I'd like to know, too. I do NOT have my own snorkel gear (not much to look at in southern Illinois), but I'm going to be staying at concordia near Coral Bay in November

I believe you can rent gear at Crabby's in Coral Bay. Also in Cruz Bay check out Cruz Bay Water Sports (up by the Lumberyard) or or Low Key in Wharfside (by the Beach Bar).

Last time we rented gear for our daughter (this was a few years ago) they charged $7/day. If you have a lot of people and staying for a while I'd say fill the bag with gear and bring your own.

I'm with Diana...bring your own.

Aside from the money, if you are staying for a week, you will spend most of the time snorkeling. If you rent, you must go to the store when they open, select the best fitting gear (not always easy), then worry about losing anything and the oral hygienne of the renters before you. I know, they clean all the gear...
At the end of your trip you must schedule your day around returning the gear during shop hours.

Too much hassle for my idea of a vacation.

I agree also with the bring your own. Yes, it takes up room on the plane but its not expensive to buy, you'll want to use it again and again if you've never snorkled before and then love it, and the hygeniene factor can't be treated lightly. Canoebase, you might be able to rent at Maho ( I think we did on trips one and two) but I doubt you can at Concordia (our home this coming Nov for a week for trip #4!!!!) as its not on the waterand I never noticed rental stuff there when we checked it out a long while back. Check on-line maybe for scuba/dive shops to buy??? Certainly not easy from Illinois but ultimately worth it!

I second that. We have just purchased 5 sets and plan on filling a suitcase with them. Just didn't want to hassle with finding a place to rent them and by the time you do that, you could have purchased your own.

Carolmo

We just rented at Cruz Bay Water Sports, and it really wasn't a hassle at all. We passed the store on our way to and from the beaches every day anyway, although that wouldn't be the case with you staying near Coral Bay. They helped us with fitting the fins for us and our kids. We kept the equipment for a week, and when something broke, we just traded it in.

BUT, it was much more expensive than we expected. I don't remember the total, but I remember thinking we should have asked up front how much it would come to. Definitely caught us off guard.

We always pack our own. I have a smaller face and it is difficult to fit me so I went to a dive shop and got fitted. I also have lenses so I don't have to wear my constacts. It has been the best investment. I have used my stuff in Belize, Cancun, Cozumel, and of course on several trips to the VI. Before I got my own mask, I spent half my snorkel time emptying water and fighting with feeling like I couldn't breathe.

You can also check out several websites. There are many that sell a bag, fins, mask,and a snorkle together for a very reasonable price. You can also get the shorter fins (not sure what they are called) and they are easier to pack.

http://www.piratescuba.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=TSP&Category_Code=PPS

http://ruggedbear-online.com/7530055.html

Just a few you can check out. I ordered the set from Pirate Scuba for my husband and it comes with the bag, antifog, mask case, mask, fins, and the snorkle. It was great.

All good suggestions, thanks. That's why I bought the gear in the first place -- guess I'm just getting lazy about packing. I neglected to add that my size 13 feet sometimes makes finding the right size fins problematic at rent shops. I'll definitely check out the shorter ones.

hey, I appreciate all the suggestions! Karrie, when are you going to be at concordia? We're arriving on Thanksgiving day!

It's up to you. We've done both. We went to Crabby's in Coral Bay, rented for 4 days, paid up front, then dropped them off in a bleach tub after we were done. They made sure everything fit before we left with the gear and then we didn't have to return the gear while they were open since we had already paid.

When we brought, we had the gear in a carry-on. If we lost our luggage, at least we could snorkel :)!

Rats, it would have been fun to meet some message boarders! We go on the 5th, home the following Sat (12th). Its our first time at the Concordia ecotents, 4th time to STJ, last 3 trips were at Maho where the snorkling is terrific on the Francis Bay side. Have a great time!