Snorkel gear - is it worth bringing our snorkel and renting

Aloha,

It%26#39;s me again :)

Our other dilemma is whether to bring any or all our snorkel gear.

We have two adult sets. One mask is great and the other so-so. We want to have relatively decent equipment there. My 4 1/2 y/o son is a good swimmer and I want to get him equipment. Is it worth going to Snorkel Bob%26#39;s and renting a set for him and pieces for us or is there somewhere else less expensive to go. Or should we buy?

Oh yes, our thought was that the fins take up valuable packing space.

Thanks again :)

sonsie

Snorkel gear - is it worth bringing our snorkel and renting

hi sonsie

we rented from Maui Dive Shop (whaler%26#39;s village) and i felt the equip was of good quality. (and i am picky) husband and i wanted to go all carry-on so we didn%26#39;t have any room for own equip. nice not to lug it.

Snorkel gear - is it worth bringing our snorkel and renting

I have always just rented equipment. Buying would really depend on how much you would use the equipment? I have never considered buying, because I wouldn%26#39;t use it that often.

Aloha.

We spent two weeks in Aug and Maui. A family of five and we brought our own gear except for our 10 year olds. We were advised we could pick up great stuff at WalMart. Not ony did we get her a set but we replaced a set of fins and a mask. Very convient to have our own equipment.

We bought all of our own snorkel gear after our first trip. We have a bag devoted to it. And I feel the fins are one of the big reasons we bring our own gear. If you have nice split fins or fins that help reduce leg fatigue thats a BIG plus. All of the fins I have seen for rent are the black rubber, full foot fins that feel like boards straped to your feet. With good equipment and a wetsuit it helps you stay out longer and not feel beat up at the end of the day.

If I was going to get gear for a young son like you I would wait until I got to Maui and get one on the kids sets at Costco or WalMart in Maui. Because at his age even if you go again next year he will have grown out of it and you don%26#39;t want to buy real expensive gear if he going to grow out of it. Plus it would make a cool souvenir to show his friends at the pool back home.

Hope this helps. Have a great trip.

We purchased ours while we were there, nasty stuff using someone elses mouthpiece, yuck......we also purchased an extra inexpensive suitcase for just our gear. Your allowed 2 check-in bags, we only each had one, so it worked out good for us. We put other things we bought while we were there in that case as well. We felt it was well worth it...

Renting has worked out fine for us and our visitors. Yeah, the gear has been used by other people before you. But think about it, at every restaurant you go to, you are using forks and spoons that other people have also put inside their mouths. But they%26#39;re washed, and so is the gear (you can even re-wash it) so no big deal. Anyway, we like Snorkel Bob%26#39;s. It%26#39;s convenient so if money%26#39;s not a big deal and you want to save space it%26#39;s a good way to go. You can rent sets, pieces, whatever you need. Bring your good mask though. A mask that fits you well is nice to have and it doesn%26#39;t take much room.

Aloha sonsie!

We took our own gear and I am glad we did. We got sets here at home for about $21 each set with adjustable masks and fins and it was more comfortable. I hadn%26#39;t snorkeled a lot and I was able to practice in the pool before we went out, especially before we went to Molokini. Then, we could snorkel anytime we wanted and we didn%26#39;t have to worry about returning the gear before we left.

We were worried about the weight and space that the fins took up, but I packed them in the outside bag of my big suitcase, and even with my clothes, a beach towel, and other stuff, I still managed to get my suitcase checked in at under 50 lbs. I%26#39;d recommend weighing it before you go if you don%26#39;t want to pay the overweight charge.

To me, the other bonus of buying your own, since it%26#39;s relatively inexpensive, is that you ALWAYS have your own gear no matter where you travel. No worries about the extra expense of renting on every vacation where you want to see the fish. One time and you%26#39;re outta there!

It looks from your prior posts that you are staying at two different places.

I would be inclined to rent from Maui Dive Shop since they have locations on both parts of the island (you may want to confirm that you can rent from one location and return to the other).