Looking For Affordable Snorkel Gear?

Normally when I cruise I like to snorkel in a port or two. Usually what this means for me is renting snorkel gear at whichever beach I visit. Now when approaching snorkeling in this manner there are some pros as well as some cons.

Pros

• Don’t have to pack snorkel gear – airlines are tacking on more and more fees so the less I pack the better off I will be.
• Don’t have to carry around snorkel gear – I don’t have to worry about lugging any gear around to any of the places I go before I snorkel. Also don’t have to worry about carrying anything around after I am done snorkeling.
• Allows my plans to be more spur of the moment – I can decide based on the flow of the day whether or not I want to go snorkeling.

Cons

• Who knows where those things have been – although they claim to disinfect all of the snorkel gear that is used, does their definition of disinfect match mine?
• The costs associated with renting snorkel gear – getting gear for 10 dollars a person is about average in the Caribbean but those costs can add up quickly.
• Condition of the gear – not all but some of the gear you encounter while renting at the beach was probably purchased about the same time I was being born. Its not always in the best condition.

Since I usually go snorkeling a couple of times per cruise and I usually cruise multiple times each year I decided it was in my best interest to just purchase equipment. At a cost of 10 dollars each rental I figured if I stuck within a budget I would break even after just two or three cruises. For a cost of about 40 dollars I would have my own set of brand new, cootie free equipment. Besides each time I travel I pack less and less so space wouldn’t be a concern.

When I decided to search for equipment I had no idea what I was looking for so I went to Amazon.com and did a bit of research.  Of course I went to the user reviews and picked out a set that had a good rating, it was that simple.  I decided to go with this set of snorkel gear since it had really good reviews and was by far the highest rated set of gear on the website. I also decided I would buy a bag to carry my gear in this is the snorkel bag I decided to purchase.  I basically chose it because of the affordability and the fact that it had a shoulder strap.  All together I spent less than 40 dollars for a mask, breathing tube, flippers and a bag.  So, if you are looking for some beginner gear it will do the trick for you.

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