I purchased each of my kids one of these 2 years ago and hauled them all the way to St. John. Definitely not worth the hassle. They don't work as well as you might think and they took up alot of space in the suitcase. We won't be hauling them again for our upcoming trip. Where will you be staying on St. Thomas? The first I heard of a board with a mask built in was someone who had stayed at Secret Harbour and rented one there. Not sure if they still have them but it might be worth a phone call.

Thanks, arwallace. I guess I'll try to get the 2.5 yr old used to wearing a mask (and maybe snorkel, too) and then just bring a regular "cheapo" air matress for him to float on and look in the water. I really appreciate the info so I don't spend a bunch of time looking for one of the special rafts.

One of the Day Sails advertises a "viewing bucket" that they bring for people who don't snorkel. It's basically a mop bucket that they have cut out the bottom and replaced with plexiglass that you can hold down into the water and look through. If you decide to choose a daysail during your trip you might look for this particular one so that your younger child could see some of the fish, etc, at least while on the day sail. Just a thought.

Hello -
The Sea Window Explorer raft (along with the larger Calypso, full length Atlantis, and portable Jellyfish viewing window which is really easy to pack in your luggage) is available again - if you still need one, please visit:

http://store.isnorkel2.com/snorkelrafts.html

or call us tollfree 888-855-7558.

Thanks,
Rachael Kasper
iSnorkel.com