Snorkel Question from first timer....?

[jamstew]

How do you know if a mask fits properly (without testing it out in the water first)? I plan to buy a mask & snorkel for an upcoming cruise and would order something online, but I'm thinking I should go to a dive shop to be sure I get a mask that fits.

[evergladesgator]

Go to a dive shop and try them on WITHOUT using the head strap. Apply mask to face , inhale thru nose, mask should seal when suction is applied. If not try another mask until one seals without falling from face. :cool: Then check out the make and model online to see if it can be purchased at a lesser price.:)

[o2banotter]

I snorkeled for the first time in Cozumel last month. No special equipment, the outfit provided everything, they know what they're doing. I regret jumping in the water instead of taking the steps, but other than that everything was fantastic. It was cloudy out, apparently the colors are way more brilliant when the sun is out, but I was too excited to care. Next cruise in January, more snorkeling~:D

[jamstew]

Go to a dive shop and try them on WITHOUT using the head strap. Apply mask to face , inhale thru nose, mask should seal when suction is applied. If not try another mask until one seals without falling from face. :cool: Then check out the make and model online to see if it can be purchased at a lesser price.:)

 

Thanks -- I knew there was a trick to it but had forgotten what it was:o

[MrCo9]

We will be testing them at a Recreation Center, and plus I bought an underwater housing for my digital camera. I want to test it in deeper water than 4 feet, to really check for leaks.

 

So we'll be testing them all out before we leave, and 2 of us have never snorkeled before so it'll be a few good practice runs for us!

Make sure when you test it, you do so without the camera.

[Jaymee287]

make sure when you test it, you do so without the camera.

 

 

of course lol

[okwriter]

I think in January on the Sensation, they were selling the tube thingy for $5 at the Information desk. We didn't buy one---used what was handed out on the excursion.

Is there any reason NOT to buy the ones on board? Are they adequate?

[evergladesgator]

Okwriter,

 

Read the above posts about snorkels. For a beginner, the dry type snorkel is the better way to go. NO water comes thru the tube . (The one fro the desk is an open type tube. Any type of wave will flood the tube making for a mouth full of water and even if you bend your head too much downward to look at the bottom for fish water will enter). Even in a choppy sea. No gagging or trying to blow water out of your mouth. MUCH more enjoyable. The last cruise we were on in Belize i used the community diving gear and came home with a very severe lip sore. Doc called it a cold sore. Bled for a week and very tender. I will take my own mask and snorkel from now on. Don't need the aggravation at my age.

[sewut]

We bought snorkel sets at a sporting goods store in Denver. They are Body Glove brand. Mine does well, but DH's leaks. Our first snorkel experience was at Chankanaab. The entrance to the water from the beach is a rocky "stairway". The waves are coming in and you enter into water waist high or higher. We left our fins on the ship because DH didn't think we needed them (translate: didn't want to carry them) We regretted it. We also didn't have inflatable snorkel vests. We were afraid that we would get too far out and get tired. Without vests and fins, we could be in trouble, so we stayed pretty close to the steps. Next time, we had our fins and vests and it was much more enjoyable and less crowded to explore further. There is some neat stuff out there. We saw a cannon.

 

Sewut