Tongo snorkel trip (Page 4): :sm11: Will see if you can hide in my luggage!!

CindyHouk Loc: Nw MT

alberio wrote:

And I didn't hear any mention of taking a porter along to carry all that gear. I could be convinced to work for scraps of food. Have fun and bring us back lots of your great photos.

Will see if you can hide in my luggage!!

CindyHouk Loc: Nw MT

jerryc41 wrote:

Travel light. It makes a huge difference. Olympus makes good waterproof cameras.

https://www.divein.com/diving/underwater-camera/

Thanks....I plan to pack as little as possible!

CindyHouk Loc: Nw MT

wdking wrote:

I would think the GOPRO on the head would interfer with raising and lowering and clearing the mask. You can get a harness for it to go around the chest and flare up your body for pictures.

I agree with the idea of guide to photo and me to enjoy the tour without trying to photo on my first snorkel trip

We do have a professional photographer that is part of our group and is a good friend to a couple of other people in the group....hopefully I will be able to afford some of her shots!

CindyHouk Loc: Nw MT

smilenangler wrote:

snorkeled in Aruba they provided life vest so you could just float around, great thing or you'll get tired of treading water

Nice...glad you had a great trip!

CindyHouk Loc: Nw MT

Rich43224 wrote:

As a diver, I think it would help if you can arrive a day or two prior to your actual snorkeling day(s). Practicing in a pool will help familiarize you with the gear, but it is not the same as being in open water. Waves, current, splashes, will all affect your ability to navigate and to be still enough for taking a photo.

I plan on learning how to way before we head on our trip. I live in NW Montana with various rivers and lakes available to me to learn.

LouV Loc: Juno Beach, FL

Cindy. I’ve been scuba diving for 30 years. I have over 500 ocean dives and am a certified Divemaster. I’ve never been to Tonga but I did dive in Fiji.

You don’t say how many days you’ll be snorkeling. I ask because that’ll influence how much you should spend on things you may never use again.

Wetsuit: if you can, rent one from the operator in Tonga. A 3 mil suit isn’t terribly bulky but will take up valuable room in your limited baggage allowance. If you want to buy one, Henderson is as good as any and is very widely available. Proper fit is important so find a good dive shop where you can try them on and where they can advise you on proper fit. A 3 mil wetsuit can easily run $200 to $300 or more which is another reason to rent one if you can.

Fins: Even smaller snorkeling fins are not likely to fit in any of your bags so you should really rent them in Tonga if you can. Otherwise, don’t stress over what kind you get. Smaller full foot fins are more commonly used for snorkeling. You don’t need to spend a fortune on those.

Mask: this is far and away the most important thing and, because proper fit is critical, you will want to buy one. A poorly fitting mask will flood and just be a general nuisance. Again, a good dive shop can fit you properly. Again, no need to spend a ton here. You can spend a lot more but should be able to get a perfectly good mask for around $60. I don’t recommend a full face mask with the snorkel built in. They are harder to fit for a proper seal and they have a much greater volume making them harder to clear when water does get in them. They are also expensive.

Snorkel: simple is fine. Many do come with a valve on the end which will prevent water from entering them if you submerge. They are meant mostly for people who intend to free dive while they are snorkeling. My guess is your operator will have you wear a snorkeling vest so you won’t be able to dive even if you want to. A simple snorkel is perfectly fine and shouldn’t cost much more than $20 to $30.

You’ve already gotten lots of suggestions for underwater cameras. I’ll just add that you’ll be snorkeling, not diving, so you don’t need anything rated to any significant depth.

Finally, when I fly with my serious camera equipment, I use a Lowepro backpack.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

LouV wrote:

Cindy. I’ve been scuba diving for 30 years. I have over 500 ocean dives and am a certified Divemaster. I’ve never been to Tonga but I did dive in Fiji.

You don’t say how many days you’ll be snorkeling. I ask because that’ll influence how much you should spend on things you may never use again.

Wetsuit: if you can, rent one from the operator in Tonga. A 3 mil suit isn’t terribly bulky but will take up valuable room in your limited baggage allowance. If you want to buy one, Henderson is as good as any and is very widely available. Proper fit is important so find a good dive shop where you can try them on and where they can advise you on proper fit. A 3 mil wetsuit can easily run $200 to $300 or more which is another reason to rent one if you can.

Fins: Even smaller snorkeling fins are not likely to fit in any of your bags so you should really rent them in Tonga if you can. Otherwise, don’t stress over what kind you get. Smaller full foot fins are more commonly used for snorkeling. You don’t need to spend a fortune on those.

