Snorkel Vest

Does anyone know if the tour companies on the various islands provide

snorkel vests ?

Some of them do. We took ours and never used it. The water is so warm and buoyant that we had a hard time submerging..

Some of them do. We took ours and never used it. The water is so warm and buoyant that we had a hard time submerging..

Thanks for your info.

Some tours we took had the traditional life vests which are bulky. I bought an inflatable vest on Amazon. I used it frequently (packed it along with my water shoes etc..)helped me conserve energy but of course, cannot submerge. It is also great for the novice snorkeler or someone who is not a strong swimmer.

I'm also not a real strong swimmer and I love my snorkeling vest. I bought mine on line and took it with me on our south pacific cruise last year. I had so much fun because I didn't have to think so much about trying to stay a float. It made it easier to to able to take pictures. You can float and just put your head and camera under the water and get very nice shots. Will be traveling back there this year again and it will be the first thing in my suitcase.

Some tours we took had the traditional life vests which are bulky. I bought an inflatable vest on Amazon. I used it frequently (packed it along with my water shoes etc..)helped me conserve energy but of course, cannot submerge. It is also great for the novice snorkeler or someone who is not a strong swimmer.

I am a non-swimmer. Would these inflatable vests work for me? We are on the PG in September and I have usually relied upon the vests that the tour operators provide. This year I was thinking of bringing my own inflatable one. Any comments pro or con on if these vests would work for someone like me. :-)

I'm not the strongest of swimmers and purchased an inflatable vest from a dive shop in my area about eight years ago. I'm very comfortable with the light-weight vest and have used it both on organized and DYI snorkel tours.

On our last cruise vacation to HI and French Polynesian, I found the dive boats providing noodles, not vests - not something I was thoroughly comfortable using. While off Molokini in HI, I decided to try the noodle - still wearing the vest, just deflated it. I may have looked silly, but I felt safe.

On Bora Bora, the tour operator only had noodles and insisted it was the best thing to use. Once again, I wore my vest - it reflected my comfort level in the water.

A friend borrowed my vest while in Bermuda - she is a non-swimmer and had no problem in the water. She was able to snorkel for the first time.....with a couple of us nearby.

Darcy

Darcy, Thanks so much for the information. I would not feel comfortable with a noodle so I will definitely order a vest. Linda :-)

I am a non-swimmer. Would these inflatable vests work for me? We are on the PG in September and I have usually relied upon the vests that the tour operators provide. This year I was thinking of bringing my own inflatable one. Any comments pro or con on if these vests would work for someone like me. :-)

I'm sure you will be fine. It would be good if you could try out your gear this summer before your trip or at the hotel if you have a pre cruise stay. I was surprised how patient and helpful the guides/other passengers were, some guides will literally tow you in the water by your arm and help you navigate the coral. They are used to newbies and non swimmers. You can order the vest on Amazon, it folds up very flat and small. I also bought an inexpensive, lightweight nylon back pack (Walmart) which I used to store the snorkel gear (for 2per) including our water shoes, sunblock, bugspray etc...very convenient. Have a great trip.

I'm another one who uses the inflatable vest, especially after getting caught in a rip current snorkeling in Mazatlán. Luckily my DH is a very strong swimmer and was able to pull me to safety. We plan on carrying our own snorkeling gear on a trip to Hawaii & S.Pacific, so just received the great mesh backpacks we ordered from Amazon. We're very pleased with them - perfect size, will hold our small travel fins, snorkel & mask, my inflatable vest, plus a zippered outside pocket for little things.

Again thanks for the information on the vests. I also thought that the mesh bags were a great idea. I plan to try out my vest before the cruise in our neighbor's swimming pool, ( our pool is only 5 feet deep because I can't swim!) :-) Linda

Pack a blow up vest to avoid going without. When provided, we have found the local's solid foam 'Noodles' around ones waist are more than adequate. PLUS....they can not be punctured and deflate like an inexpensive 'blow-up' MaeWest vest can. I am a SCUBA guy and wife is not. We pack sturdy blow-up vests; we would NOT venture into unknown waters without the local tour's 'Noodles' at a bare minimum to stay nicely buoyant. Besides, stomping on coral is a No-no and can cause painful gashes. Locomotiveman

Pack a blow up vest to avoid going without. When provided, we have found the local's solid foam 'Noodles' around ones waist are more than adequate. PLUS....they can not be punctured and deflate like an inexpensive 'blow-up' MaeWest vest can. I am a SCUBA guy and wife is not. We pack sturdy blow-up vests; we would NOT venture into unknown waters without the local tour's 'Noodles' at a bare minimum to stay nicely buoyant. Besides, stomping on coral is a No-no and can cause painful gashes. Locomotiveman

Thanks so much for the information. A "back up" noodle sounds like a good plan, especially for someone like me. Linda :-)

Some tours we took had the traditional life vests which are bulky. I bought an inflatable vest on Amazon. I used it frequently (packed it along with my water shoes etc..)helped me conserve energy but of course, cannot submerge. It is also great for the novice snorkeler or someone who is not a strong swimmer.

There are many inflatable vests on Amazon...would anyone recommend one brand?

Thanks

I bought the one made by 'Storm' it was the least expensive and it did the trick.

I am 5'2"-120lbs and it was a good size. Very small when deflated, to pack- roll and stuff in my water shoe:).

I bought mine on Amazon. Look up snorkeling vest. Mine was by 101 Snorkel, I liked it because they have some that are pretty also instead of the plain yellow or orange. Mine looks like water, they also have hawaiian{sp} flower print.:D

I bought mine on Amazon. Look up snorkeling vest. Mine was by 101 Snorkel, I liked it because they have some that are pretty also instead of the plain yellow or orange. Mine looks like water, they also have hawaiian{sp} flower print.:D

Thanks for all the info...just ordered our vests from 101snorkel