Snorkeling on Castaway Cay

[CurtS]

Which is better for snorkeling on Castaway Cay--renting the equipment or bringing your own? If you bring your own equipment, can you rent just the life vests for snorkeling or do you need to rent the equipment and vests together?

 

[trekkie518]

Hi,
I can't speak as to which is better, but I do know that if you bring your own equipment, they will give you the vest for free.

Ang

 

[Riodog]

rented and brought our own. We brought our own masks and snorkle. Rented fins for $9 (I'm pretty sure) and the vests are free. You must have a vest on to snorkle at Castaway Cay. We also did the Stringray City excursion in Grand Cayman. Used our masks and snorkles and their life vests.
As to which is better - for us we like the dry-snorkles that do not allow water to come in if you go under water and we like tight fitting non scratched masks.
The rental is about $25.00 I think and you can get a snorkle, mask and fins set for about $25 - $50 at most sporting goods stores.
This year we are purchasing our own fins to take so that we can snorkel any time we want at the beaches in Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Ochos Rios and Labadee on our Royal Carribean Mariner of the Seas Cruise.
Hope this helps.

Happy snorkeling!
Sandy

 

[Suzy Mouse]

We brought our own masks and snorkels..no flippers. My brother rented from CC. When my dd was "snorkeling" the life guard brought over a vest for her to use saying it was mandatory. We did not have to pay for it.

I went out with my brother and borrowed a pair of their flippers which was much needed.

If your equipment includes the flippers then bring yours. If it doesn't then rent theirs. Well worth it.

 

[CurtS]

Thank you all! That's a great help! I like the idea of a "dry snorkel"--my 11 year old has a lot of problem clearing his. Thank you, everyone, for your help.

 

[thevolcanogod]

Dry snorkles are definately the way to go for pure snorklers - my brother has one and he likes it for snorkling (not SCUBA tho).

Bring your gear if you can - you will get your money's worth, especially on the 7-day cruise - there are lots of places to use it. If you want gear that lasts, you can shell out a few more $$ for a good mask and snorkle that will last you years with good maintenence, fit well and give you a better experience.

One other thing you might want to think about is a Lycra Skin - this is a very thin body suit made of Lycra - a stretchy fabric. You can wear this in the water and it protects from the sun, protects against abrasions in case you get too close to the reef, somewhat protects from sea lice, and gives you a bit of thermal protection - it dries fast and only costs $20-40 from any store that sells water gear.

 

[CurtS]

Great advice, thevolcanogod! I'll check into Lycra Skin when I stop to get a dry snorkel for my son (I may even get one for myself instead of a mouthful of seawater!).

 

[WDWLVR]

I needed to get my own mask due to my perscription. That led to my DH looking at masks and then we bought our own dry snorkels. It was the best thing we did before our trip. We loved snorkeling and plan to do more in December when we cruise again.

 

[KarenB]

We rented 2 sets of snorkeling equipment on CC. We are a family of 4 and decided to just use them as we wanted. I have a small, narrow face and found the mask would not seal at all for me.

Maybe if you have the equipment at home already, you could just pack the mask since it does neet to fit to have an enjoyable experience!

We did snorkel at every stop on the Western, so if you are like us, it may be worth it!

Karen

 

[prymsu]

I think if you are planning on snorkeling more than twice, then it is less expensive to go ahead and buy your own equipment.

 

[KyCruisinSusan]

We rented equipment on CC last year and soon after booking our upcoming Nov. cruise we purchased our own equipment. We got 2 sets of masks, snorkles and fins, plus the bag to carry it all in, 2 re-usable underwater cameras, anti-fog, and a laminated card you can carry to help identify the different fish for $129.00.

We did splurge and picked up dry snorkles to replace the ordinary ones, figuring the kids can use the others with their masks, and we also picked up new straps for our masks (cheap).

The mask straps we got are made of some type of cloth with velcro closures. So much nicer than the rubber type straps that get tangled in long hair.

 

[1stNoel]

I literally have an entire spare bedroom FULL of gear. DH is obsessed.

IMO the best of the dry snorkels are -

XsScuba Dry Goby Snorkel for kids - www.cheapscubagear.com/3949-XS-Scuba-Goby-Dry-Snorkel.html

It's totally dry and has a smaller bite piece that most kids can use, even with some missing teeth.

Ocean Master Dry Snorkel (for the big kids)
www.cheapscubagear.com/3428-Ocean-Master-Dry-Snorkels-FLEX.html

This is the top of line the dry model. All of the Ocean Master Dry Snorkels are good, but this one is really comfortable.

Masks really depend on your face shape. You need to try it on. For kids, we really like the Deep See masks. They are durable, fit all the kids (from a 4 year old up to even me) and we haven't had any leaks. www.snorkelcity.com/deepseeminki.html

I recommend getting a neoprene mask strap cover, really makes it easier to get on and off. They cost $5 to $7.

Unless your kids are coordinated swimmers or they can practice in a pool, skip the fins or get the short swimming ones. This is a skill that usually needs some practice and kids tend to wear themselves out trying to master it and concentrate on the snorkel too.

And, once again, the mighty Volcano God (hahoo wahee, hahoo wahee) is right. Dry snorkels are way too bulky for scuba and rash guards or lycra skins offer great protection. I never snorkel without at least a rash guard top on. Cuts way down on the sunscreen needs.

Happy snorkeling!

Noel

edited to add -
If you are going to practice in a pool, MAKE SURE YOU RINSE YOUR GEAR. We wash our stuff in a bath of water & Simple Green after every use, whether it's the pool or ocean. Chlorine will destroy it quick though.

 

[CurtS]

Thank you, everyone, for wonderful advice! 1stNoel, I'll check these sites to see if they are any less expensive than Dick's Sporting Goods! I also have a narrow face which is why I purchased a mask in the first place, so I imagine my experience with rental equipment would be the same as you, Karen B. Thank you for the help--now if we can just find enough extra room in our suitcases!!!