I am interested in purchasing decent Snorkel Gear. Any suggestions? Thanks!

[Margery]

I am interested in purchasing decent Snorkel Gear. Any suggestions? Thanks!

[Scuba Laura]

Hey Margery, I would suggest going to your local scuba diving center. There are brands out there for reasonable prices, such as; Sport Diver, US Divers and Scuba Max. If you buy larger brandnames such as, Aqua Lung or Mares, you're going to pay more for it. Stay away from the Kmart brands as most carry masks made of plastic not silicone. The best mask is the one that fits your face. They are all made different for different face features. Just go in and start trying them on. You should be able to place the mask on your face (make sure all hair is out of the way), push it on, don't breath, and it should suck to your face. If it doesn't, you're not getting a good seal. The black silicone masks seem to be more flexible and work well with wrinkles and creases. Good luck and HAVE FUN!

[Scuba Laura]

oops, another important detail....

 

After buying a mask, use soft scrub or toothPASTE to remove the silicone coating on the inside of the lens so that no-fog drops work. Clean it 3 or 4 times.

[Scuba Laura]

oops, another important detail....

 

After buying a mask, use soft scrub or toothPASTE to remove the silicone coating on the inside of the lens so that no-fog drops work. Clean it 3 or 4 times.

[scubaran]

oops, another important detail....

 

After buying a mask, use soft scrub or toothPASTE to remove the silicone coating on the inside of the lens so that no-fog drops work. Clean it 3 or 4 times.

 

Paste toothpaste, not gel. :p

 

Randall

[flatman]

I am interested in purchasing decent Snorkel Gear. Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

I just found my US DIVERS snorkel pack, which included mask, fins, and tube, at Kmart, in a back pac case, in there clearance dept. 18 bucks!

[Conrycol]

Got this from LLBean. Great set for travelling.

http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?categoryId=54396&storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&from=SR&feat=sr

[phantom728]

Thanks for posting that LLBean link. DH and I are considering buying snorkel gear for ourselves and this looks like what we want.

[got2gocruisin]

Thanks for posting that LLBean link. DH and I are considering buying snorkel gear for ourselves and this looks like what we want.

 

 

;) WE went to our local dive shop (scuba) and got everything we needed from professional purge mask to fins, wetsuits, skins, & purge snorkel ... they usually have everything.. we always carry our own wetsuits & snorkel gear.. good luck & have fun G@GC:D

[kadeycat]

After snorkeling quite a bit we decided to try a dry snorkel. We ordered from Snorkel Mart online which is also where I got my prescription mask. Quite a bit of variety and good prices.

[enchilada72]

I have used Cressi-Sub snorkel gear for many years now. I take it on every cruise and every trip to Hawaii, the Keys, and where ever else I have snorkeled. It is my favorite!

I do recommend using a "mask cleanser" instead of toothpaste to clean your mask the first time. It can be purchased at the dive shop and it will not scratch any lens, where some toothpastes are more abrasive than others (paste and/0r gel) and may leave swirls. If you get a basic inexpensive mask and do not care that is one thing, but I knew I would use mine quite a bit, so I wanted to take the best care possible to help it last. Hope this helps. :)

[Middleager]

I do recommend using a "mask cleanser" instead of toothpaste to clean your mask the first time. It can be purchased at the dive shop and it will not scratch any lens, where some toothpastes are more abrasive than others (paste and/0r gel) and may leave swirls. If you get a basic inexpensive mask and do not care that is one thing, but I knew I would use mine quite a bit, so I wanted to take the best care possible to help it last. Hope this helps. :)

Not necessary. I (and many scuba divers) buy masks, and clean them with toothpaste the first time, rather than spending several unnecessary dollars to buy mask cleaner. Diving equipment gets expensive, and I'd want to spend money where it's worth. Ask any divers (don't ask the dive shop salesperson).

