Hello I am also moving to the VI in nine days and my girlfriend and I also went to dicks today we didnt have luck so we went to a local dive shop in Rye NH and purchased some good equipment. There are many different types of snorkeling gear depending on what your looking for and the price range. We purchased higher end equipment because we plan on using it as much as possible. If you are just going to use it for a vacation you would probably be better off renting when you get there then you dont have to pack the gear. We also went to a surf shop and bought rash guard shirts to protect us from the sun. I am verry excited to be moving to st croix and do some snorkeling. my suggestion to you is to go and talk to some people at a local dive shop and they can help you determine the best equipment that will suit your needs. Hope you enjoy your self in the warm water and wish you the best of luck.

aspen

gee...we got ours at K-mart and it suited us fine (but as aspen points out, it depends...) try llbean.com (they have snorkel kits for about $50 not too sure about the price), or also even dickssportinggoods.com (as opposed to the store directly as they might have it available online, but not in the stores just yet.)

Hi Lolly,
I got my snorkel gear at http://www.snorkel-mart.com/ and can't wait to try it. They have 2 people pacakges and you can get a variety of quality stuff. I got a prescription mask from them very reasonably. They also have snorkel vests. I decided after I ordered from them to get a vest and got mine on e-bay for $29.95. Try those places... with 17 days left, you can still have stuff delivered to your door in time.
Five days to go for me... I can't get anymore excited or I'll not be able to get anything done this week.

crickett : )
ps... I'm not affiliated with snorkel-mart in any way other than being a paying customer

Lolly, diversdirect.com I must admit that I visited one of their stores while in florida, talked with sales people and tried them on before buying. At least if you go to a local dive shop it will give you an idea of low prices available.

DON'T RENT ! It is well worth the investment, approximately $200 for mask, snorkel and fins. We got ours about 3 years ago at a dive shop in Toledo OH and have used it on all our vacations since, Bora Bora, Thailand and soon St John. You won't be sorry, the mask is especially important if you just want to purchase that, you need a good fit so it doesn't leak. Good Luck and enjoy your trip !

Where are you freezing your "arses" off? We are living in Wisconsin and went to a Dive Shop that services people who dive in Lake Michigan. It is very important for your mask to be fit to your face properly. We went snorkeling once with masks that leaked the entire time and it ruined our experience. IF you don't have a dive shop where you live I would wait until you get to St. Thomas or St. John - remember everything is duty free and the people know how to fit you properly.

Going to Kmart you are taking a chance. You get what you pay for.
If you are looking to buy snorkel gear for just this trip and never use it again then Kmart might be your answer. But if you want to invest a little money and get the good stuff that should last 20 years plus go to a Dive Shop. My kids have some cheap masks from either Kmart or Target that are plastic. They leak, so they pull them off, you drain the water, fix the strap, pull the tangled hair out and start over in 5 minutes when they pull the mask off again because it is full of water. They used them swimming in the lakes.

If you are just using the snorkel equipment for this trip you could can also rent it on St. Thomas or St. John. Most larger resorts and beach shops invest in the nicer snorkel equipment that you can rent. That's less stuff to pack and lug through the airport too.

The dive shop we went to had a snorkel package that included the mask, snorkel, fins and the vest. Good masks should be made with a Silicone skirt not plastic. We paid $65 as part of the package pricing (retail was $85) for Aqua Lung masks which are only sold in Dive Shops. (They are probably top of the line but it was our Christmas presents to eachother) If you buy Aqua Lung off the internet they void the warranty. (Probably because they are fakes)

If you want to save money my suggestion would be to buy the snorkel and vest off the internet but get fitted for a mask and fins at a dive shop. I think the vest is a good idea so the boaters see you in the water and just in case you get a cramp. Our fins did not run true to our shoe size. Don't forget a duffel bag of some short that drains out the water. Mask defogger unless you want to use your spit. We also brought a waterproof bag for our camera. Someone suggested Rash guards/shirts with UV protection to wear so we ordered those too to protect our white skin from getting burned.

