the.com/snorkel

A tube that lets you breathe while pretending you live underwater.

means A tube-shaped breathing device that lets a swimmer keep their face in the water while still pulling air from above the surface.

from English borrowed it in the WWII era from German 'Schnorchel,' originally the name for the air-intake and exhaust tube that let submarines breathe while running just below the surface — the device came first, the snorkeling beachgoer's gadget second, named after it.

name origin
From German Schnorchel, WWII U-boat air intake
depth limit
Useless past 1 meter, lungs cannot pull harder
design flaw
J-shape trapped water until splash guards were invented
fun fact
Elephants naturally snorkel using their trunks while swimming
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