USVI-On-Line

My wife and I coming to the rock for the first time on 12/25 for 9 days. Should I buy snorkel gear or can I rent them on ST. John .I'm guessing i would need them for 7 days. Were coming with our Daughter and her family, they think we should buy them. I thought I would price them both ways. What do you think.
Thanks for any insight you may have on this

I like to bring just a mask and snorkel then rent fins on the island from Low Key. I'm not a fan of having to pack fins. Fins-only rental is fairly cheap, think I paid $25 for a full week last year.

We stayed on the Coral Bay side and rented from Crabby's. It was 35 for a week rental of masks and fins My son had a problem with his mask the first day and he gladly swapped it for another mask.

I highly recommend LowKey for snorkel rentals. I reserved gear with them via their website and received a 15% discount - snorkel, mask, and fins were ~$68/week. The people were very helpful, the shop is conveniently located, and they've got some nice things in the store as well. And MOTU is right outside if you're in the mood for a cocktail while you're waiting for the gear...!!!!

It would depend if you plan on going snorkeling very much after your trip. For a one time use, it may be cheaper to rent. If you think you will be back, and you will, you might want to consider buying your own. We come at least once a year and bought our own so we know we have equipment that fits us properly. I know the rental snorkels are disinfected, but we just don't like the fact that they have been in so many people's mouth....

MN_Bhoy wrote:I highly recommend LowKey for snorkel rentals. I reserved gear with them via their website and received a 15% discount - snorkel, mask, and fins were ~$68/week. The people were very helpful, the shop is conveniently located, and they've got some nice things in the store as well. And MOTU is right outside if you're in the mood for a cocktail while you're waiting for the gear...!!!!

When you said $68, were you talking about two sets?

JIM

I would absolutely buy at least a mask and snorkel for each person. That way you can make sure to get a proper fit and you won't have to use a snorkel full of a bunch of other people's teeth marks! When you try on a mask, you need to suck it to your face and let go with your hands and make sure it stays put. There is nothing worse than being in the middle of the ocean and not being able to see anything because of a leaky mask.

On the fins you could go either way. We bring ours with us because we always check luggage so it wouldn't make sense to rent them there. But if you're intending to do carry-on only, you could rent the fins on island.

My wife and I invested in our own set. We travel with carryons only and still bring snorkel, mask and fins. As all have stated you can rent at CBWS, Low Key or Crabbys and not go wrong. We are down every year so they have already paid themselves off. Good Luck!!!

After reading these few posts I'm thinking buying is the way to go. I have a few months to think about it. Thanks to all that replyed so far

I love my fins-
Oceanic vortex v6 full foot.
Lightweight and powerful.
Wouldn't travel w/o my snorkel gear!

I'm a little weird about renting mask...even though they are soaked in a disinfectant before you rent them.....I like to think I'm the only person who is breathing, talking, purging, coughing through my mask! I have my own fins that I bring every year. U.S. Diver short fins...really don't need the long fins cause I have a pretty strong kick....

When you said $68, were you talking about two sets?

JIM

Yes Jim - that was for two.

I recommend investing in your own. As a dive instructor, I see that ill fitting masks are the number one reason people DO NOT enjoy a snorkeling/dive experience. There are so many different masks, out there, getting one that fits your face will make you so happy. Make sure you try it on before buying, don't buy the prepacked mask/fins kits. Enjoy, the waters around St John are some of the best in the world.

We just went to the dive shop in our area & got fitted for masks . I got my prescription put in the mask so I can see far away what's coming my way !!!! I got a hot pink snorkle & mask & my husband got lime green . We also got a wide padded strap to put on the mask it's much more comfortable & now my hair won't get tangled . Gotta go pick mine up this week to test it out b4 the pools close : ) !!!

Another vote for Crabby's. They made sure everything was a good fit and I rented gear for 24 hours since it was my first time and I wasn't sure about renting for the whole week. After figuring out that I definitely was going to need gear for the whole week, they credited the daily rate towards the weekly rate. As for the disinfectant issue, we all dine out and use cutlery and glasses that others have obviously used and don't think twice about it. Just sayin'!