Snorkels

[divingmedic]

I got my dive certification years ago and purchased a mask that had lenses glued into it. Worked very well for many years then I had PRK (way before Lasik surgery) and did not need the prescription any longer. Of course, as I have gotten older the eyesight is not what it used to be. I will either need a new mask made or like has been mentioned, get one that is "close" to my prescription. Think of it as "cheater" readers but in a mask - close, not exact, but good enough for snorkeling and the ocassional dive.

I wear bifocals these day. I have been diving for about 8 years. I found I do not need to have my vision corrected when diving. The water magnifies to a certain degree anyway.

[marshhawk]

saw them on the sensation, just the snork no mask. buy before you go.

[Colorado Kat]

My mask looks normal, but the large glass part you look out of is made from perscription glass.

I assume the same principal of buying reading glasses from Target or Walmart - you try them on until you find one that lets you see well.

[Stevesan]

My mask looks normal, but the large glass part you look out of is made from perscription glass.

I assume the same principal of buying reading glasses from Target or Walmart - you try them on until you find one that lets you see well.[/quote]

 

 

The principle is not quite the same. Readers are for close up correction which is easy to simulate.

Snorkel lens correction is for distance, and you won't get the proper correction without an eye chart.

It's doubtful the dive shop will have one. Also, the dive shop has only diopter correction lenses on the shelf.

That won't help if you have astigmatism, etc,

 

Best solution: Bring your prescription with you. Then there's no guessing.:)

[Maverick927]

I would try looking online for a set. Since they have a captive audience on a cruise, they are going to charge a lot more than what you could buy them for elsewhere.

 

I got a great set online from Sam's a few years ago (as seen in photo) for about $40. My husband loves the fact that mine are white, so he can find me easier when snorkeling with a bunch of other people.

[Sargent_Schultz]

A couple of comments.

 

Underwater vision is different than in air and virtually all masks will leak if you smile. On the other hand, if you aren't enjoying yourself, why bother? I smile away and clear my mask. :D

[madge57]

thanks for the tips!! I bought two sets from wal-mart. We have a half an acre pond that I am going to try my mask in!! Its defintley not clear as the caribbean but it will do. At least I will know if my mask leaks or not. Also my DH hasn't snorkeled very much and this way we both will get to be better at it and not panic and enjoy the view!! Also is a dry snorkel better than one thats not??

[Colorado Kat]

I'm not sure of what you mean by "dry" snorkle. Let's try this:

 

Snorkles - A big letter "J" that is about a foot long on the tall part. After you have sub-merged, and come back to the surface, you need to blow all the water contained in the snorkle out thru the top - It can be tough.

 

Some snorkles have the same letter "J", but there is a little extra down-ward piece, that allows water to drain. When you surface, most of the water in the snorkle drains out by gravity, and you only need the lung power to blow out 2" of water.

 

I would go with the extra-drainage area. Don't worry, it's very simple to snorkle. And if you don't dive below the surface, you probably won't need to "clear" the snorkle.

[Sargent_Schultz]

I'm not sure of what you mean by "dry" snorkle. Let's try this:

 

Snorkles - A big letter "J" that is about a foot long on the tall part. After you have sub-merged, and come back to the surface, you need to blow all the water contained in the snorkle out thru the top - It can be tough.

 

Some snorkles have the same letter "J", but there is a little extra down-ward piece, that allows water to drain. When you surface, most of the water in the snorkle drains out by gravity, and you only need the lung power to blow out 2" of water.

 

I would go with the extra-drainage area. Don't worry, it's very simple to snorkle. And if you don't dive below the surface, you probably won't need to "clear" the snorkle.

 

The drain is a purge valve and they sometimes leak.

 

A dry snorkel is a snorkel designed to keep water from flowing in the top if you submerge it. They cost more and some work better than others.

 

 

 

[evergladesgator]

Last oct. on valor went diving in Belize with BIL. He complained all day about the snorkle leaking due to a slight chop on the water. This can be prevented with a DRY snorkle. Also, when y'all tip your head to look down water can enter an open snorkle. Get a dry one and enjoy your trip without constantly blowing water out of the tube. I would highly recommend this to anyone without a lot of diving experience. Try this place.;)

http://www.snorkel-mart.com/detail.cfm?ProductID=99&AllocatedProductID=92

[Quampapetet]

Thanks for the review, I was wondering if those dry snorkels actually worked. I'm so glad they do!

