from a lowly snorkeler

[Damselfish]

Nothing wrong with snorkeling, I love snorkeling.

Mask, really the most important thing is fit so more expensive may not mean better. If it fits it won't be leaking, unless you have troublesome facial hair, so not much need for a purge valve anyway and they have some drawbacks.

You will see some big fishbowls of masks with purge valves and lots of windows. These are undesirable for scuba and I think they're meant to appeal more to snorkelers. And I can see where a new snorkeler might find things a little easier with a purge and feel like they are getting a better view with all those windows (though they're not, really - a smaller mask where the glass is closer to your face accomplishes the same thing.) A friend of mine snorkels only and owns a fishbowl with purge and likes it. But if you did decide to try scuba, or even do some freediving while snorkeling, you'll find yourself wishing you'd bought something else.

Some people prefer and will recommend plain snorkels with no features for diving, since for one thing you hardly ever use it anyway. For actual snorkeling, a purge valve and some kind of splash guard at the top are very useful. I personally wouldn't go as far as completely "dry" snorkels even for surface snorkeling, just too bulky and clearing a snorkel is easy. Again, if you might decide to dive or freedive you really won't want one of those. Snorkels with a flexible section are meant more for diving, the idea is that if you wear it on your mask it will drop out of the way of your regulator. For snorkeling, some snorkels with a flexible section can have a tendency to pull away from your mouth, this can get tiring when snorkeling for a long time.

Fins people can discuss for ages. There's no need to spend a ton of money on fins for snorkeling. Mostly you want them to be comfortable so they're not giving you blisters. Wearing some kind of socks can help prevent blisters, or make a pair of fins fit a little better. Full foot are great in warm water as long as you don't have to walk over any nasty ground on your way to the water. If you do, booties and strap fins are worth considering, but will be more expensive. (You could wear your sandals and swap at or in the water, but then you have to figure out what to do with your sandals...) Getting back to the diving or freediving thing, if you went that way a cheap pair of snorkeling fins probably won't be good enough, you'd want more power.

I find lycra skins great for long snorkeling sessions to prevent sunburn. Easier then dousing yourself in sunscreen and doesn't wash off. If you wear something like a shorty your calves in particular might get toasted.

[Monkeylemon]

Are lycra skins desirable even when water's warm and the air temperature may be quite hot? (I'm also researching SPF-rated clothing for swimming.)

[NitroWill]

Dive skins are great when you don't need any warmth - but still want the benefits of sun and light exposure protection. They can also help you get your normal wetsuit on when worn underneath!

[Monkeylemon]

Body Glove snorkel stuff: real equipment or just toys?

[Foo2]

I've never used Body Glove nor seen anybody dive with it, but my guess would be toys.

[DarinMartell]

Originally Posted by Foo2

I've never used Body Glove nor seen anybody dive with it, but my guess would be toys.

My mask and snork are Body Glove. Sports authority had them with vision corrective lenses for $50. It has worked great so far (12 OW dives and dozens of times in a pool). The snork does what it is designed to do so I have no complaints.

[jwdizney]

before I started diving, I used body glove semi-dry snorkel and body glove mask for snorkeling and they worked just fine! plus, price is right! in fact, i'm considering selling off all the old snorkel gear since we don't use it anymore... shoot me a PM if you're interested and i'll try and get an inventory and pics...

[Monkeylemon]

Thanks for the thought--I'll let you know if we decide to go the used equip. route!

[chs4]

First post here so take it for what it's worth...

I was in the same boat as you (no pun intended) just recently...researching gear for my wife and I to snorkel in Aruba. At first my plan was to just go cheap and grab a combo kit (mask/snorkel/fins) from US Diver or Body Glove from a local sporting goods place. As has been mentioned this level of gear has served many folks well for both snorkeling and some diving.

After looking at the cost of a "decent" combo pkg. ($50-75) from these companies, I soon realized that for just a little more money I could get myself into a slightly better class of gear, IMHO. I ended up with:

Cressi "Focus" Mask

Cressi "Delta II" Snorkel

Mares Avanti X3 Fins

Henderson 3mm Booties

Total cost: ~ $90.00

A little insight into my reasoning:

1. Wanted a black-skirted mask for snorkeling - hard to find in one of those combo deals

2. It was impossible to test-fit a mask from US Diver / Body Glove. Their products are all either boxed or blister-packed.

3. Limited fin choices in packages from those companies. Wanted open heel non-split fins.

4. Given my specific requirements, finding the right pre-packaged combination was virtually impossible.

5. Scuba Forums - I started reading scuba forums while researching gear. The more I read and the more I learned, the more I realized that to some extent this is a "you-get-what-you-pay-for" hobby/sport/activity. I'd rather spend a bit more now to know that my gear is going to last a while.

When I first started looking for gear it was strictly for snorkeling. However, the more time I spent on various scuba forums the more I thought that I might actually want to get certified one day soon, and this played a role in my being willing to spend a little more right now. You may have zero interest in scuba, so YMMV. (just remember that I felt that same way just a few weeks ago... )

Well, that's my story, FWIW. Most important lessons I've learned in the short time I've been lurking here: (a) buy gear that fits (b) buy gear that fits from your LDS (or online vendor with good return policies)

[Damselfish]

As far as Body Glove stuff - if the mask is tempered glass and fits properly it's fine. Most any snorkel will do the job if you're not fussy. The fins will probably rate as toys, adequate for snorkeling but toys just the same.

chs4 brings up a really good point about "snorkel" gear - anything that is prepackaged that you can't try on before buying is a real crapshoot - especially if they won't take it back after you had to mangle the stupid blister pack to get the stuff out. And the odds of finding a set containing a mask and fins that fit you are much less then if you get things separately.