Take own snorkel equipment or not?

[godzila]

Just bought some nice quaility equipment at sam's $40 BUCKS. Going to test them a the ymca pool 4/3/BAHAMAS

[Garrick]

If you are serious about snorkeling, it would be best to purchase your snorkeling equipment before you go, and try it out to make sure you are comfortable with it, the mask seals, etc. When you are out in the current, surrounded by sharp coral heads, it is not the time to realize you can't keep the water out of your mask. Rental equipment is not always in the best condition, and you never know who used it last. We always take our own.

I dive and always take my own, can't keep water out of my mask tho, (big bushy magnum pi type mustache) but you learn to deal with it. I also bring my own fins, since I had to go thru more than a few sets to find ones that worked well for me. Honestly for snorkeling only, I've got a cheapie wal-mart closeout that works just as well as my scuba diving mask, it doesn't have to withstand near as much pressure. I think if you own a thin wetsuit shorty, or diveskin, it's always worth taking. Then again I wore my 5mil full suit in the bahamas even tho the dive guide said I'd get hot. I didn't but I prefer the lighter shorty now that I have it also.

[rav4lady]

I had to write after reading the comments about how the snorkel tubes and masks are cleaned. While I heartily agree with owning my own stuff for sizing, consider the water you are in and usually end up swallowing. I think that kinda takes away all concerns of how the stuff is cleaned. We all know that people pee in the water and the fish do whatever fish do!