New, with a dumb question

[Nozomi]

Hi! I'm visiting Thailand (Koh Chang) next week and am excited to try snorkeling (and possibly scuba diving, if I can afford it, but that's another topic lol).

I have a dumb, dumb question... do I *need* a mask? I've swam in the ocean before and have never been irritated by salt water, and in general am a very strong swimmer. I also don't particularly feel like I need fins or a snorkel (I can hold my breath about 90 seconds, hooray for never smoking! lol), would it not be easier to just lift your head up and take a breath? I mean, if you dive below the surface your snorkel will fill up with water and be useless anyway?

I'm asking because we really wanna take one of their island hopping snorkeling cruises, but also the idea of putting on a mask and a snorkel in my mouth that was used by random strangers is kinda... gross... but I don't want to cause problems for them either.

I tried googling this question but only found review articles for masks etc.

 

[NYCNaiad]

I think you'll get very tired having to lift your head up out of the water to breathe. Plus, you can see much more clearly with a mask than without one. When you dive below the surface with a snorkel, your snorkel does fill with water. However, you can easily blow the water out of it with just a strong breath outward right as you surface.

If you don't want to use someone else's mask and snorkel, why not just buy a set? They aren't crazy expensive & no one will fault you for bringing your own gear. Plus, you can then go to a shop & have one fitted to your specific face. A good fitting mask makes a WORLD of difference so don't buy it online. A dive shop in particular is really good at helping you find the perfect mask.

Side note: Before I started snorkeling & diving (I'm much more of a diver than a snorkeler), I thought the same as you. I was a synchronized swimmer so felt very at home in the water. However, a mask, snorkel & fins make things MUCH easier once you get used to them as long as you have a mask that works well for you. Now, I truly miss my gear when I'm without it (e.g., when I go down to the beach with friends for the weekend just to go swimming).

Btw, no questions are dumb. The answers are just new to you.

Happy snorkeling (and perhaps diving)!

 

[2airishuman]

Hi! I'm visiting Thailand (Koh Chang) next week and am excited to try snorkeling (and possibly scuba diving, if I can afford it, but that's another topic lol).

I have a dumb, dumb question... do I *need* a mask? I've swam in the ocean before and have never been irritated by salt water, and in general am a very strong swimmer. I also don't particularly feel like I need fins or a snorkel (I can hold my breath about 90 seconds, hooray for never smoking! lol), would it not be easier to just lift your head up and take a breath?

A mask, snorkel, and fins enhance the experience. You can see better, and look around constantly, and have more endurance and speed. It's worth it.

I mean, if you dive below the surface your snorkel will fill up with water and be useless anyway?

You just blow it out when you reach the surface. It doesn't take much practice to get the hang of it.

I'm asking because we really wanna take one of their island hopping snorkeling cruises, but also the idea of putting on a mask and a snorkel in my mouth that was used by random strangers is kinda... gross... but I don't want to cause problems for them either.

I tried googling this question but only found review articles for masks etc.

You might consider bringing your own. Any snorkel will work. Masks have to fit your face, which is a trial and error process. If you get a higher quality mask, you can use it for scuba diving also. I've bought masks for myself and my kids at Dive Gear Express. They're so much cheaper than local dive shops that you could be three different ones and keep the one you like, and give the others away, and be money ahead.

When I travel, I bring my own gear for snorkeling mainly because of concerns about the fit.

 

[tbone1004]

without a mask, you can't anything clearly underwater
if using goggles instead of a mask, you can't dive to any real depth because the goggles will try to suck your eyeballs out of your skull, so that's dangerous *seriously, don't ever free dive with goggles....

no snorkel is up to you, but with one you can breathe with your face in the water at the surface which is nice since you aren't always diving, it also requires much less effort to catch your breath at the surface if you aren't treading water with your head exposed. Not much to see at the surface of the water.

no fins means you have to use your arms to swim around which is very inefficient and exhausting.

You can get a mask/snorkel set for about $40 from Piranha Dive MFG and they are very high quality, and fins can be sourced easily and cheaply on craigslist, or borrowed on location.

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

As mentioned, the fins and snorkel will make you more efficient in the water and the snorkel allows you to completely relax on the surface and prepare for the next dive. There are a few very old school guys who I have heard about who don't use snorkels, but this is very unusual - and they all use masks..

If you are interested in a package which provides some excellent gear at a killer price.. check this out.. (free shipping too). All this for a (MAKO DIRECT) price which is comparable to what a dive shop will sell a similar mask for.

Thanks
dano

Freediving Gear Package 1 | MAKO Spearguns

 

[northernone]

A mask makes the view so much better I recommend it.

 

[SCRedWolf]

I've been a long-time snorkeler somewhat new to diving. I've got almost 2 years in diving an 40 or so snorkeling.

Here's the deal with masks - you see 1000% better with a mask since your eyes have issues trying to focus through water. They just weren't meant to do that. The mask provides the air pocket so everything is much clearer. Rather than seeing clearly for 2-3 feet you can now see clearly for 200+ feet if the water clarity allows it.

Snorkels - you relax a lot better and you won't come home with a sore neck. With just a mask and snorkel I can zen out and float for hours just relaxing and enjoying the view. Here's a good tip - snorkels come in several types. The old-school wet snorkel which is really just a tube you breathe through when there isn't water in them. A semi-dry snorkel has a valve at the top that closes when it gets submerged. A good semi-dry will also have a purge valve at the bottom so when you exhale the water is drained through the bottom and requires a lot less effort to clear. The dry snorkel isn't supposed to let water in at all. Probably still leaks but I haven't used one before. I've only used the semi-drys the past 20 years or so.

Fins - they help you become so much more efficient in water, especially in current. A nice feature about fins is that you really increase the depth you can easily and safely reach to see those cool sting rays up close.

If you're budget constrained you can get a usable snorkel, mask, & fin set for $50 or so. I've used several sets by US Diver purchased at Sams Club and Costco which included a semi-dry snorkel, a mask with a purge valve, and fins. Words of warning - Snorkeling gear isn't meant for diving. It just isn't made to the same standards and won't stand up to the stresses of diving which would put you in a potentially dangerous situation. You can use dive gear for snorkeling but don't use snorkel gear for diving. So if you intend on diving you might wish to go to a dive shop and buy a mask & snorkel and since you're traveling you might wish to use rental fins to reduce travel weight.

I hope my long-winded reply helps out.

 

[JamesBon92007]

without a mask, you can't anything clearly underwater
if using goggles instead of a mask, you can't dive to any real depth because the goggles will try to suck your eyeballs out of your skull, so that's dangerous *seriously, don't ever free dive with goggles.....

With the exception of goggles that have built-in bladders to equalize automatically during descent.

 

[SCRedWolf]

With the exception of goggles that have built-in bladders to equalize automatically during descent.

Do you know how badly I wanted to call BS? Good thing I Google before I talk out my backside, lol. (Ok, not that bad but since I hadn't heard of them I had to check it out).

Goggle/mask squeeze and options to deal with it (possibly NSFW)

 

[lamarpaulski]

You will regret not having your own mask, fins and snorkel. At least buy a mask and snorkel. The comfort/learning curve is easy, you will see ten times better AND it is much safer, even if you are a great swimmer.