain tube costs less than a dry one.

Every snorkel makes you breathe some of your own used air again. A snorkel tube adds about 160 to 170 ml of this “dead space.”⁸ A long or wide tube adds more, so pick a short one. The safety standard for snorkels caps a full-size tube at 38 cm, or 15 inches, and 230 ml. For kids and people with smaller lungs, the cap is 35 cm, or 13.8 inches, and 150 ml.⁹

Frequently asked questions

Can you breathe underwater with a dry snorkel?+

No. When the top goes under, the valve shuts to keep water out, and that keeps air out too. Hold your breath while you are down, just as you would with any snorkel. The valve opens again as soon as the top is back in the air.

Which is better, a dry or a wet snorkel?+

It depends on where you spend your time. If you float at the top and look down, a dry snorkel is better, because waves and splashes stay out. If you dive down on most breaths, a plain wet tube is better. It is lighter, and no air is trapped in it to tug on your mask.

Can you dive down with a dry snorkel?+

Yes, for short, shallow dives. The valve keeps the tube dry, so you can breathe as soon as you come up. The catch is the air sealed inside. It floats, so the tube pulls up on your mask strap and slows you down. If you dive a lot, get a semi-dry one.

Are dry snorkels good for kids?+

Yes, if the snorkel is sized for a child. Adult snorkels are not meant for anyone shorter than 150 cm, about 4 feet 11 inches. A kid's tube should be no longer than 35 cm, or 13.8 inches, and hold no more than 150 ml of air.

Why is there water in my dry snorkel?+

There are three usual causes. Water got past your lips at the mouthpiece. Sand is holding the float valve open. Or the flap at the bottom is bent or sandy, so it leaks. Rinse both ends in fresh water, and check that the bottom flap lies flat.

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Sources

Footnotes

1. TUSA. Diving Mask & Snorkel Owner’s Manual, English section: keeping the tip above water, breathing, and clearing. tusa.com (PDF). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

2. Divers Supply. “Snorkels: Dry, Semi-Dry & Purge Valve.” Buying guide to the three snorkel types, read September 2026. divers-supply.com. ↩ ↩²

3. OpenWaterHQ. “What Is a Dry Snorkel?” On trapped air making the tube float and pull on the mask strap. openwaterhq.com. ↩ ↩²

4. Cressi. Snorkels, All Models: User Manual, English section, with the EN 1972 size table and clearing steps. Cressi manual (PDF). ↩ ↩²

5. Piehl, Galen, and Nicole Atkins. “Snorkel Buying Guide.” Tropical Snorkeling, updated January 2026. Cheap dry valves that stick shut or choke airflow. tropicalsnorkeling.com. ↩ ↩²

6. Cressi. “Supernova Dry Snorkel.” Product page listing the float valve, splash guard and purge valve, $29.95. cressiamerica.com. ↩

7. Cressi. “Alpha Ultra Dry Snorkel.” Product page describing the all-silicone tube that folds for packing. cressiamerica.com. ↩

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

9. British Standards Institution. BS EN 1972:2015, Diving equipment. Snorkels. Requirements and test methods. 2015. en-standard.eu. ↩