Good Snorkeling Gear

[2boyzmom]

Looking for good gear that I will use for years to come. Any advice on brands?

[Capt_BJ]

Find a dive shop and buy 'real' gear ...

 

you can not compare Wallmart gear to 'real' gear. And Wallmart don't sell the real stuff. There are a dozen names in the dive industry and some will debate which is best. But your breakpoint is simply 'real' versus 'toy'.

 

AND

 

once you buy it - learn how to care for it. Improperly cleaned and stored gear will disintegrate .... salt is nasty stuff. Cheap gear - great gear : don't clean it b4 storage? Next vacation you pull it out and all the rubber/silicon is rotted.

[coevan]

I will give you 2 very good web sites. http://www.scuba.com and http://www.leisurepro.com. I have purchased from both companies, 30-50% less then my local Colorado dive shop. Most important is a dry snorkel, it will not allow water in your mouth. They have snorkel sets in the $75 area, fins, mask and dry snorkel.

[2boyzmom]

Thank You! Here in NY everything is top dollar and I like to buy online.

[10X]

Leisurepro is a New York company, so if you live in or near the City, you can shop direct. Their prices are excellent.

[Capt_BJ]

Proper fit of a mask is very important - one size does not fit all. And I feel the same way about fins.... Buying good gear that you end up finding uncomfortable is not smart shopping...

[NM_Eman]

I buy from Leisure Pro fairly often. But I have to concur with Capt BJ. You can't fit online; and yes I do buy shoes online all the time, but only a brand and model I know will fit from experience. Another consideration for Leisure Pro, much of their stuff is gray market, that is bought offshore without a US warranty and then imported. If you buy a high ticket item be sure it has the manufacturer's warranty, not just the one Leisure Pro slaps on. By the way, in my experience there ain't no such thing as a DRY snorkel, just varying degrees of wetness. I use a cheap simple J tube. A purge valve is nice if it works. A big snorkel means you are moving a greater volume of "dead air" that is high in CO2. This can cause a really interesting headache if you get enough of it.

[NM_Eman]

I buy from Leisure Pro fairly often. But I have to concur with Capt BJ. You can't fit online; and yes I do buy shoes online all the time, but only a brand and model I know will fit from experience. Another consideration for Leisure Pro, much of their stuff is gray market, that is bought offshore without a US warranty and then imported. If you buy a high ticket item be sure it has the manufacturer's warranty, not just the one Leisure Pro slaps on. By the way, in my experience there ain't no such thing as a DRY snorkel, just varying degrees of wetness. I use a cheap simple J tube. A purge valve is nice if it works. A big snorkel means you are moving a greater volume of "dead air" that is high in CO2. This can cause a really interesting headache if you get enough of it.

[Capt_BJ]

yep - concur - if you know a specific make / model you want and find it on line at a low price go for it. If I KNOW I want Nike XYZ in size 11, because that's what I have on today .. great. But if I've never worn Nike XYZ, I say 'danger Will Robinson....warning....warning'

 

You could go to the dive shop - find exactly what you want - then order it on line. The dive shop will appreciate that and look forward to your repeat business :rolleyes: .

 

{ I just did that on a fairly expensive tool - I found it on line for $200 less than the local factory rep would sell it. I go there to get supplies and he gives me crud every time. But I gave him 3 chances to match the price and $ is $. You could bring the online price to the dive-shop and invite them to match. But there is that issue of grey market; very valid point. My tool seller said that too. But my deal was valid and my seller a factory authorized seller that was able to provide a great price due to volume...}

[10X]

We bought all of our gear at our local dive shop. Once we priced everything out I asked for a package price if we bought it all right then and there. They never hesitated and cut the price on the spot.

 

Later I went back looking for new wetsuits. They had what I wanted and I asked for a package price on a 7mm and a 3mm. Again they never hesitated and cut the price immediately.

 

The dive shops aren't hard to work with and they will give you a better price if you just ask. They'll also accept the full amount if you don't.

 

We have had many years of success with our gear, probably because it was great gear and it was professionally fit.

[coevan]

I have to disagree with you on 2 accounts. Oceanic, Mares, and Mohave make a dry snorkels. I only use dry snorkels, huge difference between dry and a tube. The dry snorkels have a small ping-pong ball which rises when you submerge. Yes, you can get a little water but not a choking gulps of salt water. Leisure Pro sells first rate top of the line scuba equipment. I bought an Oceanic Ocean Pro 2 Dive computer,retailing for $600 for $450, no sales tax. Your accusations are somewhat slanderous, gray area?. Everyone consider browesing their site and talk to their staff, very proffesional. They carry all name brands. http://www.leisurepro.com , I am forwarding this link to leisure pro.

[divadiverfl]

O.K. coming from a dive shop manager /divemaster---Somethings are great for online buying but if you buy dive gear online from example"Leisure Pro" this comes directly from our sales rep ---do not take in and service or warranty any gear not purchased from a local authorized dealer. When you buy gear online--any gear, your warranty is with them not the manufactuer.

We have ran into regulators (1st stage) that do not have a serial number present--red flag went up right then--I asked the customer and he said he bought it online for $$ amount--I asked him to show me the serial number and he couldn't plus he was told he did not need to register it.

