Help a blind bat snorkel

[jmkoilers]

Does anyone else have this problem. I wear glasses and can't see 2 feet in front of my face without them, but I want to go snorkeling on my next cruise. Is there such a thing as a mask that would fit over my glasses? Where can I get such a thing? Please be specific. Contacts are NOT an option as I can't stand even looking at people sticking things in their eyes. Please help - otherwise I will just have to sit in the boat, and look over the edge - seems like a waste of money if that's all I can do. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I live in Michigan, but now a days, you can get just about anything on the web. Thanks

[Homosassa]

You have two options:

1. If you think that you will do snorkeling in the future, you can order a face mask with your Rx in the plastic. This is pricey, but if you are interested, check with a local sports shop about ordering one.

 

2. If you are signing up with a tour operator to go snorkeling, many will have some masks with corrective plasic lenses. You probably will not get your Rx, but since light is refracted under water and things appear closer anyway, a mask with even a few diopters of correction will make a huge different. Check with your tour operator to see if they have any mask available.

[mowrider]

some of the tours involve a bubble worn over your head connected to an air line that lets you walk around underwater. I think its called snuba

[momofzeke]

I am also as blind as a bat without my glasses. I ordered the Rx snorkel mask before our last cruise, and it was FANTASTIC!! It was about $65 from http://www.snorkelmart.com ~ kinda spendy, but if you will be snorkeling again in the future, it's worth it. I could see just as well with that mask on as I can with my glasses.

 

The first time I snorkelled, I tried just putting a mask over my glasses ~ doesn't work.

 

Good luck! :)

[mrdood]

Maybe you should wear glasses when posting:) , this same thread also came up today:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=401113

[flyingdutchman]

My wife had the same problem and the first cruises she didn't go snorkeling. I didn't like it nor did she so we went on line and ordered a mask with here Rx and had it within two weeks. It was a lot cheaper then going to our eye doctor who could due the same thing. We now enjoy snorkeling togather on every curise we take.

[dlbutler5]

I scuba and like you are blind over two feet. Go to your local scuba shop and get a mask and have them inset pre-cut lenses. These are much like reading glass lenses. You really want to try on a mask before you buy it so you know it fits and that the lenses are strong enough. If the pre-cut lenses aren't good enough they can order lenses from an eye glass perscription.

[Knights on the Beach]

I don't know if this helps you or not, but before I had lasik, I often went snorkeling and could see great with just a regular (non prescription) mask. I wasn't so crazy about jumping in the water not being able to see that well, but once I stuck my face in the water I felt like I had perfect vision.

[Princesskiki]

Last year on a SNUBA excursion, we had several people with glasses.

 

The dive instructor told them to fold their glasses closed and stick them in their mask.

 

Not the greatest option but the cheapest, but no one complained (including my hubby) DH said it didn't bother him at all.

[Leo Jay]

Last year on a SNUBA excursion, we had several people with glasses.

 

The dive instructor told them to fold their glasses closed and stick them in their mask.

 

Not the greatest option but the cheapest, but no one complained (including my hubby) DH said it didn't bother him at all.

 

They probably would have done better to unscrew and remove the arms first.

[redfish1]

I also ordered the prescription goggles from Snorkel Mart after renting some of these in Hawaii last year at Snorkel Joe's. I am very nearsighted (about 6.0), so these are worth the money to me! The basic ones, for about $65 as somebody above mentioned, won't correct for a really bad astigmatism, but they are just fine for snorkeling, in my opinion.

[RedHeadTexan]

IMO, don't put your glasses in your mask. If you mask comes off, you will probably lose your glasses. And if you don't have a backup pair, you will only see 2 feet in front of you until you find an optometrist

 

I was an avid snorkeler, who has now moved onto scuba. My vision without glasses was 12 inches in front of me. Without any corrective lenses, I could not make anything out in the water. Yes, water magnifies everything, but it was still blurry and unrecognizable to me. I solved my issue by purchasing disposable contacts and closing my eyes when purging my mask.

 

Now there are great masks that you can buy with corrective lenses.:D IMO, this is better than contacts because you don't have to worry about the contacts floating out if you get water in your mask.

 

In January, I had lasik so that I would have perfect vision for scuba. This is the most expensive option, so I only recommend it if you are going to get into scuba.

[2manyplaces]

This may not work for everyone, but I didn't want to invest in a Rx mask when I was first learning to snorkel. I am very nearsighted, as well, and my optometrist suggested I might want to try contacts which would give me enough correction to see when I snorkeled but not try to correct my astigmatism, etc. They were very inexpensive at Costco (like $20 for 3 pair) and the soft lenses were very easy to use for a few hours at a time. My doc actually gave me a pair to test out before purchasing my own--no risk. Now I wear them for snorkeling all the time.

[Tony8489]

The basic masks for ~$60 or so are available at about 1.5, 3.0 and 4.5 corrections. The 3.0 works great for both me and my avid diving son Andrew. Some operators (Molokini on Maui and Heron Island in Australia as I recall) carry rental prescription masks. If you don't want to buy one, e-mail dive/snorkel companies at your ports and find one that rents prescription masks.