Advice on snorkel fins

ncsusan · Post by **ncsusan** » Sun Apr 17, 2016 7:39 pm

My husband and I finally tried snorkeling when we were on St. John in January and loved it. We borrowed gear from a couple that was vacationing with us. I wanted to buy him his own gear as a birthday gift for our trip next year. I began to look online and realize that I am totally out of my comfort zone. So what better place to ask for a little advice!

Open toe, closed toe, short fin, split fin?? We don't need professional gear I just want some honest opinions on what would be a good beginner set of fins and mask. Also looking for something that could fin in our carry on.

Thanks for your help!!

awardb · Post by **awardb** » Sun Apr 17, 2016 8:33 pm

Personal preferences have a lot to do with it, but in general, my recommendation would be normal length (not short) fins. Longer fins give you much more power when snorkeling. I prefer closed toes, pull on, full foot fins - without the strap at the back. With those, correct fit is very important. And like all things in life, you get what you pay for.
We've been snorkeling in STJ and Hawaii for over 20 + years, so feel free to ask more questions.
Others may disagree with my recommendations above based on their experiences.
We pack and bring all our own snorkel gear every year to STJ.

michigan girls · Post by **michigan girls** » Sun Apr 17, 2016 9:16 pm

Like Awardb said, it's such a personal thing.

I agree that I prefer full length fins, but I prefer the kind with the strap on the back. I have some that have a pivot point in the fin which is much easier on my bad ankle.

Three out of our four sets are Aqua Lung - they were not expensive and they have been heavily used with no issues. I bought the first set for myself at a local sporting goods store, and once I knew I liked them I bought 2 more sets for the kids on Amazon. The only thing we've had to replace are the bags - salt water and metal zippers don't get along. We replaced them with drawstring mesh bags which work a lot better.

awardb · Post by **awardb** » Sun Apr 17, 2016 11:51 pm

Though I don't use them now, this is another vote for the Aqua Lung fins - they're very reasonably priced, work well, and last for a long time. I think a lot of local/chain sporting goods stores carry them.

michigan girls · Post by **michigan girls** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 12:50 am

Yes, I think I got my first set at Dick's - but then we discovered Amazon had them for less.

Another thing I would suggest is some snorkel booties to wear with the fins. Any fin I've ever used - even the expensive ones - have bothered the top of my feet and the back of ankle. snorkel booties make my fins so much more comfy. We buy these: http://www.amazon.com/Akona-Low-Cut-Soc ... kona+socks

Pulley · Post by **Pulley** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 7:32 am

Again I believe it is a personal preference. I prefer full fins with the strap in the back. HOWEVER - I believe the mask it by far the most important part of snorkel gear. I suggest going to a local dive shop and finding a mask that fits you well. The money spent on a great mask is worth the investment. Number two for me is a good DRY snorkel. I can't say enough good things about the benefits of being able to dive down and explore the reef and then surface and just breathe.

I can snorkel with any kind of fin and it won't affect my enjoyment. Struggling with a mask or snorkel on the other hand.. Heck I've left my fins at the villa before and still had a great snorkel at Hawksnest & Maho.

20+ years of snorkeling & diving St. John in no way makes me an expert but I did lead me to know what works best for me.

equineannie · Post by **equineannie** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 10:00 am

As a Dive Instructor I can recommend:

Closed fin if you are only snorkeling. Mares makes a wonderful closed fin one that I dive in as well. They are not the cheapest but I have had mine for over 6 years and I am in the water 4 to 5 days a week. If you want you can use a sport sock in in if it chafes your foot.

Mask: VERY important is fit. I recommend that you go to a place where you can try them on...then buy online if you want. Any reputable place will show you how to try. I personally like the clear ones as they allow you to use your full range of vision. Get a regular snorkel, fold down is fine and easier for travel. If you have a Divers Direct near you, they have great staff and great prices. Invest a little bit more and you will have a set that will last for years.

Oh year...DO NOT buy one of the sets that are already prepackaged. The mask fit is too critical a component to mess up.

awardb · Post by **awardb** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 11:27 am

Two thumbs up on the advice from Pulley - the mask is by far the most important choice. The fit on that component trumps everything else. And one of the "stay-dry" snorkels is worth it's weight in gold. We've had a couple of (I believe) OceanQuest Totally Dry snorkels for several years now, and they work well.

RickG · Post by **RickG** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 4:38 pm

Yep, the mask is key. Surprises may not be best here. I've had my mask since 1997 and love it.

Fins? Yep, I've had mine since 1997 too. But, I would recommend renting until he knows what he prefers.

I use fins with the strap and wear swim booties that are good for rocky beaches too. These have NOT lasted since 1997!

Cheers, RickG

ncsusan · Post by **ncsusan** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 5:05 pm

Thanks so much for all of your advice. It makes sense to rent until we figure out what we like. Then I will be looking for a local dive shop so that I can find a mask that fits the right way.

Any thoughts on the Tribord all in one masks. We saw a lot of people using them last year. They are a little alien-like but the people that we talked with seemed to like them.

RickG · Post by **RickG** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 5:26 pm

The Tribords are pricey. You can them to see if you like them by renting from sup-stjohn.com.

Cheers, RickG

jimg20 · Post by **jimg20** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 6:14 pm

I have no differences with any of the earlier posts. I is all personal preferences. The mask is critical. It must fit well.

The dry snorkel is also good to have. When the water has a little chop, the dry snorkel will prevent most of the water from getting down to the mouthpiece.

I like my full foot fins that I've had for 8 years. I use them for snorkeling and diving. They are the normal size fins and give me the power I need when I have to overcome a current or accelerate quickly.

You have Divers Direct close to you. Just go on line. I just ordered from them last week.

Have a great trip.

JIM

Splasher54 · Post by **Splasher54** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 9:48 pm

We used our new tribord masks on our March visit. They worked great! We both have good regular masks too and can easily use both. I bought the tribord for my husband for his birthday and he looked at me like I was crazy! I'm not wearing that!! By day two he was wearing it exclusively and the couple we were traveling with had rented them in Cruz Bay for the remainder of their stay. We got ours on Amazon and they are about $65 now. My other mask was about $60 when I bought it 5 years ago and that was without a snorkel. The snorkel on the tribord is a dry snorkel.

I would recommend this mask especially for people who are not comfortable snorkeling. It allows you to breath through both your mouth and/or nose making it a much more user friendly experience. The field of vision is great. I would highly recommend it!

snorkeler525 · Post by **snorkeler525** » Tue Apr 19, 2016 8:19 am

ncsusan wrote: Any thoughts on the Tribord all in one masks. We saw a lot of people using them last year. They are a little alien-like but the people that we talked with seemed to like them.

I've never used one but they look great. The only reason I haven't tried one is that I like to dive down to see stuff and I've read you can't do that with the Tribord masks. If anyone has dived down with them, I would love to hear your experience.

jmq · Post by **jmq** » Tue Apr 19, 2016 8:42 am

Some personal observations re masks: If you have a lot of trouble with regular masks fogging, one way to help to reduce that is to really concentrate on breathing out of your mouth only, as any nose breathing in the mask will contribute to fog up.

Another option now for those who suffer from mask fogging is the Tribord mask - - what's nice about them is that they don't fog up because you can breath out your nose. In fact, they seem to work better with nose only breathing as too much opening and closing of your mouth can disrupt the lower face seal.

Having said that, the air you are breathing inside the Tribord mask tends to get a little warm. Anybody else with similar observations?

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