River Snorkeling

[Nick]

I recently came across an interesting Facebook Page dedicated to the sport of River Snorkeling. I love being in the water, I love fish and the thought of exploring that ecosystem in a more observant manner seems like a lot of fun. Oh, and the underwater photos look pretty sweet too. It seems like the guys running that page are up in the northwest, but I'm wondering how feasible it is to do it in the mountain west. Anyone ever tried it? I'm putting it high on my list of 2015 to-do's. My wetsuit and snorkel gear are ready to go!

https://www.facebook.com/riversnorkeling

Some things found on that page:

 

[Artemus]

Wow, beautiful film! And they filmed them in spawning activity...

 

[Duke]

When I lived in Las Vegas I ran into a guy there that used to guide SCUBA river runs below Lake Mead. He told me that Nat Geo showed up once and asked mucho questions. Later they found out that Nat Geo was listing the top 100 adventures or something similar and they were included. He said they would be flowing along with the current and would see what was a large dip or depression in front on them and the current would just drop them into it and lift them out. He said it really got the adrenaline going and was a huge rush.

The South Fork up here would probably be very good for this. BUT.....I just would not feel comfortable going through some of the huge whirlpools the river makes. I have a CO2 inflatable life jacket that I would wear if doing this. I'm not sure I would rely on solely on the buoyancy of the wet-suit. 95% would be fine but sheesh, when I float over some of those whirlpools and feel the hydraulics under the boat it gives me the shivers. Just sayin. Speaking of dangers, I guess the jetboats would also be quite a hazard. Hmmmmmm.....not sure what to do there. they fly up and down that river. Carry an organge flag and float upright when then close in?? One can definitely hear them coming when they do show up!

Come up anytime @Nick and perhaps we can float in the drift boat in the morning and pick our lines, then float it again in wet-suits.

Duke

 

[Bob]

People in Island Park, ID snorkel in Big Springs...lots of big trout in it, crystal clear. Pools deeper than 6 feet are common. No power boats allowed.

 

[TannerT]

Looks like I just found another hobby.......

 

[Yvonne]

love it!!!
Since I go once or twice a year on a snorkeling vacation to Hawai'i, this would be a great alternative for the rest of the year.
I just need a replacement for my Canon Powershot S110, I unfortunately broke it on my last Hawai'i trip.