Snorkeling Gear

[kevinkeeley]

Hey Guys,
How are you doing? I'm doing great. I'm new to this forum, but I have a few questions about snorkeling gear, etc... My soon to be wife and I are going to be heading to Cozumel in about 2 weeks. While in Cozumel we are planning on doing a discover scuba trip, but we also want to do some snorkeling on our own. For the discover scuba trip with eagle ray divers we will use their equipment, however, for the snorkeling since we will be doing mostly shore snorkeling we would like to purchase some of our own gear. There is also a chance we may both get open water certified (not while in Cozumel) when we get back home in the spring time. Right now I am looking for some gear which would be good for snorkeling, but that we might be able to use for our course, etc... Now I know all about getting the correct fit, buying nicer equipment, etc... but right now we are looking for something cheaper while we try things out. Mainly I have been looking at us divers and body glove because that seems to be where I can get the best deal with quality/price. I know nothing beats a LDS, but that isn't possible right now with her being in NY and me being in Texas, and our honeymoon being 2 weeks away. So... In that regards I am looking for advice on the equipment I am listing, or any possible advice on other good deals that I should look at. So can anyone give me advice on if any of these sets are much better than the others?

U.S. Divers® Adult Snorkeling Set. It comes with the cortez lx mask, split fins, and a dry snorkel. The price is 50 bucks online; I don't know what it is in the store:Sam's Club - U.S. Divers® Adult Snorkeling Set

Body Glove Adult Snorkeling Set. Not many details on Sam club site, but a great price. Says it is the premium silicone series: Body Glove Adult Snorkeling Set-S/M-Aqua - samsclub.com

Costco has a bunch of US diver’s sets with different masks. I don't currently have a membership there, but... if it was that much better than... They have a very cheap one priced at 29.99 which includes the Avalon mask which I have heard some good things about: Costco - Adult Snorkeling Set By US Divers

Here are their other sets: Costco - search results for "snorkeling"

Amazon also has a cheap us divers set with the Cozumel mask. I don't believe the mask has a silicone skirt, but a lot of people who use it snorkeling seem to like it: Costco - search results for "snorkeling"


Well... Any other advice? I know leisure pro and joe diver also have some beginner sets. I am trying to be price conscience, but I also want gear that won't cause us to hate snorkeling Are any of those sets leaps and bounds above the rest? Or are any of the budget sets much better than paying a little more for the nicer sets? Does that make sense? So is the cortez mask worth the extra 20 to 30 bucks? Or is the body glove equipment just as good as the other stuff? Any opinions? Thanks for your help!

Kevin

 

[jmichaels]

I'd stay away from the cheap costco/samsclub stuff. Spend a few bucks and get something that you will njoy using and be able to use for years to come. It is cheaper in the long run. Most online shops and LDS's have package deals that will fit your needs and budget.

Here is where I got mine:

Snorkeling Package Deals

 

[kevinkeeley]

thanks for the link, I appreciate it, I'll check it out!
Kevin

 

[spectrum]

A reasonably nice set will have an OK mask. Tempered lenses, a silicone skirt and a fairly broad banded strap and it's serviceable. The lenses may be small but you get what you pay for. What you can't do over the web is get the fit right. This can be a lot like finding Cinderella and her slipper. Go to dive shops in your respective locations and do this right. Then clean your new masks.

Snorkels can vary as well but it's a less critical item to many.

Fins in my experience is where you take a beating on the packaged sets. A good set of fins will make or break you as a diver and those alone are in the $100 range give or take a little. Actually you can go even higher but I would not suggest it at this point. For versatility you want an open heel find that will go over your booties. That means you need to buy booties that fit and fins that fit over that bootie while your fin is in it. This can be another web fiasco.

The last fins I had in a set broke in about 2 hours. The side rails actually cracked. My Aeris Velocity fins have been in the water almost 500 times and are still solid.

I really really suggest you each get fitted for your personal gear before the trip. As a budget I'd expect:
Mask $65
Booties: $35
Fins: $100
Snorkel$15.
A mesh bag to keep it together will be handy.

With taxes and what not you should be in for about $250. That will be good durable stuff that will be 100% transferable to scuba or if nothing else let you enjoy many years of skin-diving.

