please give me some advise on renting vs buying snorkling gear for our trip to Maui.
went to a sports store last night and had no idea what to get, bodyglove? U.S diver's? some other brand?

Though we do own snorkel gear, we rented our gear in Maui from Snorkel Bob's. They were great. In and out guickly and they include mesh bags and defogger for the lens. They have a drop box for after hours return too.

thanks Suzie but wouldn't it cost about the same to buy your own stuff?

Actually we rented 4 sets of gear for $18 for a week. It was 2 for 1. You can upgrade to more expensive gear but we didn't need that. We had fins, mask and snorkel in just the basic set and never had any problems.

Here's the link for snorkel Bobs:
http://www.snorkelbobs.com/cgi-local...5d0+1103597195

great! thanks for your help

We have used US diver's inexpensive $)gear for a couple years now, as does at least one snorkel tour operator on the Big Island. I use a small tube of vaseline lip balm with SPF in case of a leaking mask.

Also Found a pair of decent easy on/off lightweight fins with a heel strap, at Sports Authority for ~$20, and now pack 'em as well on our trips to Hawaii. Have used Maui Dive Shop previously, but had difficulty getting their one-piece fins on and off (no heel strap) so we find it best to bring our own gear as cost was similar to rental, but this is not for everyone.