What should I buy-snorkel equipment

[sallyb]

We are going to buy our own snorkel, mask, & fins. We will only use them for vacations, but I'm sick of the cheap rental stuff. I am thinking about an ultra-dry snorkel, and the Spirit 2 mask & Del Sol fins. I can get a package for 2 for less than $200 including a bag, defogger, and camera. What would you recommend?

[10X]

Your mask fit is important, so it's always best not to buy your equipment online. Not every mask will fit every face, so buying a amsk without actually testing the fit will not always produce good results.

 

My advice is to go to a local scuba diving shop and get fitted for equipment. You will pay more, but it's worth the price. Dive shops typically do not stock items of poor quality. They can't because the divers they service do not want anything that will not work or will last for only a couple of uses.

 

The shop will stock a variety of equipment. You can try it on for fit, i.e., mask, fins; and you have an expert at hand to answer all of your questions.

 

The fit of your fins is as important as the fit of your mask. I once rented equipment and had a poor fit on my fins. After one snorkeling excursion all the skin on the tops of both feet was worn raw. I had difficulty wearing shoes for the rest of the cruise, let alone trying to snorkel again with the salt water getting into the wounds.

 

Yes, you'll pay a little more at the dive shop, but don't be afraid to ask for a discount if you purchase everything then and there. I have never been denied one.

[80/80 Girl]

I agree with 10X. I would make sure you are able to try on your mask and fins before purchasing.

 

We just started scuba diving and I had to try about 6 masks (in our dive center pool) before I found one that fit my face.

 

Also we rented fins in both Cozumel and Belize. (In Belize)Although the fins were highend full fit Scuba pros it still chaffed against both big toes and I had blisters. Thankfully not too painful was still able to go jogging and wear the shoes I brought but still not what I had expected as the fins were a good fit and I didn't expect the outcome.

 

I think it's a personal choice as I would weigh how many vacations I will be taking to shell out the kind of money for good equipment if it is only going to be used on vacations.

 

Fins our cumbersome especially w/ my husband's size feet so we definitely take our snorkel/mask.

 

I don't know too much with cameras but i think if it doesn't have a flash and higher end quality it's not going to take that great of photos. I wouldn't expect to get the same quality as I get out of my digital.

[simonv]

I also urge you to go to a dive shop and try it personally, because properly fitting mask is everything! Be warned that mouth-piece of the top-of-the-line ultra-dry snorkel tends to be bigger and stiffer than simple model. It could affect the seal of your mask. After wasting money on all the bells and whistles, I'm back to a primitive $10 snorkel with a smaller softer mouth-piece and I'm happier.

[Pilot70D]

I am thinking about an ultra-dry snorkel, and the Spirit 2 mask & Del Sol fins. I can get a package for 2 for less than $200 including a bag, defogger, and camera. What would you recommend?

 

Buying your own equipment is a great idea and will make the overall experience a lot more enjoyable. Contrary to a previous post we both have dry snorkels with purge and the mouthpieces on them are the same size as our older plain snorkels. These dry snorkels do not hinder the seal of our masks. There is no such thing as a completely 100% dry snorkel but they come close and they make the snorkeling a lot more enjoyable IMHO.

 

I am going to make some specific equipment recommendations. The equipment I'll tell you about is by no means the only good equipment available. It is good equipment that has stood the test of time and is reasonably priced. We just returned from a two week snorkeling trip throughout the Caribbean. During this trip we hit ten different islands and went snorkeling on every one of them. On the average we did three stops per trip and were in the water a little over an hour on each stop. Having good equipment made all the difference.

 

One piece of equipment (apparel actually) which I highly recommend is a lycra, long sleeved rash guard. This is a very thin, long sleeved shirt that you can don just before hitting the water. It will protect your skin from sunburn and it probably will keep you from getting stung if have an encounter with a jelly fish. Rash guards like this typically sell for $25-40 and can prevent a nasty sunburn from spoiling the rest of your trip.

 

OK, now for the equipment.

 

FINS - TUSA XPert Zoom full foot. New, sells for $35-36 on eBay.

