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We are just about all set for our upcoming trip April 19 to St. John. Now at the last minute, I have decided I want good snorkel gear. We usually buy from Meijers or Dicks but I'm tired of the cheaper stuff. My husband says it works fine for him but I think he's too cheap to admit he wants better stuff too! For all of you avid snorklers, where do I begin my online search? Can you tell me what brand(s) I should be looking for and do you like the dry snorkel? Any and all advice will be appreciated!
Thanks!
Denise
Personally, I feel that snorkel gear should be tried on before you purchase! You need to make sure the mask fits your face good, etc.! I bought gear once in STJ out near salt pond, good gear and priced right. Can't remember the name of the place tho. 🙂
I agree with Sherri. We looked on-line then went to local dive shop. While selection wasn't great, we were able to try on the masks and get comfortable with them before purchase. The confidence we had that our masks were going to be great was well worth the few dollars extra we spent (really - like only $5 per mask more in person).
Good Luck - Have Fun!
Another vote here for trying it on first. I don't care about the fins at all...and don't care much more about the snorkel...but the masks are always an issue. Further, just trying the mask on doesn't help me much. I have to be in the water actually trying it out before I can determine which one I like best. So our solution is to just buy a few different brands and take them all down. Everyone just tries everything out to see what works best. The one that is perfect for me may be horrible for hubby. I don't think you need expensive snorkel gear to get a good fit. My advice would be to spend more money on masks, and less on fins and snorkels. My husband actually prefers the old-fashioned cheapie snorkel with a simple hollow tube.
Why not rent from a good dive shop? Over the course of years, I'd purchased quite a few masks/snorkels for myself & family, ranging in price from $25-$60. None were really great fitting for any of us - and a leaky mask will RUIN your SNORKELING DAY!!!!!!
When we'd stayed on STT one week we decided to rent the equipment from Chris Sawyer's Dive Shop.. they had very good rental equipment & knew how to fit us. Now, when we go to St. John now, we go to Cruz Bay Watersports & rent there.
Two great things about renting:
1. You don't have to deal with packing & dragging it with you while you travel.
2. If you have a problem with the equipment, you can easily go and exchange it.
A word about the rental equipment... A reputable outfit will properly sanitize their equipment. I kind of liken this to using dishes & flatware from any clean restuarant. But if it bothers you to use the mouthpiece, you can purchase one for $1-$2.
