Equipment help for beginner

[hodgey]

hi,

i need some help from the experts as to what snorkel and fins i need for snorkeling, my budget is about £100 but im not sure whether that is to little or to much?

Also any help on a full body wetsuit would also be great.

cheers

hodgey

 

[RalphinOrmond]

Hi hodgey. These are some thoughts I've grabbed from my previous posts. They still hold true for me:

"... my current favorites are: Tusa Platina II snorkel, Atomic Aquatics frameless mask, and Mares Avanti Superchannel full foot fins. I'm crazy in love with this set up and don't ask for anything better. Still, something better will probably come along."

"My personal experience and resultant opinion is that reasonable prices a recreational snorkeler should expect to pay would presently be in the following ranges: Fins: $40-60; Mask: $60-80; Snorkel: $ 25-35. So that would be a total somewhere around $150."

Good luck in your adventures.

Ralph

 

[David Wilson]

hi, i need some help from the experts as to what snorkel and fins i need for snorkeling, my budget is about £100 but im not sure whether that is to little or to much? Also any help on a full body wetsuit would also be great. cheers hodgey

Hi, Hodgey. I take it from your budget quotation in pounds that you're UK based, like me. Welcome to a great sport. The wonderful thing about snorkelling is that snorkellers use a wide variety of gear, whether it's fins, masks or snorkels. People who try to narrow down the choice too much are probably expecting you to be graduating to freediving or scuba diving after a month or so. Personally, I've never been interested in either pursuit and have been a snorkeller pure and simple for fifty years.

Your £100 budget may be more than adequate for fins, mask and snorkel. Get fins that fit your feet precisely, don't settle for a particular model, or even brand, that somebody else recommends. Whatever they've chosen will work for them, but not necessarily for you. We're all a different shape and we all have different needs and strengths. Fins have to fit not only lengthwise, but also widthwise and height-wise, so try them on before you buy. If possible, get hold of a variety of types and see what works for you in the water in terms of your swimming strength and the ability of the fins to enhance it. Don't blindly follow stereotype responses such as "cold water = open-heel fins". I snorkel in the North Sea, and you know how cold that can get, but I still wear full-foot fins over my exposure suit because that configuration is comfortable for me and meets my needs. That's not to say it will meet your needs, of course. Remember too that fins are worn for power, manoeuvrability and endurance purposes, not for speed. Snorkelling isn't a race, it's like a fine wine, to be savoured slowly.

In the case of masks, again check that the model you're contemplating fits your face. Be wary again of people recommending specific models or brands. Whether the mask leaks has nothing to do with how much you pay for it, it's to do with how carefully you check how the mask fits when you press it against your face, inhale lightly and see if the mask remains in place without attaching the strap. As for a snorkel, choose the simplest one possible, a simple "J"-shaped one will do.

Wetsuits are also a very personal item of equipment, first of course when fitting, but also in terms of material thickness. The only advice I will give is that thicker material will be warmer, but will inevitably cost more and may make swimming less easy if the material restricts the movement of your arms and legs. I snorkel with a simple vintage-style drysuit, which though thin, keeps me warm and dry and doesn't bind my limbs as I swim. I'm not recommending that you follow my example here either.

 

[hodgey]

Ok thanks alot very interesting advice there, could I ask one more thing of you guys and that is to recommened a British based site with a good selection of equipment for me to have a ponder?

Thanks a lot
Tom