Have a great trip.

Glad to see that so many people are talking about snorkle vests. For a while it seemed everybody was too macho to wear a snorkle vest. And the truth is, if you're a good swimmer or in my case a great floater, you'll probably never need it.

For instance, when I was at Cinnamon the last time, my son asked me how long I could float on my back, we got tired of the test after about an hour and 15 minutes during which I managed to fall asleep at least once. I've always been able to float exceptionally well, but I still wear a snorkle vest because the possibility of drowning is always present.

And the best thing about a snorkle vest is that it makes snorkling a lot less work, especially if there are any waves.

JFP

Thanks for the advice on the vest. Going to get some for the whole family for this year's trip... We didnt use them the first time we went, but we really limited ourselves from going too far for too long, and from what you are saying, even that was taking a chance.

I agree- its darn near impossible to sink in the ocean. Mry wife rented a vest and after the second snorkel she went without it. IMO you don't need it.

While I certainly don't want to discourage anyone from purchasing safety equipment, I did want to let you know that my wife and I recently did purchase mask, snorkel and fins, but not the vest. My wife wanted additional safety, but instead of a more expensive vest (I THINK it ran around $25 at our local dive shop), we stopped at K-Mart and bought one of those Styrofoam tubes for around $3. She was very happy with it and we gave it to the pool attendant at our hotel when we left. We only get to snorkel once per year so that worked out best for us.

We bought ours at Sports Authority. I've also checked Dicks and found them to be limited. Sports Authority has a much larger selection of most items, I've found.

Misty,

Since this is off topic, if you want to PM me that's fine. We're going to Bora Bora and Moorea in October. I'd love to hear about your trip and experiences there. Where did you stay? What did you do? What are the "must do" things you don't want to miss? And what are the "Don't bother" type things?

Any info will be much appreciated. If I can answer anything about STJ let me know. We've been there the past two years and will be back the first week in June.

Can't wait!!

WW

They're not approved flotation/live saving devices, so not making light of them....but DO be aware that they're not appropriate for life saving. The kind I am talking about are the horse-collar type.

If you want to spring for a vest to be able to float you if you're unconscious, then look for a type 2 PFD....or something in the ski vest line.

Abour snorkeling equipment - definately leave the K-Mart stuff alone. While it may carry a recognized DIVING brand, it is definately not dcent stuff. If all you plan on doing with it is snorkeling, then try and stay AWAY from the split style fins....they don't do very well on the surface. Some people swear by them for diving...but I have seen many people struggle with them while snorkeling. If you plan on snorkeling for years, then a good set WILl cost a couple of bucks, but it will also last a LONG time. I still have my first pair of fins from when I started diving - almost 16 years ago...still have my first mask too...have been through straps tho 🙂

Kraushaus, where am I? I ask myself that several times a day! haha We are in Bettendorf,Iowa, the best of the quad cities, and home of the Bix Beiderbeck Jazz festival and 7K! I found a dive shop in Davenport and plan to go there soon, who knew people dive in the Mississippi? Personally I wouldn't stick a toe in it, not after my husband takes care of a couple of "Floaters" more on his profession later as I have some ?'s for locals. Thanks to all for the help!

We can't wait to arrive in st. John in April - from Chicago! It's snowing today to give you an idea.
Is there anywhere to rent snorkel equip on St. John just for the week?

Go to ebay and check out an ebay store called "Scuba Shop USA"
I have ordered all my fins (my old ones finally died). The guy that runs it is named Jeff. I have been having a 3 day turnaround on shipping here in Tennessee. I had a pair that didn't fit and he sent worked with me and sent the the size I needed quickly. He has the vest you mentioned, masks, snorkels, and fins. I hope this is some help. BTW, I would stay away from Kmart/Walmart/Target for equiptment.
Just my 2 cents worth.