 

I know a friend who would only buy things from the most expensive shop in town, even for many things that are sold at other cheaper discount shops. Even for the exact kitchenware, she would rather spend $45-50 to buy the same thing that costs $10-15 at another store. She knows they are exactly the same thing, but somehow she feels she's getting something better because she bought it at the expensive store. In this case, it's not the exact same item, but the toothpaste cleans the mask of the factory grease.

[flatman]

I am interested in purchasing decent Snorkel Gear. Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

Margery, try googling Divers Supply..I did and we got a set for both me and my DW.

[kamfan]

As a diver, I will echo the comments about fit being extremely important if you are going to use this mask more than once or twice. Snorkling and clearing your mask of excess water is very annoying and can actually be tricky to do. If you are only going to use it on one cruise and then leave it in a closet for years, then any online mask will do. But do not assume because a mask "looks" right, it will fit. Everyone's face is different and even masks from the same product line do not fit exactly the same. Good luck.

[serval_girl]

I bought mine at Sams Club a few years ago-its Body Glove, cost about 30$ and I love it! I prefer the mask (which fits great) and snorkel (which has a purger and flap that lets you go under water and resurface w/o getting a mouth full of water) to the stuff many dives shops will give you. Ive even been complemented on it by several while snorkeling and diving. Totally recommend it!

[Scorp100]

Do you wear glasses?

 

Several mask brands offer prescription inserts, or replacement lenses. Go to a good dive shop or web site to get more info. My wife and our cruising buddy just rave about being able to SEE the fish and coral clear. They can't believe they waited so long to get them. We previously bought stuff from Costco, or rented. Even some rental shops have a selection of corrective masks. We rented some on Kauai.

 

Hope this helps. Have a blast!

[grinch]

How can you order a mask on line? How can you tell the size? We have no dive shops in my area I am unable to try one on.

[got2gocruisin]

How can you order a mask on line? How can you tell the size? We have no dive shops in my area I am unable to try one on.

I know that swim shops also have goggles & fins, also they usually know where the dive shops are.. sometimes there hidden... we have a couple really nice ones up here if you want to make a trip tp knoxville! my e-mail is got2gocruisin@yahoo.com

write me & I'll try to help you find one... G2GC P'S' you may find a swim shop on a college campus that has a swim team... just a thought thats where they are up here ,I got goggles &noseclip there..

[got2gocruisin]

How can you order a mask on line? How can you tell the size? We have no dive shops in my area I am unable to try one on.

HEY GRINCH, JUST HAD A BRAINF.RT! went to yellowpages.com

and put in atlanta & in the search put DIVE SHOP OR SCUBA SHOP a bunch of them come up all over atlanta area.. hope this helps... G2GC

[grinch]

Thanks I'll see whats close by. I have a friend who travels to Hawhii every week and he is going to help. He works for delta. Never asked him because he doesn't swim. But he said it will give him something to do on his lay over.

[StarryBugg]

Thanks I'll see whats close by. I have a friend who travels to Hawhii every week and he is going to help. He works for delta. Never asked him because he doesn't swim. But he said it will give him something to do on his lay over.

 

Just go here: http://www.diversatsea.com/index.shtml They will get you squared away!! :)

[tarheelkate]

Lots of good answers! Toothpaste is fine for most masks... just ask the dive shop if you have a question. My mask filters the red back in, so I have to use the cleaner cause toothpaste will interfere with the tint. Take lots of people with you to the dive shop... cause the great thing about dive shops is the more you buy, the more you save!

[jcjky]

I have heard that with a mustache it hard to get air tight fit. Other then shaving it off what else can be done to get a good fit?

[dvan68]

I have heard that with a mustache it hard to get air tight fit. Other then shaving it off what else can be done to get a good fit?

 

You should try to find a mask with a purge option. Here is one - a little pricey, but that was on my first google search - I am sure you could find others that are more economical.

 

http://www.snorkelcity.com/snoredsilpur.html

[grounded]

I have heard that with a mustache it hard to get air tight fit. Other then shaving it off what else can be done to get a good fit?

 

silicon grease. Any dive store will sell it. it's also good for rust-proofing your knives and trauma shears.