The ex fiancé and I are looking to go to the Caribbean in January. We have never snorkeled before but we are trying to take this on as a hobby. Any HBEAKOT recommendations?
Caribbean/Snorkeling
- Thread starter DirtyJohns97
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Wear a life jacket if you're lazy like me and want to float without too much effort.
Have a blast. You probably can't lose wherever you go...just ask a local guide for recommendations.
Have a blast. You probably can't lose wherever you go...just ask a local guide for recommendations.
I’ve probably snorkeled 10x and by no means am I an expert. Also 1x SCUBA. St. Lucia was the best location we’ve been to in the Caribbean for reefs, water clarity and aquatic life. I’ve heard The Cayman Islands are excellent as well, but have never been.
My comparisons are Jamaica, Cancun, Playa, Cozumel and the DR. None of them are in the same ballpark as St Lucia.
Coz once. Might have been a bad location or a bad day. Wasn’t impressed with the snorkeling, especially how much it was hyped. It was also 20 years ago and we haven’t been back to Coz since.
Something weird for sure. We've snorkeled in Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and Cozumel. Cozumel was head and shoulders above the other two. We always go a little North of the airport. The southern side of the island is pretty rough ocean
Rent some here and learn in the pool this summer. Don’t be figuring out how to clear a snorkel once you’re down there.
Biggest piece of advice is learn how to defog a mask. Dish soap works great. A foggy mask will ruin everything.
Biggest piece of advice is learn how to defog a mask. Dish soap works great. A foggy mask will ruin everything.
We did that, we bought snorkels and masks and have been using them in our pool.
Cool, practice the defogging though.
One other thing - do more floating than “swimming.” So much easier to float gently in salt water than the pool!
Fogging and water getting in my mask has been a problem so far
Here’s how we have always done it.
Try to get a good seal around your face. Doesn’t need to be super tight, though. Just snug.
Clean the mask with dish soap if it’s still pretty new. Sometimes they have oil/film from the manufacturing process that fogs easier.
Get a tiny squirt bottle and mix a little dish soap with water. When you go in the pool next, squirt a couple drops in a dry mask and smear it around with clean fingers. Rinse out the soapy residue and you should be good to go. You can repeat as needed in a couple hours or when you go out again. If it’s working you can do that when you’re in the Caribbean.
A new mask (if it’s decent) needs the film removed as mentioned above. The easiest way to do that is with a lighter.
What kind of mask did you get? A properly fitted mask that is of decent quality won’t leak. Most people’s biggest problem is not pulling back their hair and breaking the seal. Put the back of the mask on first then front. Then lift mask away from your face with one hand and pull back your hair with your other hand. Shaving can help, too, but some masks work better than others with facial hair.
If you are having fogging issues one of the better solutions is to purposely get a little bit of water in your mask. Then you move your head angle to use the water to remove the fog.
To clear water in your mask push on top of mask on your forehead, lean your head up a bit and blow hard out of your nose.
I am an avid scuba diver, so I don’t have a lot of specific snorkel suggestions. Have fun.
Just edited my post above.
If all else fails with fog, spit works.
A lot of fogging issues come from you working too hard and getting heated. The biggest thing to work on is your fin game. In salt water, especially with a current like in Cozumel you shouldn’t have to do much at all.
If all else fails with fog, spit works.
A lot of fogging issues come from you working too hard and getting heated. The biggest thing to work on is your fin game. In salt water, especially with a current like in Cozumel you shouldn’t have to do much at all.
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