I purchased ours from snorkel-gear.com several years ago and have used it many times. Have placed a few orders in the past and have always been pleased.

I'll check them out. Do you have a snorkel vest? What is the purpose of such a creature??

crickett : )

I bought all equipment years ago, as well as replacing some lately from Low Key Water Sports in Cruz Bay. They are knowledgeable, and had good choices. I also liked the fact that I could try different styles, etc, before I bought them. I also rented for 2 days to try different types of fins, and snorkle masks. You want the vests to help keep you "afloat" if you get tired. Have fun!
cricket with one t!

Snorkel Vest: Just that little extra security. A good idea for a new snorkeler, young snorkeler or if you aren't all that comfy in the water.

My husband, myself and our 17 year old usually do not use one. In the saltwater, we all bob like corks. Sometimes our 17 year old will use a noodle. We always have one for our 8 year old even though he's part fish. I love the ones with the valves! Also, I don't particularly enjoy using fins and don't everytime I snorkel, but I am convinced that they saved my life once when I was caught in a Maui rip current. Just be careful of other peoples heads and the fragile undersea environment if using them!

We bought ours (my wife did) from Overton's, will be able to report on it after our trip.

24hrs to go !!!!!!! 🙂

If you are going to swim a long way out to a reef or drop off, a vest is a great piece of safety equipment. It doesn't get in the way, but it is there if you need it. You don't have to inflate it it until it is needed

After my brother in law cramped up when we were snorkling the wall at Cane Bay, I won't go out that far out without a vest again. It was a hard swim for me back in towing him, and if he had panicked I wouldn't have been able to bring him in.

Iim

We checked out prices on-line then went to our local swim/dive shop. Found out the prices locally were only slightly higher than on-line and we could try-on everything (fins/masks/vests). We bought from local merchants to keep our spending money in our local community and to ensure that everything we bought fits. We did discover that fins vary in size TREMENDOUSLY! Fins produced in one country don't necessarily mean US sizes. It's off-peak in most of the US, so I encourage you to visit your local merchants (after reviewing prices on-line to give you a solid pricing understanding) and purchase your goods. DEFINATELY buy your own gear. You'll use it time and time again!

My wife and I have been to St.John twice and we purchased our snorkle gear online at unrealfind.com it was good quality and has held up well and not very expensive. We do rinse it all off when we get back to the villa and i think this helps to keep it in good shape.

what do you mean by the "ones with the "valves" ?