Editing Snorkeling (section)

====Full-face snorkel mask====
[[File:Decathlon Easybreath snorkel mask.jpg|thumb|Decathlon Easybreath snorkel mask]]
An integrated snorkel consists essentially of a tube topped with a shut-off valve and opening at the bottom into the interior of a diving mask. Integrated snorkels must be fitted with valves to shut off the snorkel's air inlet when submerged. Water will otherwise pour into the opening at the top and flood the interior of the mask. Snorkels are attached to sockets on the top or the sides of the mask.

New-generation snorkel masks are full-face masks covering the eyes, the nose, and the mouth. They enable surface snorkelers to breathe nasally or orally and may be a workaround in the case of surface snorkelers who [[Pharyngeal reflex|gag]] in response to the presence of standard snorkel mouthpieces in their mouths. Some early snorkel masks are full-face masks covering the eyes, nose, and mouth, while others exclude the mouth, covering the eyes and the nose only. The 1950s [[US Divers]] "Marino" hybrid comprised a single snorkel mask with eye and nose coverage and a separate snorkel for the mouth.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Skin Diving History – US Divers No.43 – Mfg & Retailers|url=http://www.skindivinghistory.com/mfg_retailers/u/US_Divers/43.html|access-date=2021-03-15|website=skindivinghistory.com}}</ref>

Full-face snorkel masks use an integral snorkel with separate channels for intake and exhaled gases theoretically ensuring the user is always breathing untainted fresh air whatever the respiratory effort. They come with a built-in dry top snorkel system. In addition to a standard ball float system that stops the water from entering the tube when submerged, full-face masks are designed in such a way that even if a small amount of water does get into the snorkel, it will be channeled away from the face and into the chin area of the mask. A special valve located on the bottom of the chin allows to drain the water out. The main problem is that it must fit the whole face well enough to make a reliable seal and since no two faces are the same shape, it may not seal adequately on any specific user. In the event of accidental flooding, the whole mask must be removed to continue breathing.{{Clarify|reason=can these masks not be cleared in place?|date=September 2019}} Unless the snorkeler is able to equalize without pinching their nose it can only be used on or within several feet of the surface, since the mask covers the nose with a rigid plastic structure, which makes it impossible to pinch the nose if needed to equalize pressure at greater depth. Trained scuba divers are likely to avoid such devices,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dipndive.com/blogs/snorkeling/full-face-snorkeling-masks-pros-and-cons|title=Full-Face Snorkeling Masks: Pros And Cons|access-date=July 18, 2022}}</ref> however, snorkel masks are a boon for those with medical conditions that preclude taking part in scuba diving.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Newton|first=Herbert B.|date=2001-06-01|title=Medical Problems of Recreational Scuba Diving|url=https://www.aafp.org/afp/2001/0601/p2225.html|journal=American Family Physician|volume=63|issue=11|pages=2225|issn=0002-838X}}</ref>{{clarify|reason=how, specifically, are snorkel masks a "boon" for these people?|date=February 2019}}

As a result of a short period with an unusually high number of snorkeling deaths in Hawaii<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-09-28|title=Full Face Snorkel Mask Dangers [UPDATED 2019]: What's all the Hub Bub, Bub? – Let's Go To Maui|url=https://www.letsgotomaui.net/da-kine/full-face-snorkel-mask-dangers/|access-date=2021-03-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928105401/https://www.letsgotomaui.net/da-kine/full-face-snorkel-mask-dangers/|archive-date=2020-09-28}}</ref> there is some suspicion that the design of the masks can result in buildup of excess CO<sub>2</sub>. It is far from certain that the masks are at fault, but the state of Hawaii has begun to track the equipment being used in cases of snorkeling fatalities. Besides the possibility that the masks, or at least some brands of the mask, are a cause, other theories include the possibility that the masks make snorkeling accessible to people who have difficulty with traditional snorkeling equipment. That ease of access may result in more snorkelers who lack experience or have underlying medical conditions, possibly exacerbating problems that are unrelated to the type of equipment being used.<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 14, 2018|title=Increasingly popular full-face snorkel masks raise safety concerns|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hawaii-full-face-snorkel-mask-related-deaths/|access-date=2021-03-15|website=cbsnews.com|language=en}}</ref>

During the [[2019–20 coronavirus pandemic related shortages]], full-face snorkel masks were adapted to create oxygen dispensing emergency respiratory masks by deploying [[3D printing]] and carrying out minimal modifications to the original mask.<ref>{{cite web|last=Opoczynski|first=David|title=Coronavirus : quand les inventeurs viennent à la rescousse des hôpitaux|url=http://www.leparisien.fr/societe/coronavirus-quand-les-inventeurs-viennent-a-la-rescousse-des-hopitaux-23-03-2020-8286186.php|date=2020-03-23|website=[[Le Parisien]]|language=French|access-date=2022-07-18}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|id=w4Csqdxkrfw|title=Charlotte valve}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Easy COVID|url=https://www.isinnova.it/easy-covid19-eng/|website=Isinnova|date=29 January 2021 |language=Italian|access-date=2022-07-18}}</ref> Italian healthcare legislation required patients to sign a declaration of acceptance of use of an uncertified biomedical device when they were given the modified snorkel mask for respiratory support interventions in the country's hospitals. France's main sportwear and snorkel masks producer [[Decathlon (retailer)|Decathlon]] paused its sale of snorkel masks, redirecting them instead toward medical staff, patients and 3D printer operations.<ref>{{YouTube|id=uZ5Vtf69cAA|title=Pourquoi ne pas distribuer des masques de plongée Décathlon? BFMTV répond à vos questions}}</ref>