Snorkeling Equipment & Snorkel Gear
 

Will be staying a week in St John in April. Is it best to bring your own Snorkel Gear or rent it on the Island? I have my own and thought about buying some for my wife, boys and bring it with us on the plane. Is this recommended? Or should we rent what we need on the Island. It seems after a week it could add up cost wise.

Would love to know your thoughts.

hi dave, not all that expensive to rent ($35/wk). some folks don't like the idea of putting the snorkel in their mouth after someone else has used it - althought they are well cleaned. and as you know a mask that fits properly is key. the site below says they have several sizes so this should not be a problem.
if this is wife & sons first experience, i might go ahead and rent to make sure they like it. then purchase just before your next trip to the islands. they'll be better prepared to make selections after they have done some snorkeling anyway...

oops - i forgot to post the site: http://www.divelowkey.com/snorkelgear.html

We always take ours with us (mask, snorkel and reef shoes) even when we just take carry on only.
If the kids haven't tried it before it's a good idea to try out the equipment in a local pool or even the bath if they're young. This way they'll be comfortable with the mechanics of snorkeling before you hit the beach.

The cost of renting is far less expensive than buying good equipment. If your wife and boys have not snorkeled before I would be reluctant to spend the money for gear. If for some reason they don't enjoy it, hard to believe but some people aren't comfortable snorkeling, then you haven't spent a lot of money. On the other hand if they love it you can then buy good equipment that will last for a long time.

Is this your first trip to St. John? What's your snorkeling experience? Would be happy to recommend some snorkel spots.

Our first trip to St John. No snorkeling experience and would love some recommended places. We live in Florida so the ocean is not new to us.

I was at a local dive shop and the prices were not bad at all. Matter of fact I was quite surprised. The boys can get nice equipment for under $50.

We paid less than $30 each for our first sets of equipment (2004) and although we've upgraded our masks since then we still use the same snorkels (Body Glove and US Divers are the manufacturers) and they're perfectly good.
If you live in Florida then I'm sure your boys will get a chance to practice in a pool before you go.
My daughter started snorkeling at 6 and took to it like a duck to water. A future marine biologist, maybe ;)

SeaDave, here are some of my favorite and easy snorkel spots on St. John:
Hawksnest - Very nice reefs that run perpendicular to shore.
Caneel Bay main beach - Facing the water around the point on your right.
Trunk Bay - Not a great snorkel but a must do just because it's Trunk Bay and probably the prettiest beach.
Cinnamon Bay - If everyone's comfortable in the water the Cay in bay is a great snorkel. It's not very deep on the swim out.
Maho Bay - Very easy & very calm water.
Francis Bay - Over the seagrass in the bay you may get to some turtles! Very easy & very calm.

You will have a blast. What villa did you rent?