Somewhat OT - Snorkeling Gear

[owenbyd]

I have seen threads about buying your own gear -- that in most cases it is cheaper than continuing to rent and pays for itself after just a few uses.

That said, the only snorkeling I have done was on our last cruise on an excursion at Castaway Cay.

What should I look for in purchasing? If we take it to Chankanaab park, will we have to rent lifejackets?

Help?

TIA,

Amy

 

[chrisn]

We have our own because even though they disinfect them, it's kinda nasty thinking about how many other people have had them in their mouths and not only that but the stuff they clean them with leaves a really yucky taste in your mouth. I don't mind using the masks and vests but definitley like having our own snorkels. A lot of times it's a plus simply for the fact that a lot of the rented/excursion stuff leaks. We've gotten a lot of use out of ours and it's very nice equipment that was relatively inexpensive. www.snorkel-gear.com if your interested.

 

[hydster]

and after I watched some being disinfected I swore off using anything but my own from then on. Of course then we got certified in scuba so that helped but I would think if you plan on using it a couple of times on this next trip you are going on it would be worth it.

The masks usually always leaked on us when we rented and it was miserable. Also the snorkels didnt always have the purge valve on them so if you got some water in your snorkel which you are bound to do at least once it would go into your mouth instead of out the bottom of the snorkel.

If I were you I would look for a couple of things when considering equipment.

#1 Mask fit is probably one of the most important factors. To see if the mask fits your face properly take the mask and put it on your face without the strap on....just push the strap up and then breathe in with your nose and hold your breath for a second. If the mask will stay on while holding your breath without any hands and if you cant hear or feel any air escaping it will be a good fitting mask.

#2 The snorkel as I said before you would be wise to make sure it has a purge valve in the bottom of the snorkel below the mouthpiece. It would look like a little strainer almost. I would caution you against buying one unless it has that valve. Here is a link with a picture of a snorkel with a purge valve

http://www.divebooty.com/equipment_details.asp?pid=2683

you can see at the bottom of the long straight tube is a blue colored thing...that is the purge valve just below the mouthpiece. Also if it has a mask clip even better. It will clip onto your mask and you wont have to clench your jaw to keep it up out of the water.

Also if you do end up buying a mask when you first get it home take some toothpaste and wet the inside of the mask with water. Then scrub the inside of the lens with your finger and toothpaste to get off the film. If the film is still on the mask it will be almost impossible to get it unfogged when it fogs up. Also if your mask does fog up the easiest and cheapest thing to do is to spit in the inside of your mask and spread the spit all over the inside of the mask and then rinse out with ocean water or whatever water you have and then put it back on. There are commercial defoggers that work well and are only 8-15 dollars usually but if you dont want to buy one of those spit will work almost as well.

HTH
Heidi

 

[TammyC]

I suggest a "dry" snorkel. I used my sister's (don't know what brand) and it was great for diving down and not getting a mouth full of water! They are more expensive but worth it.

 

[HLFDZN]

When I went to Chakanaab I snorkled..Not sure if you need to rent a vest, but I think it was only like $5. I wish I could remember how much it was. I know the snorkle stuff was $6 for mask fins and snorkle and they were kinda gross.....they use listerine to sanitize..thats it and my mask smelled like sweaty face. I got our US divers snorkle sets for $24.95 buy one get one free at a sports store last fall. The kids snorkle sets I got at Kmart marked down at the end of the season too. Melissa

 

[Chris in Boise]

You should check out www.leisurepro.com.

Big selection of high quality snorkeling gear, surprisingly low prices, and good service.

I bought snorkeling sets for my family from LeisurePro a few years ago, including special vision-correction lenses for the masks, and have been very pleased.