Snorkel activity on Caribbean cruise. Bring your own?

[zitsky]

If doing a snorkel activity,  do you bring your own equipment? (We have some.)  I posted on roll call but no answer.

[keesar]

2 minutes ago, zitsky said:

If doing a snorkel activity,  do you bring your own equipment? (We have some.)  I posted on roll call but no answer.

 

The snorkeling equipment has always been provided by the tour operator.  The quality can vary but usually it is of very good quality.  I sometimes bring my own when I am doing two snorkeling activities.  

[aquidneck1]

Yes, at least the mask and snorkel.  Not the fins unless I am going snorkeling frequently during the cruise.

[lovecruzin]

I have an rx mask so i always bring my own. DH also brings his own because he prefers using it. We leave our fins at home!

[zitsky]

Ok thanks all.  And at least for Key West in December, someone suggested asking about a shortie wetsuit.

[Fouremco]

We always bring our own equipment. In addition to needing our ℞ masks, we quite frankly don't trust the sanitizing of snorkels by some tour operators. If were were going to leave anything behind, it would be our fins, but we've always found room for them in our suitcases.

 

Given the Key West ocean temperatures in December, I'd definitely use a shortie if planning to stay in the water for any length of time.  

[Turtles06]

I've never been on a snorkeling excursion where the equipment was not provided by the tour operator. That said, we have our own masks and snorkel, and we bring them.  (Apart from the fit, it pretty much grosses me out to use someone else's snorkel, for the reason Fouremco says above.)

[twins_to_alaska]

I bring my own mask and snorkel so know fit is good no worry about leakage. Just got short travel fins.

[MEcruzr]

I use the operator's equipment... but I bring antibacterial wipes to clean the snorkel. If you do that, bring a large container because everyone sitting around you will look at their snorkel and want one, too. LOL

[NMTraveller]

I use the tour operators gear.  It has always worked well for me.  Now if you had a prescription pair or snorkeled quite often I could understand bringing your own as you would be particular about the gear.

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, MEcruzr said:

I use the operator's equipment... but I bring antibacterial wipes to clean the snorkel. If you do that, bring a large container because everyone sitting around you will look at their snorkel and want one, too. LOL

The mouthpiece, which you can wipe, is only part of the problem. You are breathing those same bacteria into the snorkel tube each time you breath out, and every time you clear your snorkel your mixing saliva with the water you are expelling, so only a part of the potential problem is solved by focussing on the mouthpiece. To each his own, but we'll play it safe and continue to bring our own.

[NMTraveller]

29 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

The mouthpiece, which you can wipe, is only part of the problem. You are breathing those same bacteria into the snorkel tube each time you breath out, and every time you clear your snorkel your mixing saliva with the water you are expelling, so only a part of the potential problem is solved by focussing on the mouthpiece. To each his own, but we'll play it safe and continue to bring our own.

Is not bleach good enough?  I am more concerned about the buffet where everyone handles the utensils.

 

Or on the Edge where most do not wash their hands at the hand washing stations.  Totally gross.

Edited November 17, 2019 by NMTraveller

[NMTraveller]

4 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

Is not bleach good enough?  I am more concerned about the buffet where everyone handles the utensils.

 

Or on the Edge buffet where most do not wash their hands at the hand washing stations.  Totally gross.

 

[Fouremco]

3 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

Is not bleach good enough?  I am more concerned about the buffet where everyone handles the utensils.

 

Or on the Edge where most do not wash their hands.  Totally gross.

LOL. One I can control, but I have no ready solution for the buffet.

[zitsky]

Not practical to carry bleach around to clean a snorkle.

[NMTraveller]

14 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Not practical to carry bleach around to clean a snorkle.

Most tour operators put the snorkels in a bleach solution. What am I missing?

Edited November 17, 2019 by NMTraveller

[zitsky]

5 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

Most cruise operators put the snorkels in a bleach solution. What am I missing?

 

Do you carry a container of bleach with you on vacation?

[NMTraveller]

6 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 

Do you carry a container of bleach with you on vacation?

Why do I need bleach if the snorkels have already been sanitized by the tour operators?

[zitsky]

41 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

Is not bleach good enough?  I am more concerned about the buffet where everyone handles the utensils.

 

Or on the Edge where most do not wash their hands at the hand washing stations.  Totally gross.

 

If you look at your original comment you asked if bleach was good enough.  You didn't say who was using it.  But I'm not sure of the connection between snorkels and the buffet.

[mayleeman]

Sanitize the snorkel, then jump into the ocean used by by 3.5 trillion fish as a toilet, and by a few billion people as a garbage can, and by thousands of companies as a toxic waste dump!

 

(Edit: This was the refrain one of our snorkel companions used whenever we jumped in.)

Edited November 17, 2019 by mayleeman

[NMTraveller]

Just now, zitsky said:

 

If you look at your original comment you asked if bleach was good enough.  You didn't say who was using it.  But I'm not sure of the connection between snorkels and the buffet.

I am more concerned about the buffet than sanitized snorkels.

[NMTraveller]

2 minutes ago, mayleeman said:

Sanitize the snorkel, then jump into the ocean used by by 3.5 trillion fish as a toilet, and by a few billion people as a garbage can, and by thousands of companies as a toxic waste dump!

Most of the places we snorkel are rather pristine.  Not concerned about the fish guano.  Lol

[zitsky]

1 minute ago, NMTraveller said:

I am more concerned about the buffet than sanitized snorkels.

 

It was a request to try to stay on topic.  I know... it's not up to me.  There must be another thread about the buffet *somewhere*.  How many threads about snorkels?

[mayleeman]

2 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Most of the places we snorkel are rather pristine.  Not concerned about the fish guano.  Lol

 

Same here--snorkeling is one of the thee best things about cruising. Rest, relaxation, and respiration through a tube!

[thon]

We always bring all our own stuff, but then we like to snorkel whenever we can, including during land vacations down south.  We also bought some short fins so have no problem putting everything in our suitcases.  Plus, on a snorkelling excursion a couple of years ago we tried out a full face mask - liked them so much that we both bought one.  While these days most (all?) tour operators may go the extra step of ensuring all their snorkels are sanitized properly, when we first snorkelled years ago we often questioned just how sanitized the really were. That is why we first bought our own equipment and now are just used to bringing it with us all the time.  For us, it takes very little room in our suitcases.