PIKE SNORKEL

The Aqua Lung Pike is a simple snorkel with an anti-splash top, built for surface snorkelling rather than for scuba. The splash guard is a shaped deflector rather than a sealed dry valve, which keeps out the water that slaps over the top without adding the bulk or the flooding risk of a float mechanism.

The mouthpiece is hypoallergenic silicone, soft enough to bite for an hour without the jaw ache a hard mouthpiece produces. The bite tabs are shaped to sit on the molars rather than the front teeth, which is where the ache starts. A one-way purge valve sits at the base of the barrel, below the mouthpiece, so anything that does get in collects there and blows out with one breath instead of being drawn upward. The barrel is smooth-bore, which is quieter and offers less resistance than a corrugated one.

The result is a snorkel that does the job for a snorkeller without the price or the complication of a dry top.

Supplied in white and brick. The Impulse Dry is the sealed alternative for choppy water and for scuba, and the Pike Junior is the smaller version for children. Rinse the purge valve through after a dive, because sand in the seat is what makes a purge leak.