thumb|A raft used for snuba showing the air cylinder and hoses

Snuba is form of surface-supplied diving that uses an underwater breathing system developed by Snuba International.

The origin of the word "Snuba" may be a portmanteau of "snorkel" and "scuba", as it bridges the gap between the two. Alternatively, some have identified the term as an acronym for "Surface Nexus Underwater Breathing Apparatus", though this may be a backronym for the portmanteau. The swimmer uses swimfins, a diving mask, weights, and diving regulator as in scuba diving.

Instead of coming from tanks strapped to the diver's back, air is supplied from long hoses connected to compressed air cylinders contained in a specially designed flotation device at the surface.

Snuba often serves as a form of introductory diving, in the presence of a professionally trained guide, but does not require scuba certification.

Popularity

The snuba system was devised in 1989 by California diver Michael Stafford. It was developed and patented in 1990 by Snuba International, based in Diamond Springs, California, who own the trademark and licensed it as a touring program. Snuba diving is a popular guided touring activity in tropical tourist locations such as Hawaii, Thailand, the Caribbean, and Mexico. Its popularity as a first timer's experience can be attributed to several factors:

  • The participant tows the raft on the surface via a lightweight harness connected to an air line. This gives the participant the secure knowledge that they cannot descend too deep and allows them to choose the depth that they feel most comfortable while being able to control their depth, descent, and ascent rates. By utilizing the hose as a guide, combined with wearing soft weights to achieve neutral buoyancy, participants are able to descend anywhere from just under the surface to deep. but this is not strictly comparable, as it would usually include a wetsuit for thermal protection.
  • Although scuba equipment is nearly weightless underwater, out of the water the weight becomes a significant factor for weak or unfit individuals. Unlike a scuba diver using a buoyancy compensator, the snuba diver is not provided with an emergency buoyancy system. This means that in an emergency, the snuba diver must reach the surface unaided. On the other hand, a correctly weighted snuba diver, with no compressible dive suit will be neutrally buoyant at all depths, has a hose and harness to prevent sinking, can pull on the hose to surface which is less effort than swimming, and has a raft with a grab-rope to hold on to at the surface. The buoyancy compensator is a complex piece of equipment requiring significant skill to use safely.

Risk and liability

Since the depth of a snuba dive is limited by the length of the hose to about , decompression sickness is unlikely to be a problem. However, as the snuba diver is breathing compressed air there is still a risk of injury or death due to barotrauma, which is a more severe hazard at shallow depths if divers ascend as little as a few feet without venting the expanding air from their lungs. This is easily avoided by breathing normally and continuously while ascending, provided that the diver is medically fit to dive. This point is thoroughly covered in snuba pre-dive briefings, The cause of death was not reported so it is unknown if the death was related specifically to the use of snuba or other causes. There is a snuba liability release form that releases the operators and developers of the snuba system from any liability or responsibility for damage, injury, or death due to neglect, system failure, or any other reason. It requires the diver to assert that they are not aware of any medical reason why they should not dive, or have been cleared to dive by a physician.

References

  • www.snuba.com — Snuba International, Inc.