Where to buy a snorkel?

[QuickGold]

I'm considering snorkeling at Castaway Cay. Should I rent the snorkeling stuff there or buy it before I leave? Is there a big price difference in snorkeling gear if I buy it at home?

 

[Tinkermom3]

We are cruising in February and we bought our own snorkeling gear. I got it at Dick's Sporting Goods. I actually got the gear this past summer and used it for snorkeling on the Gulf Coast in Florida and it worked great.

 

[tvguy]

I'd just rent it. A lot less hassle, nothing to lug around.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Except that it skeeves me to know someone else's mouth was on it. Maybe someone with mono, fever blisters, stomach viruses? I can't help it. I've worked in health care and for the last 17 yrs of my life have gotten "infection control" programmed into everything I do.
You can buy them cheap at Toys r Us for your kids too.

 

[tvguy]

Except that it skeeves me to know someone else's mouth was on it. Maybe someone with mono, fever blisters, stomach viruses? I can't help it. I've worked in health care and for the last 17 yrs of my life have gotten "infection control" programmed into everything I do.
You can buy them cheap at Toys r Us for your kids too.

Since they soak all the snorkel gear overnight in a bleach solution, I'd be more worried about being exposed to something on the plane going there, on a handrail on the ship, or from cutlery or dishes that someone ahead of you coughed on.

 

[IwasatWDWforamonth]

I like having my own,

I get mine at scuba.com

My dry snorkel really came in handy with the rough seas, so when a wave went over my head I wasnt gagging.

My mask is a mares liquid skin and my snorkel is oceanic, I highly recomend both of them

 

[QuickGold]

I guess the greater question is, how much of a price difference is it between renting and buying? If it's like $3, I may as well just rent but if Disney is marking up the rental a lot, it's worth it to buy one before I leave.

 

[bradk]

it's $25/adult, $10/child for all day rentals. that's the snorkel, plus mask, plus fins.

a good snorkel will run you close to $50, but that would be overkill for castaway cay - you have a flotation vest on so you can't dive with the snorkel anyway. $15-$20 will get you a decent one.

not to suggest anything, but i actually got my rental for free. i showed up around 3:30, they almost tried to discourage me since I only had an hour left, but I knew that'd be plenty of time, so I was just given the rental.

until you read through all the posts about people who got violently ill from using the same snorkels used by countless others, i wouldn't worry about renting. you need to be in fairly good health to cruise anyway (or at least not contagious), in theory.

 

[ColoradoMom!!]

I purchased a set on Amazon and had it sent to the ship. That way, I only had to lug it home. We used it for another snorkeling excursion in addition to Castaway Cay. We had two sets for the four of us, so we just took turns.

 

[Capt_BJ]

I've been a certified diver since 1973 .... dove all thru the Carib as my job took me to all the islands . As you contemplate buying a snorkeling set, let me offer some thoughts. Do no imply an order or priority here, just random thoughts.

- Ever skate on cheap skates, fish with a cheap rod and reel, or ski on really junk skis? Snorkeling with poorly fitting cheap gear is just about as much fun. How long ya plan to be in the water? Will this matter? ...and we're talking CC ... not the best snorkeling anyway.

- poorly fitting fins can produce blisters FAST. A poorly fitting mask leaks and that really complicates snorkeling. Now if this turns out to be the case with rental gear...well, you haven't lost much. If you bought the stuff however....

- A good mask will cost upwards of $100 and there are many different types .... sizes. A dive shop can help you find a good fit and may even have a facilities to 'test drive'. Ditto fins.

- you could find an outlet and buy just a snorkel.... (curiously to deal with your concerns I've seen some rental operations giving new mouth pieces with every rental snorkel while Discovery Cove just gave us new snorkels to keep) or buy a really cheap set and only keep the snorkel which until you get into all the 'dry snorkel' crud really shouldn't cost much. (divers don't need 'dry snorkels' snicker snicker)

- seek out a dive shop (yellow pages). It doesn't hurt to look.

- get the rental gear, then head to the bathroom, get out your liquid hand cleaner. Scrub it down. Heck, go to the bar and buy a shot of 151 rum and dip it! Then rinse it off.....unless were at the 151 stage....

- if u r only gonna do this once, or once every few years buying is .... well if you were going sking the first time ever would you buy skis and boots?

 

[woody73]

One advantage of buying snorkel gear is you can practice in a pool in advance and get used to it.

Woody