Snorkeling Questions

[Fern Crest]

We'd like to go snorkeling on this vacation, because we never have. Hopefully, barring any hurricanes trying to catch a ride on the ship with us, we'll get the opportunity to snorkel in St Thomas and Tortola. Is it best to get cheapie snorkel mask/tubies here and bring them to use? I *really* can't imagine renting someone else's snorkel mask. ::gag::

Are the reefs near the beaches good for snorkeling? Being newbies to the sport, we thought it would be silly to start out in the deep water in case someone didn't get it or didn't care for it.

Any and all advice is welcome!

[I Luv Crusin]

I REALLY recommend that you get your own snorkels and get yourself to a pool to practice before you go! Costco had "dry snorkels" for sell. When you go underwater or a wave goes over top of you it closes by itself. I've tried snorkeling for years but never tried it in a pool before last summer. DH and I went to Hawaii last summer. We brought snorkels. I thought I'd be OK but we went on a catamaran snorkel and I did not do well at all. When we got back to land I dragged DH to the pool along with my snorkel and beat that monster! The next two mornings we went to Hanauma Bay for primo snorkeling and had a great time! Last Dec we where on the Conquest and did the Stingray City and Coral Gardens snorkel in Grand Cayman. WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE with Nativeway Watersports.

 

 

Enjoy!

[sanermae]

Please tell me about the Coral Gardens Snorkel in Cayman. That is a new one to me. We will go in Sept. on Conquest and would love to snorkel again in Cayman. Have done the stingrays--great experience! But are the Gardens through the ship or an off-board excursion? Happy Sailing all!

[cruise pup]

Since you've never snorkeled before you may want to take an excursion where there will be experienced crew to assist you. You will also get fins and a snorkel vest which will help you a lot. They will supply all equipment but if you want to bring your own snorkel and mask just use the fins and vest.

 

On your own, a very good place for beginners is Coki Beach in St. Thomas. There are tons of fish swimming there because it is next to Coral World where the fish are well fed. Coki Beach is pretty well protected with calm water and the water is pretty shallow where you snorkel. The taxi fare is about $7.00 per person each way and it is easy to catch a taxi there to go back to the ship. There are vendors who rent loungers, umbrellas, snorkel equipment, lockers. You can get food and drinks and there are rest room facitiies. It is a compact beach and gets pretty crowded but not unbearable and since you'll be practicing your snorkeling you'll be in the water most of the time.

[BlueJacketsFan1]

If you want to get into snorkeling you definately should get your own mask and snorkel. The two most important things about a mask is the fit (comfort) and the seal. Put a mask up to your face without the strap and breath in. If it stick to you, then you have a good seal. All masks fit differently believe it or not. Go to some scuba shops in your area and try on some different mask. Ask someone at the shop, a lot of them can look and tell which ones may fit each of you the best. As for a snorkel Ocean Master makes a 100% dry snorkel, so that you can dive under the water and surface without having water get into your snorkel. A good mask can run about $80 and the Ocean Master snorkel is about $55. Now for the good news. Once you have shopped around and found a mask that fits each of you the best. Try www.leisurepro.com they have a great sellection of equipment and you will save about 40% or so on it. They are located in New York and can ship items to you in less than a week. We have used them several time and have gotten great service and equipment. Good luck and have a great cruise.

[Starz723]

You are gonna love snorkeling! Its a whole nother world down there and mesmerizing to say the least. Ive been doing it for over 35 years. Ive been to some of the best snorkeling spots in the Carribean. Youll get hooked for sure. I spent 10 days on St John and that was my daily activity. Waterlemon cay on St John is pretty amazing. Buck Island off St. Croix is spectacular. Im going to Secret Harbor in St Thomas this time to snorkel. Ive asked the locals and they told me its a really excellent beach for snorkeling. Lots of fish & sea turtles right off the beach and not many tourists. Its part of the Secret Harbor hotel. Your allowed to use their beach with no problem. http://www.secretharborvi.com Check out the virtual tour of the beach. Nice calm waters, palm trees, hammocks, bathroom & bar/restaurant.. What more do you need :D I heard you can rent a chaise lounge for the day for $5.

 

 

As mentioned, get your own snorkel gear. If you dont want to invest alot, Modells sells a set for $20. It doesnt weight alot. My suggestion, being that youve not done this before, is to try on your gear, adjust the straps, and practice breathing through the snorkel. You can even practice in your bathtub if you dont have a pool, by just placing your face into the water and practice the breathing that way. You will be able to adjust your mask for leaks. Make sure you have no hair under the mask. If your mask fogs, the simplest thing is to spit on the inside of the mask and woosh it around.. I know, it sounds gross, but its the standard thing to do. Ask anyone thats dived and snorkeled. Im not kidding. You can also buy a fog spray.

 

Have a great time!

 

Im leaving soon :) Im praying I dont hit any hurricanes :eek:

[Fern Crest]

Thanks for all the great tips! We went and got the snorkel mask/fin combo at Costco today, the kind with the tube protector system in case a wave comes over you. DD and I were the only ones getting the sets, though; DH and DS opted not to. DH had gotten wicked blisters from our beach time last year in Nassau (despite using Hawaiian Tropic +70 sunblock, just didn't apply it every hour like we ghost-white New Yorkers should!), so he's paranoid about being in the sun at all. DS will probably regret not getting one and will beg to borrow mine; he's 18 and *very* certain about what is cool and what isn't. Ah well, he'll learn!

