Snorkeling equipment

[davew0670]

Anyone here do a lot of snorkeling? What is a good set of equipment to purchase? I'm going to somewhere in the Caribbean in a few months and want to have my own equipment.

 

[loic2003]

Don't buy online. Try the mask and fins out. Buy a snorkel which is good and wide: some chap ones are too slim and restrict breathing.

It's good to spend a bit of cash in order to get quality gear: softer sealant rubber on the mask and more flexible, softer fins provide better performance all round.

Obviously buy a mask that is safety rated with decent tempered glass.

 

[Hammerhead]

Get a "dry snorkel".
It's got a flap that closes the snorkel tube when you go underwater.
Get a mask that gives you good peripheral vision.

Don't waste your money on anti-fog solutions that you smear on the inside of your mask lense. Just use spit...trust me it works.

 

[davew0670]

any decent name brands i should be looking for?

 

[Scarpozzi]

Go to a SCUBA shop. You can usually get a good snorkel setup for $200...an even better one for $300.

 

[acemcmac]

US Divers makes amazing flippers

 

[Scarpozzi]

Originally posted by: davew0670
any decent name brands i should be looking for?

Dacor, Genesis, Mares, Sherwood, Tusa, Zeagle...there are many more...but those are all pretty good.

 

[daveymark]

go to a scuba shop to find out what you like, then buy it online for cheaper

 

[loic2003]

Originally posted by: Hammerhead
Get a "dry snorkel".
It's got a flap that closes the snorkel tube when you go underwater.
Get a mask that gives you good peripheral vision.

Don't waste your money on anti-fog solutions that you smear on the inside of your mask lense. Just use spit...trust me it works.

I read that the dry snorkels that used the ball system were sometimes a bit sh!t as they would stick closed sometimes when wet, and you'd have to blow a bit to push the ball out.

Blowing the water out of a snorkel isn't hard, but a useful feature is the little valve on the bottom of the snorkel that gets rid of those small puddles of fluid that form from condensation or little drips running down the snorkel. Normally it's kinda irritating to get rid of this puddle of water.