Shorty wet suit?

[Caw954s]

So I picked up a shorty wetsuit because it was half off (39.99!) and I thought "maybe I will get chilly snorkeling in January?" Does anybody else wear a wet suit snorkeling in St John in the winter months? And we plan on renting our snorkel gear for the week since we will not snorkel again until we go back to St John...I know to make sure we have good fitting masks, but are there any other important suggestions I should know about?

Thank you!

[jimg20]

So I picked up a shorty wetsuit because it was half off (39.99!) and I thought "maybe I will get chilly snorkeling in January?" Does anybody else wear a wet suit snorkeling in St John in the winter months? And we plan on renting our snorkel gear for the week since we will not snorkel again until we go back to St John...I know to make sure we have good fitting masks, but are there any other important suggestions I should know about?

Thank you!

A shorty wet suit that that is half off???? Aren't they all half off????

Yes, many people use wet suits especially in the winter. I haven't been there in the winter, so I can't say whether it's important to have or not.

While you are there, you might want to consider buying a well-fitted mask. A very good one can be had for about $75. It wouldn't take too many days of rental fees to offset that cost.

Have a wonderful trip

JIM

[wanackmamak]

I definitely use my shorty. It's only 3.2 mm thick and it's perfect for a long snorkel of more than a half hour or so.

[Coconuts]

I use a shorty when I go scuba diving in the VI. Shorty wet suits are great for surface snorkeling and staying warmer in winter months, but their buoyancy is such that without a weight belt, you may struggle to free dive down to see things up close.

Kevin

[mindehankins]

I got one too! A screaming deal on a brand new one for $9.99! Being new to these, I am shocked by how tight they are, but I hope it'll keep me or my daughter warm.
Kevin, that's good information! Can you rent a weight belt? When I learned to free dive, Capt. Phil called Low Key and asked them to/authorized them to rent me one.... I didn't know it that was "fluff" or for real?

[Caw954s]

Mindehankins!! 9.99?? Holy moley, you got a great deal! And Jim, you funny...but thank you for the tip on the mask .
This will be interesting...I've never tried a wetsuit before and Kevin thanks for the tip on the weight belt. I guess we'll just have to try it and see how it goes. You wear a bathing suit underneath (I presume!) so if it's not working well I can go back to a snorkeling in a swim suit.

[equineannie]

Your shorty will be fine. Low Key Watersports is the place for mask/fin rental. If you are someone that snorkels, on every trip, I recommend you get a set of fins and snorkel. It is worth the money to have a good fitting mask and a pair of fins that do not cramp your toes. Buying before you go will be much cheaper. Any reputable dive shop, stateside, will be able to assist you. DO NOT buy a set already prepackaged, they are usually poorly made and ill fitting. Enjoy, oh, BTW I know all this because I am a dive instructor.

[Caw954s]

Thank you equineannie, I have a coupon for low key watersports and that is where we plan on going to rent gear. There are 3 of us that I would be paying for and I've looked into the cost of buying snorkel, mask, and fins separately, and for 3 of us we're talking about 4-500.00. We'll try it out first and if we see more snorkeling in our future, you are right, we will look into getting our own good equipment.

[Coconuts]

A couple of quick tips for when you do buy your own gear:

• Opinions vary, but I really prefer a "dry" snorkel, which allows you to begin breathing as soon as you surface, rather than having to summon yet more air to blow out the water in the snorkel. Example: http://www.scuba.com/scuba-gear-39/0395 ... orkel.html
  
  Strap fins can chafe and be painful, and are better suited to scuba diving with booties. A soft full-foot fin is in my opinion much more comfortable.
  
  If you wear prescription glasses, a mask with replaceable corrective lenses only adds a very modest premium these days (~$50), but makes a world of difference in seeing clearly underwater. If you only use your glasses for reading, a prescription mask isn't necessary.
  
  Online prices for reasonable snorkel gear are quite low, often with free shipping, and are on par with three or four weeks of combo rentals. Purists can spend arbitrary amounts in any field, but for $120 - $180, you can buy a great set of snorkeling gear that will last for many years. A nice mask that I use (for prescription lenses, add $50) is here: http://www.scuba.com/scuba-gear-32/0299 ... -Mask.html, and a good pair of fins is here: http://www.scuba.com/scuba-gear-21/0133 ... -Fins.html
  
  If you are concerned about luggage space, consider just renting the fins, but buying and bringing your mask and snorkel.
  
  Low Key sells a nice mesh bag to keep your gear in.

Kevin

[mindehankins]

CAW - I know! I could hardly believe I won it at that price! And now I find that a friend has one she can lend me as well, so both Jillian and I with both have one to use. I'm not so sure she's going to love snorkeling, but if she does, I want to be prepared.

Kevin, or anyone, do you know if you can rent weight belts without "authorization"?

[Caw954s]

Kevin, thank you so much for your post....GREAT information!

[Coconuts]

You need a C-card (certification) to rent scuba gear, but I have to believe that anyone would be able to rent a weight belt for snorkeling with a wet suit. Make sure to try it out in the water there to get the right amount of weight. Low Key charges $7 per day, $42 for a week for a weight belt. By the way, I was wrong (post since edited) on the snorkel gear rental rates; while about two weeks of a la carte rentals would buy a set of decent gear, Low Key has a combo package that is a pretty fair $40 per week.

Kevin

[mindehankins]

Thanks, Kevin!