Snorkel-fins-mask set, good deal
 

I've been getting some good tips on this board for our Bahamas trip next spring. Thought I'd pass this along to those who like to snorkel and don't need anything fancy-shmancy, but still prefer to have own gear. Had to replace a few snorkel sets of ours that were recently stolen in Hawaii. (DO NOT leave belongings inside your rental car, even if well hidden. I knew this, but brain was on vacation, too. Our bag was in back of rental van, couldn't be seen from outside.) I just received a couple adult size snorkel sets I ordered at 123scuba.com. (I am consumer only, NOT employee!) This is link: www.island-scuba.com/p-MFS08.html. Very reasonable price for all you get, and I got free shipping because my order was over $75. For the fins, we ordered size M for women's shoe size 8 1/2 (wide feet) and L for men's shoe size 10 and they fit just fine. I also got a couple adult size rash guards for $24.99 each (www.island-scuba.com/p-TSL330.html). After shopping around, I find these are pretty good deals.

I have one warning about snorkels with the purge valve at the bottom. The diver that took us snorkeling in St. Martin said he didn't like them because just a couple of grains of sand will cause them to leak. That is exactly what happened with one of ours - I was wishing for the plain ones without the valve.

Also make sure the mask is made of silicon for good leak free seal...cheap ones often are soft plastic and they tend to leak.

Any suggestions on where to buy a prescription mask for my husband who typically wears glasses?

Lovethecape:

My husband ordered a prescription mask at a dive shop. He loves it.

So check into a shop that might be near you. I've never checked with optical shops but perhaps they could make it, if you brought them the mask.

cw

I recently shopped extensively for a new prescription mask and wound up buying one from a local dive shop. This allowed me to try on various masks first for a good fit (I wouldn't buy one any other way).

I have now tried three prescription approaches: (1) standard lenses that have only a simple correction (e.g. -4.50) with no astigmatism adjustment; (2) "glue-on" lenses that fit your exact prescription and are bonded to the inside of the mask; and (3) exact prescription lenses that replace the lenses in a two-window mask.

The third approach is the best and of course the most expensive. It is not available for "extreme" prescriptions. I checked prices at several places, mail order and local, and the best I found for approach #3 was $140 for the lenses, plus the cost of the mask.

I do a lot of snorkeling and felt it was well worth it.

Thank you for the advice regarding prescription masks. I will check for local shops but there probably aren't too many in CT (I think there is at least one). We're going to St. John in April and I think its worth the extra expense to truly enjoy the snorkeling.

Don't know where in CT you are, but most mid-size cities have shops - I found two in Albany, NY. Interestingly, I checked a few in the Boston area while there for other reasons, and found the prices and selection no better than Albany.

Allow about a month for a custom order.

Just a comment about the purge valve at the bottom of the snorkel. My wife and I originally had these types of snorkels, and we hated them. I would always seem to be sucking a small amount of water in the bottom of the snorkel when taking a breath. We went to a dive shop in Grand Cayman, and spent the money on dry snorkels. The purge valve is located on the top of the snorkel, and it doesn't allow any water in when submerging, or in rough seas. They are more expensive, but I wouldn't dream of using anything else. They really are great.

As far as masks go, we also learne dthe hard way years ago to go to a reputable dive shop and get a silicon mask that is a (perfect) fit. When we first started getting into snorkeling years ago, we started with the "all in one" sets for cheap money. They worked okay, but what a difference when you get quality equipement that fits properly! If you are going to snorkel on most of your vacations like we do, definitely spend the extra $$ for the good stuff.