You only have to put your face down the water, and thats it, its not dangerous, you cant separate from a group, unless you swim away. snorkeling its fun, specially in lakes that arent deep, so you can see the bottom.
Snorkeling shouldn't be dangerous if you're a good or decent swimmer. If you're not, stay in the shallow end. Scuba diving aren't for sissy. You should stay away from it if you are easily frighten by dark water, sharks ect...because if you let it physiologically play with your head you shouldn't be scuba diving.
I was snorkeling in Central America (Glovers Reef) 2 weeks ago. My wife accidently kicked me in my face while snorkeling. Watch out for angry wives.
Well, as others have said you are in the water so there is the possibility you could drown but it's not likely. Also, many snorkeling tours encourage you to wear a life vest or life belt for safety. Personally I don't because I want to be able to dive down and see stuff up close but it's perfectly fine to kick around on the surface looking down. When you snorkel, be prepared for water to get into your snorkel and then into your mouth. It will freak you out at first but you quickly get used to it. Just spit it out, either by taking the mouth-piece out of your mouth or by exhaling through the snorkel. There is no shame to spending the first 10 minutes or so of your trip just getting used to the whole idea of it. When you get issued your gear, it is VERY important to put the mask up against your face (without the strap) and then breathe in through your nose to create a vacuum behind your mask. The mask should stick to your face by itself. If it doesn't ask for another mask (and another) until it does. If the mask does not stick to your face via that suction it WILL leak. This is not scary or bad; just VERY annoying and it will significantly ruin your experience IMO. The strap is not there to keep the mask pressed against your face; it is there to keep it from falling off and dropping away. Make sure all your hair is pulled away before you put your mask on. Something else that helps is this: When you get to where you are going to go snorkeling, rinse the mask out with sea water and then empty it. Then spit on the inside glass of the mask, rub your spit around all the glass and then re-rinse the mask with seawater. This will help prevent the mask from fogging up. Here are some picture I took snorkeling in Belize: I used a Canon S200 camera in an underwater case. I have since lost the camera but the case was so expensive I need to get a used S200 on eBay or something to replace it. I recently went to Palau and wasn't able to shoot pictures underwater.
That was taken at Shark Rey Alley in Belize off Ambergris Caye. It's a Nurse Shark which, for all practical purposes, is a really big catfish. They don't bite. Mostly.
Snorkeling is a gas. Once you've done it for a while and get relaxed, you'll dig it. A couple of tips... don't touch any of the coral. Not only is it very, very bad for the coral, but certain types of coral can really sting the crap out of you, or possibly cut you if you aren't careful. I brushed against some fire coral once by accident and ended up having to see a doctor when I got back to Houston. Thankfully, it was the last dive before flying back. You want calm seas and clear water. Be aware of currents and poke your head out of the water and get your bearings every so often, making sure you aren't drifting more than you should. I've snorkeled many times in the Yucatan and there's some excellent snorkeling to be had there, if a storm hasn't messed it up. Practice in a swimming pool before you take your trip, so you'll be comfortable with the basics. Back in the day, Lake Travis had halfway decent snorkeling in the coves of Paleface Park. It's still decent if you're lucky and can be a good place to practice. It's really easy once you get the hang of it. I prefer to bring my own snorkeling gear, but you can rent pretty much everywhere that the snorkeling's good. There is some awesome scenery to check out, dude! Spoiler A chick practicing in a pool!
