Snorkle Gear: rent or buy?

[dulcimergirl]

Yep, I bought my set from a Dive shop. I love my short flippers and having my own mask and dry snorkel is wonderful. I can just walk, taxi to a beach and hit the water. Yes, it was more than 10$. Well worth the money and has been with me on every cruise or trip to the USVI I have made. I look at it this way, if your at the beach alot, buy your own. every few years on a vaca? Maybe not.

Short flippers are the best thing going, easily fits in my small suitcase. What I hate, hate, hate is being forced to rent/wear a vest on some excursions/beaches. grrrr

[Room Service!]

Trust me renting good is far better than buying cheap and lugging fins, mask and snorkel.

 

Good equipment aint' cheap. You think rental companies that rent out equipment that is used hundreds if not more times will buy cheap stuff?

 

Many make comments about how icky it is to put something on ones face or something in ones mouth that others have used but never think twice about the elevator button, handrail, fork/plate, or toilet seat :D Last I checked people that say icky are in the same water with those ickies :eek:

Hopefully we aren't putting our mouths on the el button, handrail,, or toilet seat. :eek:

[c&d]

We bought our snorkel gear a few years ago, I felt uncomfortable using the mouth piece. I am not a germ freak but I was uncomfortable with a mouth peice that had been in many others mouth.

 

As for sanitary conditions you can use hand sanitizer after touching elevator buttons,

handrails etc. If you get dirty silverware send it back or ask for a cup of hot water and dip the utensil in it.

 

Sorry just got on a tangent about the previous post about sanitary conditions.

[Max272]

Buy!

[Billzilla66]

Trust me renting good is far better than buying cheap and lugging fins, mask and snorkel.

 

Good equipment aint' cheap. You think rental companies that rent out equipment that is used hundreds if not more times will buy cheap stuff?

 

Many make comments about how icky it is to put something on ones face or something in ones mouth that others have used but never think twice about the elevator button, handrail, fork/plate, or toilet seat :D Last I checked people that say icky are in the same water with those ickies :eek:

 

 

I agree. I saw a news article that mentioned the most unsanitzed thing in stores was the ATM. Nobody thinks twice about touching the same keys everybody else uses, and on average, they are almost never cleaned.

[Billzilla66]

Hopefully we aren't putting our mouths on the el button, handrail,, or toilet seat. :eek:

 

Funny, but do you sanitize your hands after touch communal things such as rails, buttons, etc, before eating anything, or itching your nose, or wiping your eyes? Be honest now. With the exception of the bathrooms, I know I don't always wash my hands.:rolleyes:

 

But back to the OP, if it concerns you, you can use some pocket sanitizer to clean the stuff yourself, just make sure you rinse it out very good.

[crazyfrazee]

Last week while at Caymen, we paid Carnival for a snorkel excursion. Someone asked the excursion operator about if they sanitized the mouth peices. Of course they said YES! Well when we finished, we had to throw all of stuff in a 55 gallon drum of water. Our mouth peices, flippers etc all went in. Before we left we saw them setting up the process for the next group. They never washed them! Nasty. We are know going to buy our own.

[jtwanabe]

Thats what i what I was worried about.

 

Another question

 

1. Is the snorkeling worth the effort

2. Is it safe to snorkel alone

3. Are fins necessary

[balcony bound]

Thats what i what I was worried about.

 

Another question

 

1. Is the snorkeling worth the effort

2. Is it safe to snorkel alone

3. Are fins necessary

 

We snorkel in almost every port -- YES it is worth it:)

DH snorkels alone sometimes, but I can always see him. I probably have too...I just don't remember!

We don't bother with fins unless we are wayyyy out in more open water. I like to be slow and look around, not a speed sport for me.

 

We have our own snorkel gear, bought at our local dive shop. I actually had to try several masks to find one that fit me properly. The investment was pretty small, paid for itself in just a couple trips, plus we rarely book snorkel excursions since in many cases you can go to the same places on your own. There are some notable exceptions to that and some awesome places we've gone with guides.

