Snorkel gear? Castaway Cay & Port Adventures

[Raya]

Hi there!
I grew up SCUBA diving, but haven't been in decades. I'm wondering about the quality of the rental mask and snorkel at Castaway Cay and on port adventures. We'll be doing one 3 hour snorkel on St. Thomas. Three hours would be a long time to deal with a leaky snorkel or mask, which makes me think I should bring my own. Similarly on Castaway Cay we'd like to do early morning (or as early as possible) snorkeling - not waiting until 10AM when the rental place opens. But! It's possible that we won't be allowed to get off the boat on Castaway Cay until 10AM and bringing my own gear could be a hassle. I would need to research the right brands and find a dive shop.

Any thoughts on using rental vs. bringing your own?

 

[jwalk03]

I used the snorkel gear at Castaway Cay and really had no issues at all. I'm sure if you get a leaky one they would swap it out for you. The rental place likely opens at whatever time you are allowed on the island.

 

[OKW Lover]

I guess I'd go with bringing my own gear if I had it. I'm a PADI certified Master Diver and would go with equipment that I'm comfortable with in your position. I understand though that Disney will require you to wear their provided life vest at CC when snorkeling. It doesn't have to be inflated, but you have to wear it.

BTW, on that 3-hour snorkeling session at St. Thomas don't forget that the sun will be beating down on your back the whole time you are in the water. Wear some protection from that or you'll be horribly burnt.

 

[Raya]

I guess I'd go with bringing my own gear if I had it. I'm a PADI certified Master Diver and would go with equipment that I'm comfortable with in your position. I understand though that Disney will require you to wear their provided life vest at CC when snorkeling. It doesn't have to be inflated, but you have to wear it.

BTW, on that 3-hour snorkeling session at St. Thomas don't forget that the sun will be beating down on your back the whole time you are in the water. Wear some protection from that or you'll be horribly burnt.

I was going to wear my old dive skin for sun protection. I'm old enough to have had a few skin biopsy surgeries and to stop caring about how dippy it looks.

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

We bring our own, but I have a very strangely shaped face and most masks leak on me . Also, love my Atomic split fins.

For those who can use the generic mask, the gear provided is adequate. Nothing special, but does the trick.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

We did the snorkel with stingrays activity and they give you an inflatable vest that you must wear instead of fins. As someone with years of dive experience, it was really annoying. My youngest also found the mask and the rest of the gear uncomfortable and refused to get in the water after a little while. If you don't mind checking a bag, bringing your own gear isn't a bad idea.

 

[Flcruising]

We take our own , mainly for health reasons. You still need to grab one of their vests on CC. But they are free.
Note, its a lot easier going out than coming back to land at CC. The current and wind can work against you. In addition the heat and extra effort can make it difficult. Ive seen several going out further than they realized and struggling on the swim back in.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

I bring my own mask and snorkel and use their fins. I have a prescription mask and it fits me well. As others mentioned, you must use their snorkel vest for visibility, which is fine by me. Their equipment can be hit or miss.

 

[galbat]

We take our own , mainly for health reasons. You still need to grab one of their vests on CC. But they are free.
Note, its a lot easier going out than coming back to land at CC. The current and wind can work against you. In addition the heat and extra effort can make it difficult. Ive seen several going out further than they realized and struggling on the swim back in.

So it's not a scenario where they take you out to a reef by boat?

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

We take our own , mainly for health reasons. You still need to grab one of their vests on CC. But they are free.
Note, its a lot easier going out than coming back to land at CC. The current and wind can work against you. In addition the heat and extra effort can make it difficult. Ive seen several going out further than they realized and struggling on the swim back in.

That's really true! Our last trip the wind was so strong that we saw multiple people who rented those little boats that you paddle like a bicycle get blown out to sea. They had to be towed back in by lifeguards on jet skis. Luckily no one was actually in danger but it must have been a bit frightening for folks when they realized they couldn't get back to shore on their own power and were getting swept out of the lee side area and into the deep ocean!

 

[Flcruising]

So it's not a scenario where they take you out to a reef by boat?

That is the case on CC. I dont know about other locations. But on CC you get in the water at the beach and snorkel out to the barrier reef...if you want to go that far. But coming back you face battling the sun, wind and current.