Pete

 

[kevinkeeley]

Hey Guys,

Thanks again for the advice! I haven't had time to make it to a lds because we don't have one right around here. Can anyone tell me if any of these packages are good or better than others? That way I can just have an idea of what packages look like price wise, also I know dive shops won't be the same exact price, but will they be able to compete? I know the service you can get from them is valuable. So what do you all think of the above packages? Also, with a fin that isn't a full foot fin do you have to use a bootie? Just wondering. Thanks! Also, has anyone dove with a panoramic mask vs. other masks. I noticed that one of the packages below is panoramic and was just wondering how much of a difference it makes? I know trying is the best way to tell, but I was just wondering people's opinions

Dive Fins Mares Fins Mares Diving Fins Scuba Diving Fins

Great deal on TUSA IMPREX PANORAMIC PACKAGE from Divers-Supply.com

Great deal on CRESSI SUB BIG EYE MASK, SNORKEL AND FIN PACKAGE from Divers-Supply.com

Great deal on OCEANIC VIPER PACKAGE from Divers-Supply.com

Great deal on EDGE CRUISER MASK SNORKEL FIN PACKAGE from Divers-Supply.com

Kevin

 

[David Wilson]

Kevin:

I think you're trying too hard to get a definitive set of snorkelling gear at a bargain price. Have a read of the following posting:

Snorkeling Forum - What is Essential for Snorkelers? Editorial by Joel Simon

You don't need fancy gear to enjoy snorkelling, which is, essentially, a simple activity like going for a walk in the country. I've been to that snorkellers' paradise, the Cove at La Jolla, and I've seen snorkellers there in bodyboarding fins, rubber full-foot fins, plastic-bladed full-foot fins, split fins, Force Fins, Jet Fins, monofins, long-bladed freediving fins. There's no consensus in practice about what constitutes a snorkelling fin, however much the stalwarts on this forum may argue about it. I'm a lifelong snorkeller who has never wanted to "graduate" to more "sophisticated" pursuits such as scuba or freediving. I began in the late 1950s with a pair of adjustable open-heel fins, a child's mask and a snorkel with a ping-ping ball valve at one end. I now swim every weekend in the North Sea off the North East coast of England with a classic rubber-skirted oval mask, a pair of rubber full-foot fins and an open-ended snorkel. This gear suits me fine, it's inexpensive and it's still available if you know where to look online. What I am saying is that you need to plump for a set of gear that meets your requirements, and a good fit is the first criterion of success. Live with the fact that there is going to be something about your first purchase of snorkelling gear that you will regret when you start snorkelling, however well you plan. When you arrive in Cozumel, have a look at what other snorkellers are wearing. This is what I did when I began sea snorkelling in the 1970s in the Mediterranean. I bought gear locally to supplement what I had when I went to Spain, France, Italy and Greece. You could do the same in Mexico. The country has its own diving/snorkelling equipment manufacturer, Escualo Sports.

You ask about open-heel fins and the need for bootees. Yes, such fins aren't what they used to be, wearable without protective footwear, so if you plump for them you'll need bootees or socks. Incidentally, you can wear full-foot fins with socks or bootees too, if you buy them one size bigger than the size that would fit you barefoot. As for masks, this is another very personal item of gear. I've said I prefer classic oval masks, but that doesn't mean you should follow my example. Fins and masks should be tried on first for fit, because if they don't fit, you're going to have a miserable time with foot cramps or blisters and water leaking into your eyewear. Fins are sized by foot length, but individual models vary in foot width. Ideally, you would also try the gear out in a swimming pool before you graduate to open water.

Just my two cents' worth.

 

[wkyongae@aol.com]

Old post but, been snorkeling the Puget Sound for over 2 years now even Neah Bay area. I use cheap equipment because freediving is really not that hard on equipment. My son and I are buying our first boots and open heel fins all for under $80 each person. Only because bare feet on the beach hurts out feet and the water is 50 degrees. My feet after 2 hours in the water don't get cold but my sons do a little. 7mm full wet suit with hood (tripple L) $100, 5mm gloves (any) $20, cheap US Divers mask, fin and snorkel set for under $40, weight belt and weights not much cost. Add a couple of JBL spearguns and a fishing we go. Just to show you the water does not have to be warm to enjoy good snorkeling. Yep, I'm a cold water freediver and hooked on it.