Snorkel trick needed

My first snorkelling experience left the bitter taste of sea water in my mouth;) No, neither my snorkel nor my mask got flooded. The water got in my mouth beside the snorkel. Not sure what I did wrong, thought I was biting on the snorkel strong enough. Also, my reaction was obviously wrong (I took the snorkel out, started suffocating so took my mask off - guess, I should have just put the bitter tasting snorkel back in my mouth?). I ended up swimming back to the shore with the mask and snorkel in my hand...

How to prevent it happening? And what to do if it happens anyway?

Hmmm, could've been a couple things...

Your snorkel might have had a leak which let water into the mouthpiece or tube. Or water could have spilled in through the top. Or, maybe it came in around the mouthpiece - you shouldn't have to bite down so hard your jaw gets tired or anything, but try to keep a good seal.

If water does get in there are a couple things you can do to clear it out without taking off all your gear. The easiest (especially if you're floating on the surface) is just to blow a good hard puff of air out and pop the water out.

Don't be turned off from snorkeling, it's a great way to see what you're sharing the water with! You can always practise a little in a pool or ask some tips from a guide if you're on an organised trip...

or possibly it was a purge snorkel and the valve was leaking

yeah, I tried to spit the water out while holding the snorkel in my mouth but then I would take even more water while trying to seal my mouth around the snorkel...