 

SNORKELS - Ocean Master Dry Snorkel. New, sells for $25-26 on eBay.

 

Body Glove Sahara Dry Snorkel. New, sells for approx. $24

on eBay. This same snorkel is available with half a dozen

different names and from as many companies.

 

MASKS - Ocean Master Z4, low volume with purge. Sells for $36 on eBay.

Great mask for the money. Corrective lenses readily available

at a reasonable price. Bestscubaonline even has custom versions

for those who are hard to fit (like Mrs. B. a.k.a Snorkel Woman) at

no extra charge. For defog we use a dilute solution of baby shampoo

and tap water. Works absolutely just as well as commercial defoggers and is a

heck of a lot less expensive.

 

DIVE BOOTIES - 2mm. Available from a number of sources on eBay with a

prices ranging from under $10 to around $17. Makes

wearing fins more comfortable and will protect your feet

at locations where fins aren't permitted.

 

UNDERWATER CAMERA - Hanimex Amphibian. Available used on eBay for

around $40-45. Much better than the disposable underwater

cameras. Takes great pictures and is waterproof down to

120 meters.

 

If you want underwater digital then you might want to

explore an Olympus Stylus 500 coupled with an Olympus

PT-026 Underwater Housing (about $400 for the pair on

eBay.

 

Here's what we pack for a typical warm water snorkel trip. One pair each of the TUSA XPert full foot fins. One pair each of open foot fins (Force Fins for Snorkel Woman and Oceanic Vortex V12's for me). One pair each of the 2MM dive booties. One pair each of hard soled dive booties. One full body lycra rash guard suite for Snorkel Woman (she sunburns quite easily). One 2MM Henderson shorty wetsuit for me (keeps back and shoulders from sunburning). Two Ocean Master snorkels for Snorkel Woman. One Body Glove and one Ocean Master snorkel for me. Snorkels are plastic and while not exactly delicate could be easily broken if stepped on. We think having a spare snorkel is good insurance. Ocean Master Z4's for each of us. Hanimex Amphibian underwater camera, two sets of AA batteries and ASA 400 film. One 'Dive Rescue Kit' containing a spare mouthpiece, spare heelstrap for fins and spare headstrap for masks. One Splash Caddy Passport 5x7 Pouch Bag made by ALOKSAKS. This is a small drypouch designed to be worm around your neck. In it we put our cash, drivers licenses and copies of our passports. We never leave these items on the boat while diving or snorkeling. We also leave our real passports locked in a safe at the hotel or aboard the cruise ship and we take the copies with us. Replacing a lost copy of our passports is a heck of a lot easier than replacing a lost or stolen passport. One yellow snorkel vest for each of us. We also each have a large mesh bag/backpack for hauling our gear to the boat each day. These bags also are large enough to hold a couple of jumbo towels plus our equipment.

 

I know that this post is long and for that I apologize. If anyone has questions about the gear I would suggest that you email me directly at pilot70d@yahoo.com.

 

Hope the info is helpful and everyone have a great day out there.

[zqvol]

We are going to buy our own snorkel, mask, & fins. We will only use them for vacations, but I'm sick of the cheap rental stuff. I am thinking about an ultra-dry snorkel, and the Spirit 2 mask & Del Sol fins. I can get a package for 2 for less than $200 including a bag, defogger, and camera. What would you recommend?

I am afraid that my recommendation might not be what you want to hear but three of us in the family dive and the fourth snorkels. I think that the brand of your gear is unimportant. My advice, if you want good gear you should go to a local dive shop and let them help you. I would expect to pay a bit more than you have suggested for mask fins and snorkels, maybe $125 or so, but if you are in Fl or HI it will likely be cheaper.

 

I think you will be pleased with your own gear. It will fit correctly, be more comfortable and you don’t have to worry about who has had the snorkel in their mouth and whose nose has been in the mask.

