Friend and I are taking a cruise to the E. Caribbean in June and plan to snorkel several times. Would you recommend taking our own equipment (at least snorkel and mask) or renting? Surely I'm not the only person who's wondered about how/whether rental snorkel equipment is sanitized.

I always take my own. <BR>No nasty surprises on fit/performance, or getting one that some 12 year old kid with a runny nose and gold germs had last

Definitely get your own snorkel and mask. That way you don't have to worry about sanitizing them, or getting an ill-fitting mask. By the time you add up what you would pay for a few shore excursion snorkeling trips, you'll save money by buying your own. I'd skip the fins for reasons of space--you can always rent them for a small fee, and some places even let you use fins free of charge. <BR><BR>If you wear prescription glasses, you can get a mask with the same prescription in the lense for slightly more than a regular mask. Just go to a local dive shop and ask.

We always take our own.

After a couple of experiences with renting, we always take our own now. As the previous posters said, that way you know it works properly, that it will fit you well, and that it's clean--or at least that it's your own germs you're dealing with! Granted, it can be a hassle carrying it all with you, but it's well worth it when you're ready to snorkel and have all your own stuff. We bring our own fins, too, even though they're bulky, because they're good quality and fit us well--nothing cutting into our feet or ankles to cause discomfort when we want to enjoy ourselves looking at the marine life. Enjoy your trip!<BR>

I don't know about others, but I consistently read advice to get prescriptive masks. However, I wear extremely strong prescription soft contact lenses. And guess what: they are very comfortable in salt water, with perfect vision, while snorkeling. You cannot open your eyes underwater without your mask of course, but the natural salinity of the water makes for great comfort...unlike swimming pools, which are torture with all the chemicals. So, to Pam, I'd say bring a regular mask and snorkel. Fins are optional. But to ejcrowe and others, have you tried snorkeling with soft contact lenses? Why bother with a prescription mask?

Bring your own....and I bring my fins, too...because a pair of ill-fitting ones once caused me blisters which hurt on the entire trip, ouch!