Hello Connie,

Good snorkel gear that sits well on your face and that is comfortable is key to a fun experience snorkeling, so if you have good gear already that fits you well, then bring it.

--Islander

If you plan on snorkeling more than one day, I always promote bringing your own. Saves time trying to find a place, selecting the gear (are those teeth marks?) and then having to get it all back before they close. If you use it more than several days, it's usually cheaper as well.

It will cost you around $40 to rent for week vs. you can get a decent quality snorkel package w/ mask, fins, snorkel, and bag for $49 from diveus.com, some sets for even less on fogdog.com, or similar on ebay under "snorkel packages". I had posted & researched same question and came to conclusion it would be preferable to have own gear. I figure lighter fins will pack flat in luggage and overall the stuff wouldnt be burden to lug. Also besides potential yuk factor of rentals, own stuff probably higher quality than rentals, will also give max flexibility as we will be also spending time in ST and you can use them again on your return trip to USVI (apparently nobody comes just once!)

Thanks for the website advice--will make a great christmas gift!!