Mask: this is far and away the most important thing and, because proper fit is critical, you will want to buy one. A poorly fitting mask will flood and just be a general nuisance. Again, a good dive shop can fit you properly. Again, no need to spend a ton here. You can spend a lot more but should be able to get a perfectly good mask for around $60. I don’t recommend a full face mask with the snorkel built in. They are harder to fit for a proper seal and they have a much greater volume making them harder to clear when water does get in them. They are also expensive.

Snorkel: simple is fine. Many do come with a valve on the end which will prevent water from entering them if you submerge. They are meant mostly for people who intend to free dive while they are snorkeling. My guess is your operator will have you wear a snorkeling vest so you won’t be able to dive even if you want to. A simple snorkel is perfectly fine and shouldn’t cost much more than $20 to $30.

You’ve already gotten lots of suggestions for underwater cameras. I’ll just add that you’ll be snorkeling, not diving, so you don’t need anything rated to any significant depth.

Finally, when I fly with my serious camera equipment, I use a Lowepro backpack.

Cindy. I’ve been scuba diving for 30 years. I have... (show quote)

Having used both regular and full face snorkels I’ve never had a problem with fit or clearing and the view makes it more than worth the extra cost.

CindyHouk Loc: Nw MT

LouV wrote:

Cindy. I’ve been scuba diving for 30 years. I have over 500 ocean dives and am a certified Divemaster. I’ve never been to Tonga but I did dive in Fiji.

You don’t say how many days you’ll be snorkeling. I ask because that’ll influence how much you should spend on things you may never use again.

Wetsuit: if you can, rent one from the operator in Tonga. A 3 mil suit isn’t terribly bulky but will take up valuable room in your limited baggage allowance. If you want to buy one, Henderson is as good as any and is very widely available. Proper fit is important so find a good dive shop where you can try them on and where they can advise you on proper fit. A 3 mil wetsuit can easily run $200 to $300 or more which is another reason to rent one if you can.

Fins: Even smaller snorkeling fins are not likely to fit in any of your bags so you should really rent them in Tonga if you can. Otherwise, don’t stress over what kind you get. Smaller full foot fins are more commonly used for snorkeling. You don’t need to spend a fortune on those.

Mask: this is far and away the most important thing and, because proper fit is critical, you will want to buy one. A poorly fitting mask will flood and just be a general nuisance. Again, a good dive shop can fit you properly. Again, no need to spend a ton here. You can spend a lot more but should be able to get a perfectly good mask for around $60. I don’t recommend a full face mask with the snorkel built in. They are harder to fit for a proper seal and they have a much greater volume making them harder to clear when water does get in them. They are also expensive.

Snorkel: simple is fine. Many do come with a valve on the end which will prevent water from entering them if you submerge. They are meant mostly for people who intend to free dive while they are snorkeling. My guess is your operator will have you wear a snorkeling vest so you won’t be able to dive even if you want to. A simple snorkel is perfectly fine and shouldn’t cost much more than $20 to $30.

You’ve already gotten lots of suggestions for underwater cameras. I’ll just add that you’ll be snorkeling, not diving, so you don’t need anything rated to any significant depth.

Finally, when I fly with my serious camera equipment, I use a Lowepro backpack.

Cindy. I’ve been scuba diving for 30 years. I have... (show quote)

Thanks for the info!
Cindy

CindyHouk Loc: Nw MT

SuperflyTNT wrote:

Having used both regular and full face snorkels I’ve never had a problem with fit or clearing and the view makes it more than worth the extra cost.

Not sure which one I will get...our dive shop is pretty small so not sure what they will offer.

LouV Loc: Juno Beach, FL

I didn’t mention the possible risks of full face masks because there remains controversy around them and their proponents argue that better, more recently designed ones mitigate those risks. But their use still generates a lot of debate and some operators don’t allow them. The article from an Australian operator linked below probably overstates the risk but if you simply Google “the risk of full face masks”, you’ll find many more. Few argue there is no risk; the more temperate ones argue there is not enough data to draw a definitive conclusion.

https://www.scubadoctor.com.au/snorkelling-full-face-mask-dangers.htm

LouV Loc: Juno Beach, FL

SuperflyTNT wrote:

Having used both regular and full face snorkels I’ve never had a problem with fit or clearing and the view makes it more than worth the extra cost.

I didn’t mention the possible risks of full face masks because there remains controversy around them and their proponents argue that better, more recently designed ones mitigate those risks. But their use still generates a lot of debate and some operators don’t allow them. The article from an Australian operator linked below probably overstates the risk but if you simply Google “the risk of full face masks”, you’ll find many more. Few argue there is no risk; the more temperate ones argue there is not enough data to draw a definitive conclusion.

https://www.scubadoctor.com.au/snorkelling-full-face-mask-dangers.htm

CindyHouk Loc: Nw MT

LouV wrote:

I didn’t mention the possible risks of full face m... (show quote)

Ok, I will check that out, I appreciate all the great advice I have gotten!