Why I Chose Snorkeling

This is not meant to compare scuba diving to snorkeling. It is not meant to enumerate the benefits or drawbacks of each. It’s like comparing apples to oranges if that was what the reader expects. Let me go on record as saying they are two completely different activities. Scuba divers would claim that there is no comparison. What you can see and what you can learn with scuba diving leaves snorkeling in the dust. This is a personal account of why I chose to snorkel over scuba diving.

A brief background on my participation in both is in order so one can understand what led to the decision to choose one over the other. One may or may not know that in early 2025, I went through a transformation from adventuring and exploring the far northern reaches of North America and the study of the Indigenous cultures of those areas to one centered on island living, lifestyle, and all things related to the sea. I won’t go into why I needed to transform myself so let’s just leave it that I did. As part of the transformation, I started down a path to really understand the ocean and the marine life it is home to. I felt I needed to be in and under the water rather than observe it from the shore. Thus, my foray into snorkeling. I have always wanted to do both but chose to pursue snorkeling at first.

Snorkeling didn’t come easy to me even with several lessons from a divemaster friend and lots of pool work. I had trouble with my kicks, buoyancy, and even though I spent good money on fins, they didn’t work for me. My buddy helped me tackle these issues one by one and soon I was snorkeling and duck diving in the open waters of Lake Travis (Colorado River). I also got to snorkel in Spring Lake, an oasis of clarity in central Texas not afforded to the lakes and rivers. I snorkeled weekly until the water temperature made snorkeling without ample protection impossible. At the end of snorkeling season, I was pleased with the results and my confidence soared.

As I said earlier, I have always wanted to do both. I had some concerns about taking the Open Water Certification course for scuba diving. Among those concerns was passing the swim test to even get to take the course. The other concern was my age and physical  condition. I started pursuing scuba training just some weeks shy of turning 81. I found the first phase, eLearning to be rather easy and straight forward. Phase two was the confined water skills (commonly called the pool) phase but first there was the swim test to pass. I did pass but it took several weeks of training to get there. I struggled with this phase so much that the instructor strongly recommended that I take private lessons. So, I did and with difficulty, I passed this phase. Next came the open water diving skills. My first attempt was a disaster. Panic set in and I could not do the first dive. Weather turned cold so I put off trying once more until water temperatures were somewhat higher. What clearly did me in was lack of endurance, difficulty breathing, muscle cramping and I was generally so tired from the effort just to get into and out of the wetsuit and the simple effort of getting from the car carrying my scuba kit to the water. My weight was killing me.

When I had a chance to reflect on my attempts to get certified, I knew that even beyond the diving, if I didn’t get into shape and lose weight, I would be on a fast track to my death bed. So, in January of 2026, I took action. I started being diligent and sensible about eating. I started with GLP injections to lose weight, and I enrolled in a strength building program at the local YMCA. As of mid-March, I had dropped 16 pounds, and my strength enhancements took me to a fitness level of a man of 63 years. These are quite dramatic changes. But!!!!!!

A routine blood test found some anomalies with my prostate. I went through a series of lab tests, an MRI, and a fusion biopsy. On March 17^th, the answer was handed to me. I was diagnosed with very aggressive prostate cancer. The treatment plan yet to be determined as the question of the spread of the cancer is not known at this time. After undergoing a PET/CT scan, I learned that the cancer had spread to the lymph nodes near the pelvis. The good news was it did not spread to any organs or bone matter. Powerful cancer fighting drugs and radiation is about to start. One thing for sure, I had to back out of the underwater archeology expedition in Spain. My exploratory trip to the Florida Keys had to be postponed.  I can’t predict if and when I will have the strength to complete my scuba diving certification.

It seems that I chose snorkeling because scuba diving was no longer possible due to my health. I love snorkeling and I think that even with going through radiation treatment, I will still be able to snorkel. My hope is that I can recover enough to complete the certification.