Anyone bought and brought their own mask and snorkel?

[CDNPolar]

We are not afraid to say that we can be slightly germ-a-phobic and are concerned with the sterilizing of equipment when tour operators are passing this equipment past many people every day....

 

Has anyone bought and brought their own mask and snorkel and can you suggest a reasonable brand to buy that won't set us back a whole lot?

 

We want to snorkel because my husband has never done it before and this will likely be the one and only time that we will do it.

[Ergates The Ant]

I would certainly bring my own snorkel and mask if I was into swimming. The whole idea of putting anything in my mouth that had been used by someone else, with no guarantee that it had been properly sterilised ( and I mean sterilised, not disinfected ) would fill me with horror. 
I would start by looking on line at proper sports shops to get ideas of prices and specifications, and read reviews. Then you’ll be in a better position to find something cheap enough to work well. Depending on where you are boarding your cruise, and whether you have shopping time, I’m sure they will be readily available at beach / sea area shops and supermarkets.

[CDNPolar]

1 hour ago, Ergates The Ant said:

I would certainly bring my own snorkel and mask if I was into swimming. The whole idea of putting anything in my mouth that had been used by someone else, with no guarantee that it had been properly sterilised ( and I mean sterilised, not disinfected ) would fill me with horror. 
I would start by looking on line at proper sports shops to get ideas of prices and specifications, and read reviews. Then you’ll be in a better position to find something cheap enough to work well. Depending on where you are boarding your cruise, and whether you have shopping time, I’m sure they will be readily available at beach / sea area shops and supermarkets.

 

Glad I am not alone in this.  I rented one in my youth in Hawaii, but I was too stupid and something like Covid was not even on the radar at that time....

 

Heck, I wash my hands after using the tongs at the buffet before eating....

[canadianbear]

We bought ours at Costco several years ago.  Then I went to a dive shop & they put a prescription in my mask.  We always take our own equipment.  You could get away with using vendors fins depending on your foot size or where you are going to.  Our recent South Pacific cruise most vendors requested you bring your own gear.  We bring our fins too as my husband has large feet & no one carries over a size 12 that we’ve ever found. 
 

Just to add we’ve used our Costco equipment many, many times & no issue.  Since you’re not sure if you will snorkel again I would not buy expensive mask/snorkel.  

 

 

Edited May 6 by canadianbear

[CDNPolar]

15 hours ago, canadianbear said:

We bought ours at Costco several years ago.  Then I went to a dive shop & they put a prescription in my mask.  We always take our own equipment.  You could get away with using vendors fins depending on your foot size or where you are going to.  Our recent South Pacific cruise most vendors requested you bring your own gear.  We bring our fins too as my husband has large feet & no one carries over a size 12 that we’ve ever found. 
 

Just to add we’ve used our Costco equipment many, many times & no issue.  Since you’re not sure if you will snorkel again I would not buy expensive mask/snorkel.  

 

 

 

Thanks, and yes, we would use the supplied fins as those are difficult to carry.

 

 

[mac66]

We have several sets of cheap snorkel gear but before that (like the first 20 years of cruising) we always rented, never had an issue with anything. When I started diving I used rental gear exclusively for about the first 5 years before buying my own.

 

 Since we tend to snorkel by ourselves whenever we get the chance while cruising we usually also bring travel fins which are smaller and easier to pack. If we book an excursion we use the vendor's fins.

 

Personally I would just use the vendor operators gear until you decide if you like snorkeling or not. But hey, that's just me.

[CDNPolar]

15 hours ago, mac66 said:

We have several sets of cheap snorkel gear but before that (like the first 20 years of cruising) we always rented, never had an issue with anything. When I started diving I used rental gear exclusively for about the first 5 years before buying my own.

 

 Since we tend to snorkel by ourselves whenever we get the chance while cruising we usually also bring travel fins which are smaller and easier to pack. If we book an excursion we use the vendor's fins.

 

Personally I would just use the vendor operators gear until you decide if you like snorkeling or not. But hey, that's just me.

 

The cost is minor against the desire to NOT put a mouthpiece in that we don't know the sterilization methods, but I get you...

[ROUS]

We always bring our own masks, snorkels, and fins.  Do yourself a favor and visit a well-stocked, well-run dive shop back home.  Buy gear that fits and you'll find that your water sport experiences are much much improved.  For us, fit and comfort are more important than the potential for germs, but of course, sanitation is a factor as well.

[CDNPolar]

1 hour ago, ROUS said:

We always bring our own masks, snorkels, and fins.  Do yourself a favor and visit a well-stocked, well-run dive shop back home.  Buy gear that fits and you'll find that your water sport experiences are much much improved.  For us, fit and comfort are more important than the potential for germs, but of course, sanitation is a factor as well.

 

Excellent recommendation.  We bought masks off Amazon before, and mine fit, but my husband has a very round face and he had a hard time getting a good fit.  We will visit a dive shop for sure.