 

So, please support your local dive shop--they will be there when you need them.:o

[NM_Eman]

I have to disagree with you on 2 accounts. Oceanic, Mares, and Mohave make a dry snorkels. I only use dry snorkels, huge difference between dry and a tube. The dry snorkels have a small ping-pong ball which rises when you submerge. Yes, you can get a little water but not a choking gulps of salt water. Leisure Pro sells first rate top of the line scuba equipment. I bought an Oceanic Ocean Pro 2 Dive computer,retailing for $600 for $450, no sales tax. Your accusations are somewhat slanderous, gray area?. Everyone consider browesing their site and talk to their staff, very proffesional. They carry all name brands. www.leisurepro.com , I am forwarding this link to leisure pro.

 

coevan, I think you missed the point. First, I mentioned I buy from Leisurepro fairly often. I didn't say Leisurepro did not sell top brand items, they do. I said on some items they sell from what is commonly called the "gray market" (not the gray area) which means they may not be a factory authorized dealer - the scuba industry is funny that way. You also proved my point about dry snorkels - "Yes, you can get a little water..." As to "slanderous" if they no longer sell any gray market products, good for them. What I recommended was for a buyer to verify the factory warranty. By the way, the dealer locater on Ocianic's web site does not list Leisurepro in a zip code search using their mailing zip code. Finally as to you implying you were going to turn me in (forwarding this link to Leisurepro) I bet the next time I order something, they sell it to me.:D

[10X]

I too have purchased a number of things from LeisurePro. I have also purchased a great many more expesive items from my local dive shop. The accessory items were puchased at LeisurePro and the things that keep me alive underwater were purchased locally.

 

All of my basic gear was purchased locally; wetsuits (4), BCD, mask, fins, snorkel, snorkel vests, regulator/octo/gauges/computer, and tanks.

 

Things purchased from LeisurePro were items like; gear bag, dry sack, dive flag/float, wetsuit hangers, etc.

 

LeisurePro has always been great to deal with, but when it comes to staying alive underwater, I prefer to deal with someone face-to-face.

 

The problem with not servicing any gear unless bought from a locally authorized dealer is that you completely eliminate servicing those items someone has bought used. Our local dive shops sponsor a swap meet once each year where used gear can be bought/sold/traded, and it's highly likely that the original dealer might never be known. If they then refused to service that gear they screw their customers, since I would never consider buying a used regulator and not having it serviced before taking it underwater. This attitude forces someone to always buy new, something not everyone can do.

[Victress2007]

My family and I are going cruising in the new year, and my husband and I are also taking an Aruba trip this spring. So, I got online with leisurepro.com and bought some relatively inexpensive dry snorkels and masks. I did go to the local dive shop (only one in town) and tried their cheapest mask. It snugged right on to my face, but it was $50.

 

We all have pretty average heads/faces, so I went with 3 different makes of masks and 2 different makes of snorkels. On Christmas morning everyone will get to open one, but then we can trade around to see what fits whom the best. Lets face it the silcone skirts on any of these masks will fit better and be more comfortable than the cheap masks they have for tour groups (we've always gotten a new snorkel which we then kept).

 

It depends how convenient a dive shop is, how expensive the shop is and how much you're willing to spend I suppose. The stockings should be fun with snorkels hanging out of all of them Christmas morning. :p

[Choozin Croozin]

I just purchased a scubapro mask and snorkel from my local dive shop. I really am very happy with the fit. It seems like it would fit alot of people because the silicone is so soft. I will say one thing though, leisurepro carries the same mask for $52 cheaper. :eek: That is huge. I just wasn't willing to take the chance of an ill-fitting mask. (already have one of those):rolleyes:

[w&k]

Just can't resist jumping in on this one...

 

My DH is a very large man, and very hard to fit. We drove all over Florida - Jacksonville Beach to Orlando to Boynton Beach - looking for a model and size to make him happy (Oceanic Probe in XXL). Our LDS does not carry Oceanic, and could not obtain it for us.

 

I then called and visited LDS #2 (not in my town) that carried Oceanic, but they would not come off the list price of $599. We called LDS #2 again from the parking lot of the 'big dealer', and they still wouldn't budge from $599 (I would have driven the two hours back and bought from them if they had offered $450). So we bought the BC at the 'big dealer' for $350.

 

That being said... when it was my turn for a new BC, I went to my LDS and bought the top of the line BC they had for $425, because I want them to stay in business. I could have bought the same BC from the previously mentioned 'big dealer' for about $250.

 

Everything we CAN buy from our LDS, we do, but if they don't have the item, and can't get it, then I shop wherever I get the best deal. We are both large people, and extended sizes can be quite difficult to find in dive gear.

 

I concur with 10x, NM_Eman, divadiverfl et. al. that accessories are fine to buy online, but I personally would be very hesitant to buy my life-support type equipment from an online source unless they were an authorized dealer, and maybe not even then.

 

We also make a point of visiting LDS wherever we roam, and try to buy at least a little something - even if it's just a bottle of defog or some clips.

 

Great diving to everyone!

 

Wendy