 

The link you gave is for a mask, not a snorkel. The mask is nice, though!

[evergladesgator]

All ya had to do was click on snorkle on the left side but here ya go.

 

http://www.snorkel-mart.com/master.cfm?CategoryID=29:)

 

I just ordered one at 19.95 and it is great for the money. Nice and flexible.

[Quampapetet]

Sorry, I thought you meant you were recommending a particular model of snorkel, not the Web site it is on. :)

[broberts]

I wear contact lenses instead of using a prescription mask. I generally take along a couple of daily wear sets on each excursion in case I get some water in an eye. Never needed the extra sets.

 

I bought my mask and snorkel at a dive shop. Cost a little more but the quality is better. This is especially noticeable with respect to the snorkel which has an intake designed to keep water out - important in choppy seas - and a valve at the bottom of the J to make it easier to purge any water that does get in. Hygiene wise it seems to me that mask is as important as the snorkel. One breaths through the snorkel but the mask closely surrounds the eyes and nose, prime infection entryways.

 

Don't forget to take along a small bottle of some type of anti-fog drops or gel.

[k2excursion]

A word of warning about the dry snorkels: Never use a dry snorkel far away from a boat or place where you can stand, unless you have a life vest on. Those dry snorkels may prevent water from coming in the tube, but they also will at times prevent air from coming in the tube. This happened to me and my mom. All of a sudden, you cannot breathe through the snorkel. I'm glad I had the life vest on in Jamaica. The snorkeling there is a long way out off the beach, and once the snorkel stopped letting air in, it wouldn't start letting air in until the thing was completely dry. Because of that, I now use my $5 Carnival open snorkel for all my snorkeling. I feel much safer with an open snorkel. It's an insanely scary thing to have the snorkel prevent you from breathing, even if you're in just 4 feet of water.

[Stevesan]

A word of warning about the dry snorkels: Never use a dry snorkel far away from a boat or place where you can stand, unless you have a life vest on. Those dry snorkels may prevent water from coming in the tube, but they also will at times prevent air from coming in the tube. This happened to me and my mom. All of a sudden, you cannot breathe through the snorkel. I'm glad I had the life vest on in Jamaica. The snorkeling there is a long way out off the beach, and once the snorkel stopped letting air in, it wouldn't start letting air in until the thing was completely dry. Because of that, I now use my $5 Carnival open snorkel for all my snorkeling. I feel much safer with an open snorkel. It's an insanely scary thing to have the snorkel prevent you from breathing, even if you're in just 4 feet of water.

 

 

An interesting account. That's good to know. The sales rep at my dive shop told me that most kids prefer the staight snorkel.

They consider it more fun. It's been *** years since I was a kid so I purchased a "straight" snorkel, but with double valves.

It sometimes needs to be cleared, but that's a minor inconvenience compared to not being able to breath.:eek:

[highbridge5]

Make sure you check your local stores (even sporting goods stores) while snorkels and masks are in season! I'm guessing now would be in season, but back when I tried in February, they couldn't be found. (Speaking of, I need to check now....)

 

The good thing about buying them at a store before the cruise is that you can check out the various types of snorkels and masks and see which one works best for your needs and preferences.

 

In January in New Jersey, I was able to find swimming/snorkelling stuff at the local shop that is a "ski rental/equipment" place in the winter and a "pool and swim" shop in the summer. They had a large enough store that they were able to dedicate a whole wall to keeping swimming/snorkelling stuff.

 

We brought our own because I didn't know you could buy the snorkel part on board and because I wanted masks that fit. This was the first time for my kids to snorkel and I didn't want them to try it once and hate it because they had masks that leaked. Also, when you have your own, you know what condition they are in. Relying on an excursion company's equipment - you get what you get. Sometimes great and sometimes not so much.