 

Enjoy!

[crazyfrazee]

If you buy your own gear make sure you find one of those small floatation devices. The water we were in dropped off to over 100 feet deep quick. Within a couple thousand feet or so the water was 3000 feet deep. If you don't get a floatation device and go into deeper water it won't be very fun treading water. We loved our snorkel trip!

[KansasK]

We have our own equipment and we snorkel on every cruise. My snorkel attaches to my mask with velcro and I knocked it off somehow when I got in the water from the boat in Cozumel. We could not find it, so they gave me one to use, but it was small and awful to use.

 

Sometimes the equipment is good though. In both St. Maarten and St. Thomas, the snorkel operator had really nice fins. I had my fins, but I would have been willing to use theirs.

 

If your mask leaks and you get water in your mouth from the snorkel, you don't really enjoy snorkeling. I think having your own equipment is worth it.

 

If you rent, one solution for the snorkel is to take one of those small pre-wrapped alcohol wipes and wipe off the mouth piece.

[Dee777]

We bought our own, never regretted it once.

[mechcc]

After first cruise and first snorkel expierence - got my own gear. I have a narrow foot so having fins that fit tight is a big plus. Additional benefit is having a mouthpiece that has only been in my mouth and mask that is preset to my face. I asked for the gear for a Christmas present and was rewarded with good quality that I love.

 

When packing the fins - multi pairs of socks get packed in the foot portion. Socks also fit into the eye portion of the mask.

[Room Service!]

Funny, but do you sanitize your hands after touch communal things such as rails, buttons, etc, before eating anything, or itching your nose, or wiping your eyes? Be honest now. With the exception of the bathrooms, I know I don't always wash my hands.:rolleyes:

 

But back to the OP, if it concerns you, you can use some pocket sanitizer to clean the stuff yourself, just make sure you rinse it out very good.

 

Obviously, no, I don't sanitize every time, after touching those things, but to knowingly put something in your mouth that you know has been in many other mouths, well that's just gross. I do, however, wash my hands before eating.

[bguppies]

Rented equipment our first couple of cruises.

 

Realized that I could have bought a set for each of us by then.

 

Did a little research online at some snorkel sites and got some recommendations for quality gear.

 

Wound up buying DW and I sets at Sam's club.

 

Have had them for our last 8 cruises and they are still going strong. (needless to say they paid for themselves long ago)

 

I don't get where people find it so difficult to pack them?

 

I just throw a luggage tag on a mesh bag with both of our sets in there.

 

Incredibly simple.

 

Bill

[MamaParrotHead]

Buy. Definately. For one, that means you can snorkel off any beach, at any time, whether there's a rental shack or not. Plus you don't have to deal with anyone else's germs, ick. I've seen how they "disinfect" and I'm not going to gamble on that one. Don't go too cheap though. I got a good Body Glove set on amazon.com for like $25 for the mask and DRY snorkel. I then got a little more into it and got a properly fitted mask from a dive shop (for like $40-$50). No real need for fins, I'm not trying to break any speed records while snorkeling....float, look, float, look, repeat.

[jtwanabe]

No fins and get your own ... I think I have a plan.

 

Thanks

[Colorado Kat]

If you buy your own gear make sure you find one of those small floatation devices. The water we were in dropped off to over 100 feet deep quick. Within a couple thousand feet or so the water was 3000 feet deep. If you don't get a floatation device and go into deeper water it won't be very fun treading water. We loved our snorkel trip!

 

Unfortunately, some of us couldn't sink if we tried. I have my own water wings.

[nancy409]

We bring our mask and snorkel and use their fins. To me using their snorkel is like using someone else's tootbrush.

[cece9922]

Hopefully we aren't putting our mouths on the el button, handrail,, or toilet seat. :eek:

 

 

HAHA I was thinking the same thing