Snorkelling in Mallorca - what gear do I buy for the family?

[Cris_N]

Hi

First off, apologies, because this isn't srtictly speaking a scuba query! I am going to be visiting Mallorca with my wife and kids in August and we're planning on doing a lot of snorkelling. Both are kids are real water babies, but this will be the first time we've gone abroad as a family (we live in the UK).

Because my wife and kids are very fair, I'd planned to take the wetsuits we normally use for surfing (3/2 suits). This will keep them warm, but also prevent sunburn (I can remember getting badly burned when snorkelling in the mediterranean without a protective suit or t-shirt). Masks, fins and snorkels are obvious kit, but what would people advise with regard to weight-belts? I know from surfing how buoyant suits are, so it makes sense to use one if diving down to 3-5 metres. But how do you work out what weight to use, for adults and for kids?

I'd be really grateful for any tips more experienced divers could offer.

Many thanks

Cris

 

[TMHeimer]

Your best bet is to post in the Snorkeling/Freediving forum below. I've only snorkeled in bathing suit but my guess would be don't have anywhere near an amount of weight that would make easily staying on the surface (ei. floating) difficult. Keep in mind that the suit will compress (at least some) as you dive down. The pressure doubles at 33 feet from what it is at the surface, so you are more negatively buoyant. You don't want to be trying to surface for air and having to struggle even a little. Scuba divers apparently were expert at this before the BCD was used. See what the experts say/