crazy snorkeling question

daltonsdodisney

Mouseketeer
Joined
Dec 24, 2001
I really want to try the snorkeling at Castaway Cay but I have a question. I wear contacts and am wondering how this will affect opening my eyes under water. Do you wear some sort of goggles? And if so, are they water tight, so that you can open your eyes? Other contact wearers/snorkelers, let me know how this works. Thanks!
 
You can wear your contacts, as you do wear a watertight mask when snorkeling. Make sure the mask properly seals around your face. To test it, hold the mask in place around your eyes and nose, but do not put the strap around your head. Breathe in to create the "seal", hold your breath, and then let go. If the mask stays in place without holding it with your hands, it is airtight and watertight. If it falls off, it is not. If you are renting your equipment, test as many masks as you need to in order to find one that fits properly. That is essential.

Depending on factors such as your eyesight, comfort with contacts, and future amount of snorkeling you will do, you may want to consider buying a prescription mask. I have had one for many years, as my vision was extremely nearsighted and I am a diver. They are not inexpensive, but because I used mine so much (and did not want to wear contacts on dives) I derived a lot of value from it. Then last year I had my vision corrected with LASIK so now I need to get a new mask before our Disney cruise!

Good luck, and hope you have a great time. Snorkeling and diving are so much fun.
 
I don't wear contacts but I think I can answer your question. Yes you wear goggles, and yes, they seal so that you can open your eyes under water. I do know my mother wasn't able to snorkel because she only wears glasses, can't see a thing without them and the goggles wouldn't fit over the glasses.
 
We go snorkeling so much that i had my prescriptions lenses glued into my snorkel mask, and boy does it ever work great.
 


Generally if all goes well there will never be enough water in your mask to cause a problem with your contacs. Having said that one or both of my contacs have come out while snorkling many times. The key is not to take your mask off in the water when this happends. Go onshore then take your mask off and find the contac lens in the mask and put it back in. I wear disposable contacs and carry many extras with me on vacation.

Scott
 
I've been snorkeling several times with my contacts and never had a problem. Don't open your eyes in salt water without the air tight mask--it's just like saline salution and will float the contact off your eye. I also wear disposable lenses, so I will have an extra pair in my beach bag with me when I leave the ship (just in case). By the way, I open my eyes underwater all the time in freshwater pools like they have on the ship. Fresh water makes the contact seal tightly to your eye--just the opposite of salt water. I've never lost one underwater yet (knock on wood).
 

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