[sallyb]

I thank you all for your replies- There are no dive shops in this area. I just want better equipment than what you are given on a typical cruise excursion. I bought a package for 2 online which includes a dry snorkel, Spirit 2 mask and Del Sol fins. They threw in the silly fish cards, cameras, and mask defogger. For $160, I'm sure I will be happy. I hate getting a mouth full of salt water, it dehydrates me so bad that I don't enjoy the whole experience. If I could snorkel more often, I would certainly invest in higher end equipment. If any of the equipment is not suitable, this company will pay for shipping on returns, so I lose nothing by trying it. I plan on snorkeling in 3 of 4 ports on my next cruise. I can't wait!

[Robrph]

you sound like you're all set with the equipment. A couple of other suggestions: purchase a bottle of Sea Gold or other brand of mask defogging solution. You apply it to the inside of the mask, rinse it off and you're all set- no fogging of the mask whatsoever. We have also used a product called Safe Sea-this is a combination of Sunscreen and jellyfish repellant lotion. Some areas, like the Caymans can have a large population of jellyfish that can spoil a great snorkeling trip. If you don't have a dive shop in the area, you can probably find these items online. Also, don't forget the Milk-Bones- the fish go crazy when you break off a small piece in the water!

[sallyb]

Robrph,

Thanks for the tips. I will definitely add these items to the list.:)

[jeffinhburg]

I'm in agreement with those who noted that the personal gear (mask, fins, suit) should be bought at a dive shop. Subsequent replacements/upgrades could probably be bought online, but fit for the face and feet is important, and by getting your first set where you can try on different ones, you will get an idea of what brands are best for you fitwise, and can likely get the same brands later online, if you need more (I snorkel a lot, and dive now, too, so I've got a couple sets of stuff accumulated over the years). For instance, I know that a certain size of Mares full foot fins and a certain size of Mares open heel fins fit my feet and my boots best, respectively. Now, if I see a particular bargain on them online, I can just get more of them. But your experiences will be much more enjoyable if your first set of equipment fits well, which requires trying it on.

 

I'd be less concerned about the quality of snorkel, but I like longer for choppy open water, and shorter for calm water. I could care less if it's dry or not, as long as it has a purge that works decently.

[NM_Eman]

Quick hint on mask defog -- scrub the inside of the mask (just the lens) with paste type tooth paste (not jell) and rinse/scrub out the tooth paste with plain water. This will remove the silicon residue that tends to cause fogging.

 

A few drops of baby shampoo in a small bottle of water makes a great defog solution. Splash it in, scrub it around rinse it out. Works great and cheap too, better than any commercial solution. Spit works too.:p

Kent

PADI OSWI

[80/80 Girl]

Quick hint on mask defog -- scrub the inside of the mask (just the lens) with paste type tooth paste (not jell) and rinse/scrub out the tooth paste with plain water. This will remove the silicon residue that tends to cause fogging.

 

A few drops of baby shampoo in a small bottle of water makes a great defog solution. Splash it in, scrub it around rinse it out. Works great and cheap too, better than any commercial solution. Spit works too.:p

Kent

PADI OSWI

 

I was just about to post re: the toothpaste. Both are awesome suggestions. Thanks for posting them for others to see!

[Past it]

I have just bought a new type of Mask (new to me anyway) at a dive shop.It differs from my old one in that the silicone is all black,supposedly to keep out the light and give better vision, also the lenses are tinted and mirrored.So the fish will come up to you. :confused: I tried it out today,it fits great and felt good but I was just off the beach and didn't see any fish.Will have to wait till May to try it in the South Pacific . Any one else tried one of this type? Its called a Black Magic

[iamkidc]

Wal-Mart has a nice mask and snorkle set made by US Divers for somewhere around $17. I've been using it for around 9 months now and haven't had any problems. As for fins you will probably have to goto a dive shop, but if you have and second hand sporting goods stores in your area be sure to check them too. My brother found a nice set of fins at a Play-it-again-Sports for $20... And instead of spending money on defogger, which in my opinion is a waste of money, you can use Johnson's Baby Shampoo. It works just as good, if not better, and when your done snorkling for the day you can wash the salt water out of your hair if the boat has a fresh water shower. ;)