Help with Snorkel Gear
 

We bought our gear about 4 years ago and it always worked fine. I noticed yesterday while snorkeling that my mask and snorkel leaked more that the usual "little bit".
Maybe the rubber around the mask wears out?? or I stored it wrong, etc.
Since I am going to replace them, can anyone recommend a good quality brand?? Thanks so much.

We are novices, but Costco has some great sets for about 30 dollars a set. It worked great for us in Hawaii, and we are taking them to PR next week. You may want to check those out. They are on the shelves now. I believe the make is US Divers.

Go to a professional dive shop and get fitted properly. The "box sets" you get at the big dept stores are usually poor/average quality at best. You get what you pay for. I (good quality) mask alone will run at least $50+. I also recommend getting a dry snorkel for choppy conditions. Any reputable dive shop will steer you right.

I agree with Scott. We actually have prescription masks and I love my dry snorkel and even if we do not take you fins with us the rest always goes - takes up very little space and there is a difference in quality.

sorry to hear about your mask! for future reference, be sure you always rinse your gear off in fresh water before storing it and try to minimize contact with sunscreen, which can eat away at the rubber/silicone seal.

i got mine at a reputable dive shop but i was fitted improperly, so my "expensive" mask usually gets left home on trips these days while my "Target-brand" mask comes along and works beautifully.

By all means, go to a reputable dive shop. Try on a lot of diff. masks to see what suits your face best. A good mask makes a world of difference. And a dry snorkel should be the only thing the shop would recommend.

Fins, you can rent those, or buy the new small ones. They pack easily. But we usually leave them home and rent them from a dive shop--too bulky to pack.

Peace

All masks will tend to warp a bit over time. Deterioration happens for different reasons. IMO, the brand is not so important as the fit for your face. The best mask I ever had cost me about $30. If your snorkel used to work well, you may want to make sure that the seal is not being compromised by an undetected nick in the edge, or you do not have any stray hair breaking the seal. You'd be very surprised how much leak you can get from one little hair. If that doesn't work, I'd go to dive shop to get an analysis or a new mask.