Snorkeling mask and waterproof camera bags?

March 10, 2018 11:03 AM

I'm headed south to warm waters with pretty fish at the end of the month and am considering purchasing a full-face snorkeling mask and waterproof camera bags. I'll use them at least 4 times on this trip and probably once or twice a year after. Do you have any recommendations or cautionary tales? I've been reading Amazon reviews and am on the fence. I'm in Canada so our Amazon options are slightly different than the US ones but any input welcome.

Snorkeling mask: I haven't snorkeled in over a decade. I like the idea of full-face masks because you can breathe through both nose/mouth. I don't imagine I'd dive more than 4-6 feet at a time. They're around $50 CAD which is perfectly reasonable as I'd be re-using and saving on rental costs.

Camera bags: I'd love to be able to take pictures/video underwater but not at the expense of a $700-value phone. How reliable are these things?

Thanks!

posted by mireille to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (7 answers total)

Best answer: There are some downsides to full-face masks; depending on your style and where you'll be snorkelling, they may not be dealbreakers, but it's important to know that:

1) you really can't freedive in them, at all, so you will be confined to the surface, no dipping down below to take a closer look at neat stuff. 4-6ft is likely too great a distance; there's a lot of air in the mask, so the pressure against your face will start to hurt after just a foot or two, and you can't equalise your ears at all. Plus the dry snorkel systems will let water in when you dive down.

2) some people feel like it's hard to breathe in these masks, and generally once you start feeling like you're working hard to get air, your body gets anxious, and then you start struggling even harder to get air. This effect is more pronounced when you're in choppy waters or water with a current, even a light one; some people are fine with these in a pool or bathtub-calm water but feel like they don't get enough air when they have to swim even a little hard. Some masks are designed to mitigate this issue (I believe the Vista Vue is one), but if you're not a super-strong swimmer, or if you're venturing into spots with waves or current, you still might be uncomfortable. Also, if you need to communicate with anyone, you won't be able to talk as easily as you would with a traditional setup, since you can't just spit the snorkel out and the mask muffles you.

3) mostly they don't fog too much, but if they *do* fog or leak it's more of a pain to clear a full-face mask than a traditional one. Also, you cannot do the old toothpaste trick, you will scratch the heck out of the plastic. Sand is another issue because it will also scratch up the plastic (and obviously sand is a thing you're likely to encounter).

4) your face might get hot; it kinda feels like hiding your head under the covers on your bed, after a while. (This can compound the having-trouble-breathing issue, because the air you're breathing is warm and may not feel 'fresh').

If you have a sensitive jaw, though, it's great not having to bite/clench, and the unrestricted view is nice, so they are good options for some people. If you get one, try it out in a pool first to make sure you don't hate it -- particularly since they're kinda bulky and will take up a fair bit of suitcase space unless you get a folding one. They're also fragile, so you will need to keep it in a hardsided bag when you're travelling.

oh wow I didn't realise I had so many snorkel feelings haha sorry this is so incredibly long

Three other quick things!

- You may want to check out inflatable snorkelling vests. A lot of tours will provide them, and some will require you use them, but they can be nice, especially for long sessions. They don't take up much suitcase space and you can store them in a mesh bag along with your mask, and fins if you have them -- and having your own fins is a great luxury. You may want to consider your own fins if you're already getting a mask. Most rentals are full-foot fins, which are fine, but open-foot fins and dive booties are marvelous for any excursions where you have to walk any distance on sand or rocks. (Rental fins are often pretty stiff and banged-up; having your own pair can help you avoid calf strain and blisters from poor fit.)

- Consider wearing a longsleeved rash guard to protect you from sun (it's easy to burn your back) and to keep the chill off (because even if it's warm, your core temperature will drop when you're in water a lot). Wetsuit vests are another nice option for a little added warmth without the awkwardness and heft of a full suit, and also provide a bit of buoyancy. 1mm should be fine for most water temps unless you chill easily. If you go out on a snorkel tour boat, consider bringing along a light hoodie or longsleeved shirt for the ride back; people often get cold.

- Please please please make sure your sunscreen is biodegradable! Many marine parks and reserves now require the use of biodegradable sunblock and won't let you use the regular kind -- this is especially common in Mexico -- but it's good practice to follow everywhere because many tourists + the tendency of sunscreen to wash off in water = dead coral, and given the state of the oceans, marine habitats are struggling enough.
posted by halation at 12:06 PM on March 10, 2018 [4 favorites]

Best answer: The camera bags are reliable if you buy from a reputable company (ie not Amazon) BUT operator error is common and fatal with the ziploc style closures. The rigid box designs with a positive locking mechanism are better that way, although I've still seen people mess up the seals. Don't get sunscreen or lotion on the seals! In fact don't wear sunscreen at all due to the ecological concerns- get a long sleeve rash guard and swim pants instead. If you must use sunscreen look into coral friendly brands and be aware you might have to buy locally. Mexico is really ahead of the game about this but other places are catching up.

Overall- the good waterproof camera cases aren't super cheap. Waterproof P&S cameras are pretty easy to find used on craigslist or Amazon warehouse so that's an option too. Just check the seals are good.

Full face masks are kind of a gimmick imho, I'd not bother. The drawbacks outweigh the benefits for most people. And there re is some concern about CO2 building up in them and causing problems or drownings fyi. Although obviously loads of people use them every day and don't drown.
posted by fshgrl at 12:43 PM on March 10, 2018

Best answer: I can't speak to the full face mask, but:

My own experiences with getting a diving mask to fit tell me that part of the $70+US for a good mask is being in a shop where you can try a bunch of different ones on.

However/and, the shop I've dived with out of Frederiksted St Croix, N2TheBlue, rents masks and flilppers at a ridiculously cheap price. I think it was $10-15/day for a good mask, snorkel and flippers. Maybe that seems high, but it also gives a place where you can stash your keys and wallet (and street clothes and whatnot) while you're out swimming, and local expertise. Don't discount the other benefits of having a good relationship with the local dive/snorkel shop.
posted by straw at 1:00 PM on March 10, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I'd be very wary of the full-face snorkel masks - a couple of people recently died in Hawaii (autoplay video alert) while wearing full-face masks and one of the big chains (Snorkel Bob) won't rent them because of safety concerns.
posted by mogget at 1:41 PM on March 10, 2018

Response by poster: Okay that's a good solid "no" on the face masks, thank you everyone. And yeah - not worth the risk on the phone bags as this close to leaving it'd have to be from Amazon. Appreciate the input!
posted by mireille at 1:49 PM on March 10, 2018

You can probably buy one at any dive shop when you get there and you'll know it's legit that way.
posted by fshgrl at 5:38 PM on March 10, 2018

The full-face masks are great if you need to stick a pair of glasses in there, since they fog much less. And obviosuly for kids it's easier because they don't need to breathe through their mouths. But I prefer the traditional type, with a dry top; that's still worth buying. For the full-face, Tribord is the original design; the others are knockoffs, so I would get the real thing. The fit is a bit more challenging since they have to seal around the whole face.

What phone do you have? The iPhone 7 and up are waterproof to 1 meter in static water. So even though a flood in a waterproof case is more of a "when", not an "if", it (probably) wouldn't kill your phone. I have used a Freiq case with mine dozens of times and never had a leak. You do have to inspect it every time you open it, because a single grain of sand can cause a leak, but it's a great case and handy just for being on the boat or beach because you don't need pockets.
posted by wnissen at 9:44 PM on March 10, 2018