usvi-on-line
Sea Window Snorkeling Raft
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CreativeName
- Posts: 26
- Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2010 3:39 pm
- Location: Grand Rapids
Sea Window Snorkeling Raft
We are taking our 5 year old with us for our trip in May. We did get him a snorkeling set but we assume it will take him some time to get use to it, or he may not get the hang of it at all. So, we ordered him a Sea Window Snorkeling Raft. I was just curious if anyone has used one of these. He will have a vest on as well and we are willing to tow him out so he can see the good stuff.
I bought one for our 3 year old daughter for our upcoming trip. We haven't used it yet, but I did unpack it and was quite impressed over the quality of construction. I saw one in use at Maho last year and talked to the dad who was hauling his kid around. He said it works great, which spurred me to buy one for this trip.
One note - we got the big one, because I have a rather tall 18yr old son who will use it to float around. The big one is pretty bulky and will take up a lot of weight and room in a checked bag.
One note - we got the big one, because I have a rather tall 18yr old son who will use it to float around. The big one is pretty bulky and will take up a lot of weight and room in a checked bag.
The snorkeling raft sounds like fun and worth a try.
When our son was 4, he wanted to try snorkeling by wearing a mask and hanging across a raft. He announced, before he put his head in the water, that he wanted to see Squidward. I warned him that he might not see a squid on his first try. Low and behold, he put his face in the water and started squealing. A rather large squid was hanging out in the water below our raft. Needless to say, it was motivation for him to learn how to snorkel independently.
Magical times. Enjoy every moment.
When our son was 4, he wanted to try snorkeling by wearing a mask and hanging across a raft. He announced, before he put his head in the water, that he wanted to see Squidward. I warned him that he might not see a squid on his first try. Low and behold, he put his face in the water and started squealing. A rather large squid was hanging out in the water below our raft. Needless to say, it was motivation for him to learn how to snorkel independently.
Magical times. Enjoy every moment.
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Iluvstjohn
- Posts: 397
- Joined: Sat Nov 03, 2007 11:02 pm
- Location: Boston, MA
We have the sea window...and the small window one...we got it from isnorkel! Depending on what time of year you went, you might have been talking to my husband! My son used ours....the most...but we had a 7 year old daughter who liked it as well. So have 2....they have been on 3-4 trips and have held up well! I highly recommend them.
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Jumbiegirl
- Posts: 301
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 8:30 pm
- Location: Holland, MI
I brought down (or maybe I shipped them, I can't remember) two of these rafts last summer for my niece and nephew to use. Nephew took to snorkeling like a fish and his raft never came out of the box. My niece did use hers a few times.
Positives: the window is a good size for viewing, it is comfortable to lie on, and there are handles for gripping. Negatives: it is a royal PITA to blow up! You need to put fresh water in the viewing window, I think it takes about a gallon. It takes up a lot of room in the jeep (because you DON'T want to deflate it and re-inflate it every day!). I personally found it cumbersome to tow around. I thought it worked best with two people towing, one on each side.
I was very happy when she decided to just snorkel instead of using the raft. I left them behind at the villa we rented on check out.
Positives: the window is a good size for viewing, it is comfortable to lie on, and there are handles for gripping. Negatives: it is a royal PITA to blow up! You need to put fresh water in the viewing window, I think it takes about a gallon. It takes up a lot of room in the jeep (because you DON'T want to deflate it and re-inflate it every day!). I personally found it cumbersome to tow around. I thought it worked best with two people towing, one on each side.
I was very happy when she decided to just snorkel instead of using the raft. I left them behind at the villa we rented on check out.
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
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RidgeRunner
- Posts: 47
- Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2009 4:28 pm
- Location: WNC
We used one when our tot was 3. It held his interest for only a few minutes and he enjoyed looking around up top more.
One problem is that you are in the water nice and cool but babe is on top of a raft baking like a potato wrapped in Al foil.
At 4 he just used goggles and would hold his breath while underwater and come back up - worked better than you would think and he got the bug bad.
At 5, he snorkeled to Waterlemon and around and talks about it still.
If you could practice the snorkel just a bit in a pool or even just a bathtub it would help a bunch.
One problem is that you are in the water nice and cool but babe is on top of a raft baking like a potato wrapped in Al foil.
At 4 he just used goggles and would hold his breath while underwater and come back up - worked better than you would think and he got the bug bad.
At 5, he snorkeled to Waterlemon and around and talks about it still.
If you could practice the snorkel just a bit in a pool or even just a bathtub it would help a bunch.
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WSUbeachcoug
- Posts: 44
- Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2008 9:51 pm
- Location: Mukilteo, Washington
We just went to St John in December and I purchased the large one. It was the one of the better choices I have made. We had a two year old grandson and several newbies who did not feel comfortable snorkeling. Although it took up the majority of our suitcase, it was used nonstop.
My biggest thrill was watching my two year old grandson look at the stingrays at maho and my 27 year old chasing after the manta ray ! If you see my video that air mattress is in every pic.
My biggest thrill was watching my two year old grandson look at the stingrays at maho and my 27 year old chasing after the manta ray ! If you see my video that air mattress is in every pic.
We took them when our kids were 3 and 5 and loved them. Yes, bulky and cumbersome, but the kids did great on them (still had them wearing life vests in case they fell off), they really enjoyed them and it meant that Mom and Dad got to do some snorkeling together instead of just alone.
Took them again at 4 and 6 (more like almost 5 and almost 7) and didn't really need them. Both kids snorkeled instead and maybe used them a few times if they didn't feel like the hassle of gearing up. The other littler ones in our group though liked them very much, especially the girl who was not allowed to get her ears wet without ear plugs.
Took them again at 4 and 6 (more like almost 5 and almost 7) and didn't really need them. Both kids snorkeled instead and maybe used them a few times if they didn't feel like the hassle of gearing up. The other littler ones in our group though liked them very much, especially the girl who was not allowed to get her ears wet without ear plugs.
Jennifer