LOL, DD and I already tried our masks out in the bathtub! I think I'm gonna love this!

[Jen&Bill5104]

We snorkeled in St Thomas this past week at Coki Beach-it was great!! We brought our own snorkel and mask and rented fins. Amazing!! I had never snorkeled before and got the hang of it pretty quickly. You will have a blast!! In Tortola, they recommended Brewers Bay for snorkeling. We chose Cane Garden Bay because we wanted to just lay out and relax in the water without people snorkeling up our butts. Haha. Btw, Cane Garden was beautiful!

[jimbug]

I was so curious as to why everyone snorkeled on cruise vacations prior to my last cruise. I'd never done it before, and didn't really know why it was so exciting. Well, I did a snorkel trip in Chileno Bay near Cabo San Lucas on our Diamond Princess cruise, and boy, am I hooked! I know that the cold Pacific waters are not nearly as clear as the Caribbean, so I am looking forward to snorkeling lots more on our Liberty cruise next March. Can't wait!

[txteachers]

Thanks for all the great tips! We went and got the snorkel mask/fin combo at Costco today, the kind with the tube protector system in case a wave comes over you. DD and I were the only ones getting the sets, though; DH and DS opted not to. DH had gotten wicked blisters from our beach time last year in Nassau (despite using Hawaiian Tropic +70 sunblock, just didn't apply it every hour like we ghost-white New Yorkers should!), so he's paranoid about being in the sun at all. DS will probably regret not getting one and will beg to borrow mine; he's 18 and *very* certain about what is cool and what isn't. Ah well, he'll learn!

LOL, DD and I already tried our masks out in the bathtub! I think I'm gonna love this!

 

2 hints:

 

Bullfrog suncreen - - doesn't wash off - - have spent all day in the sun & not burned. Usually found in the sporting goods section (have been told it was originally developed for fishermen)

 

With a new mask to help with fogging - - scrub with toothpaste and rinse very well. And if you don't want to spit in it (that does work) there are products called defog that you can buy at a scuba shop which work really well!

 

Have fun!

[Starz723]

Snorkel with a t shirt on!! It will save you from getting severly burned.

 

I wont snorkel without a T shirt on. I learned my lesson 25 yrs ago. Even with maximum sunblock. If you go on the Winifred, she will make you wear a t shirt and gives one everyone to wear.

 

You can also get whats called a rash guard. All the surfers and boogie boarders use them.. I use that as well. So does my son. Ive gotten them from Old Navy, Roxy & quicksilver. You can get em on ebay too.

[emmaco]

Maybe a dumb question....................But can you wear glasses with a mask????

[jimbug]

Emmaco,

No, glasses will disrupt the airtight seal on your mask...contacts are fine, however...but if they are not an option for you, you can get presription masks (pricy, I'm sure). :( Good luck!

[Fern Crest]

Thanks all for your help and advice! What a great group of people! I also went over to the "Scuba and Snorkel" board and looked up some stuff.

 

The one question I didn't get an answer to was this ... Are you allowed to test out your snorkel equipment in the ship's pool? I know it helps a lot to practice breathing and clearing, etc, but I wondered if people (including Carnival staff) would freak out if DD and I were to give our snorkel gear a trial run in the pool so we can get used to it?

Honest, we aren't checking on those unsightly nubs and bumps discussed in another thread! ;) :D

[AllenF]

This is a great site to purchase Snorkel equipment

 

 

 

http://www.snorkel-mart.com/index.cfm

[Hootsie]

We own our own snorkels only because we used to live on Okinawa and practically lived in the ocean. I say buy your own. Someone gave the advice on Costco and I agree, they aren't too bad!

[floridaboyz]

We bought our own snorkle gear at Walmart. Only use it a couple of times a year so we did not mind getting a fairly cheap set (approximately $20 per snorkle and mask). Works great for our needs and came with a handy bag.

 

You might also want to check the scuba and snorkle forum: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=40

here on Cruise Critic.

 

BTW, I also snorkle with a t-shirt on. Saves the back from turning REALLY RED!

[Dr. Hooper]

We bought prescription masks through Snorkle Mart (mentioned above). They were a little over 50$ each but well worth it. I was surprised by how well they worked. It will significantly improve the quality of your trip.

[cruise pup]

Thanks all for your help and advice! What a great group of people! I also went over to the "Scuba and Snorkel" board and looked up some stuff.

 

The one question I didn't get an answer to was this ... Are you allowed to test out your snorkel equipment in the ship's pool? I know it helps a lot to practice breathing and clearing, etc, but I wondered if people (including Carnival staff) would freak out if DD and I were to give our snorkel gear a trial run in the pool so we can get used to it?

Honest, we aren't checking on those unsightly nubs and bumps discussed in another thread! ;) :D

 

I know that Princess actually gives snorkel lessons in the pool but I don't know about Carnival. You'd need to be in there when there are as few people as possible, if any at all. So you'd probably need to get up early to do this.