Normal goggles are a better choice for swim lessons

Firstly I need to clarify that this article is not about, or for:

• Experienced adult swimmers using front-mounted snorkels for training drills
• Adults or children who are learning to actually snorkel

As a qualified pool snorkelling instructor (as well as swim teacher), I obviously believe that learning to use proper snorkelling equipment correctly is a great thing for children to learn! Those aged 8+ who can swim 50m front and back, plus tread water for at least a minute, are ready to learn these exciting snorkelling skills that could open up all kinds of brilliant future open water adventures.

But when teaching stroke development in a swimming pool, that is, a child swimming on their front and/or back for 30 minutes as part of a structured lesson, they shouldn’t wear a snorkel mask or anything that obstructs airflow in and out of their nose (like a nose clip).

‘No snorkel masks permitted’

There are reasons as to why swimming pools often have a ‘no snorkel masks’ rule for recreational swimming:

• Many traditional masks are made of glass which poses a hazard if it shatters
• Their more clunky design and size can obstruct peripheral vision meaning the swimmer cannot see obstacles or lifeguard announcements as easily
• In general, snorkel masks are designed for open water swimming, not pool swimming

But for me, the single biggest reason as to why I wouldn’t let a young swimmer, especially, use a snorkel mask in a pool lesson is because these masks obscure airflow in and out of the nose. 

Why breath control is important

I am really big on breath control. I spend more time on it in lessons than most swim teachers I know. I want children (and adults) to have mastered it before they progress in their swim strokes. 

Swimming (at a steady, recreational pace) is primarily an aerobic exercise – it increases your heart-rate, your breathing rhythm and just like any other sport, you rely on oxygen to fuel your body. When swimming, we take a good breath in when our heads are up out of the water, then when our face goes into the water, we breathe out calmly, releasing our air, making lots of bubbles. As soon as we raise our head again, we are ready to breathe in. 

We need this proper breath control so that:

• We don’t accidentally inhale water
• We aren’t holding our breath (do you hold your breath in any other exercise?!)
• We are exercising calmly, efficiently and with good stamina

You will notice that children who don’t have a steady ‘breathe in, breathe out’ rhythm will get tired quicker, may constantly seem ‘out of breath’ and their swim strokes might appear to progress slower than their peers. The latter, especially, because body position, alignment and therefore leg kick are all being negatively affected by them spending twice as long with their head out of the water (doing an exhale and inhale when there should just be an inhale).

So, what?

I’ve over-shared all of these technical breathing reflections because now you can imagine how it will be much more cognitively and physically difficult to focus on all of that if you can’t use both of the airways available to you.

You know that feeling where you’ve had a cold, your nose is completely blocked and you have to do something strenuous like walk powerfully, and you feel like you can’t quite catch a good breath? This is what children are experiencing if we are asking them to swim powerfully and consistently with one airway blocked.

Younger or new swimmers wearing snorkel masks, who have had less years’ experience of breath control in water, can often experience confusion when they suddenly cannot use their nose to breathe in and out. These little moments of panic could cause a sudden swallowing of water through the mouth, coughing and general lack of good breath awareness and control.

Cheaper snorkel masks can also often fill with water (this is something a child would learn in a snorkelling class – how to efficiently empty a masks, often whilst treading water) and if the nose section fills with water and a younger swimmer doesn’t realise, there is a risk of water inhalation through the nose too.

Using masks in snorkelling

Why doesn’t all of this matter for snorkelling, then? Snorkelers need to obstruct the nose for various different reasons including equalising the pressure of their mask – something you don’t have to worry about whilst swimming lengths in a pool.

Learning snorkelling basics is intended for older children (STA guidelines are ages 8 and over only). These confident swimmers will have had more experience establishing a good breath control in water and will be given the correct instruction from a professional on how to use a snorkel mask, clean it, clear water and so on. They are better prepared to learn to now breathe in a way that just uses their mouth.

‘My child doesn’t like water near their nose’

One of the reasons we often see toddlers or young children in snorkel masks and nose clips in swimming lessons is because the child has told the parent that they don’t like water in their nose and this is holding them back from wanting to go swimming and/or put their face in the water.

If this is your child:

• Trade your snorkel mask for a general kids swimming mask that just covers the eyes (Zoggs Phantom Mask is a good first pair)
• Lose the nose clip
• Allow your child to practise bubble breathing – this doesn’t have to be in a pool and can be in the bath or even into a cup
• Practise bubbles out the mouth
• Practice bubbles out the nose (make it fun, call it dragon sneezes!)
• Over time, with lots of practising, they will instinctively blow bubbles in the way that feels natural to them, utilising both airways
• Other ways to encourage an exhale in water in a fun way, is to use phrases like ‘blow the candle out’, ‘hum a song’, ‘roar like a lion’, ‘say ooooooh’, and so on
• Other fun water activities will speed up progress too – let them wet their own hair in the shower, jump underwater for a toy, wash their nose with a wet flannel, have a water fight in the garden… anything that makes getting soaked fun and light-hearted

Keep going

It is more important that the child learns to be OK with water around their nose, than we rush to putting snorkel masks or nose clips on them.

Especially with younger children, you have plenty of time for them to find their confidence with this – it is very normal that some children take time and need to find their sensory comfort at their own pace. 

Ditch the nose obstructions, keep going, don’t worry and make it fun!

Photo: Canva