 

There were 5 of us and we only dedicated 4 hours to snorkelling for the whole trip and our littlest one just wanted to play on the beach and the surf was really rough that day so I never got a chance to get in the water. We had to dedicate a whole suitcase/ bag to the 5 sets of masks and snorkels. I'm not sure it was worth bringing them but I would probably still bring them next time if I were doing an excursion with some outfit that I couldn't confirm the quality of the excursion and operators.

[broberts]

A word of warning about the dry snorkels: Never use a dry snorkel far away from a boat or place where you can stand, unless you have a life vest on. Those dry snorkels may prevent water from coming in the tube, but they also will at times prevent air from coming in the tube. This happened to me and my mom. All of a sudden, you cannot breathe through the snorkel. I'm glad I had the life vest on in Jamaica. The snorkeling there is a long way out off the beach, and once the snorkel stopped letting air in, it wouldn't start letting air in until the thing was completely dry. Because of that, I now use my $5 Carnival open snorkel for all my snorkeling. I feel much safer with an open snorkel. It's an insanely scary thing to have the snorkel prevent you from breathing, even if you're in just 4 feet of water.

 

Wow. Thanks for passing on the experience. I had been thinking of getting a dry snorkel. No longer.

 

My current snorkel is a semi-dry model - based on your experience a happy compromise between dry and open snorkels. It will let water in in heavy chop or if submerged but stays dry most of the time.

[evergladesgator]

If it was a DRY snorkle, PLEASE explain how it got filled with water !!!!!!:confused::confused: Also, wearing a life vest is just common sense to me and i have been diving for over 60 years. Have NEVER had a problem with a dry snorkle in all my years of diving.

[Dawn125408]

If it was a DRY snorkle, PLEASE explain how it got filled with water !!!!!!:confused::confused: Also, wearing a life vest is just common sense to me and i have been diving for over 60 years. Have NEVER had a problem with a dry snorkle in all my years of diving.

 

 

 

I may be mistaken, but I believe she said that the dry snorkel kind of "locked up" and wouldn't let air back in when it was time to surface.

[evergladesgator]

As STATED

Originally Posted by k2excursion

A word of warning about the dry snorkels: Never use a dry snorkel far away from a boat or place where you can stand, unless you have a life vest on. Those dry snorkels may prevent water from coming in the tube, but they also will at times prevent air from coming in the tube. This happened to me and my mom. All of a sudden, you cannot breathe through the snorkel. I'm glad I had the life vest on in Jamaica. The snorkeling there is a long way out off the beach, and once the snorkel stopped letting air in, it wouldn't start letting air in until the thing was completely dry

 

 

 

 

 

How did this dry snorkle fill with water ?????????:confused::confused: Sounds like inexperience to me . How old is this poster ?

[k2excursion]

The snorkel didn't fill with water. It just wouldn't let you breathe in. I could breathe out just fine, but it wouldn't let any air in. It happened all of a sudden, and it happened without submerging it. I'm no expert, so I can't say for sure why it kept doing this. My only guess is that there must have been a drop or two of water that it was trying to prevent from coming into the tube, so it also wouldn't let any air into the tube. I was walking on the beach several minutes after coming out of the water, and I tried to take a breath in with the snorkel, and it still wouldn't allow any air in at all.

 

I'm not a beginner snorkeler, but I'm certainly no expert either. So someone who's very comfortable and used to snorkeling probably knows exactly how to prevent their snorkel from doing this. I'm only speaking to fellow beginners-to-intermediates. You can still use this type of snorkel; just be sure to have a life vest on, and be prepared emotionally in case this happens. Don't freak out.

[evergladesgator]

it wouldn't start letting air in until the thing was completely dry

I was walking on the beach several minutes after coming out of the water, and I tried to take a breath in with the snorkel, and it still wouldn't allow any air in at all.

Which one is it ???;)

[broberts]

it wouldn't start letting air in until the thing was completely dry

 

I was walking on the beach several minutes after coming out of the water, and I tried to take a breath in with the snorkel, and it still wouldn't allow any air in at all.

 

Which one is it ???;)

 

There is no necessary contradiction between these two statements.

[evergladesgator]

O.K.

Whatever y'all say. End of conversation.:rolleyes: Except for them to stay out of the water before they kill themselves !!!!!