Snorkeling with a Beard

[cheryl20772]

My husband has a beard and mustache and I am wondering if he will be able to snorkel with me on our upcoming cruise. We have our own silicone masks and snorkels and fins, but haven't had a chance to practice yet. It just occurred to me that the mask might not seal on his face with all those whiskers.

 

Have any of you men with whiskers snorkeled? Did it go okay? Are there any tricks you can share?

 

Thanks,

Cher

[Tralynn]

My husband also has a mustache an the mask will definitely leak. There is a type of silicone gel that he can put on his mustache to help the mask seal. I can't remember the name of it, but if you google something should pop up. My husband did not care for the gel, so he bought a really good mask that does not cover his nose. He uses a snorkeling nose plug with it. He personally prefers that to the gel, but our friend used the gel with success (but it is a little messy).

[SheilaNC]

My husband snorkels successfully using vasoline on his moustache and, sometimes, he shaves it a bit closer than usually. Good luck!

[bbwex]

I would only wonder how he was able to test the fit of the mask.

 

People with mustaches and beards do snorkel and scuba dive, but you don't just buy a mask -- you check the fit first.

[w&k]

My DH has a moustache and beard, and he shaves just a little bit under his nose so his mask makes good contact. He also has a mask that has a narrow seal under the nose area.

 

He has found that the disposable mini-razors for ladies bikini area work quite well - when he used to use regular razors, it wasn't very even.

 

We have had some friends try to use silicon grease, but it was typically annoying, messy, and didn't work very well.

 

Vaseline can (and will) degrade the silicon in a mask skirt. It also can be very difficult to remove from both the mask skirt and the glass.

 

Have a great time!

 

Wendy

 

[caribsun]

Fill the tub and test it out.:)

[fcs659]

My husband has a beard and mustache and I am wondering if he will be able to snorkel with me on our upcoming cruise. We have our own silicone masks and snorkels and fins, but haven't had a chance to practice yet. It just occurred to me that the mask might not seal on his face with all those whiskers.

 

Have any of you men with whiskers snorkeled? Did it go okay? Are there any tricks you can share?

 

Thanks,

Cher

 

 

I have a beard (and moustache) and had tried a couple of alternatives, including the Vaseline and gel, none were that effective. I now shave the top 1/4 inch or so of the moustache right below the nose with a razor all the way down.... gottt be REAL careful. He might also want to get a cheap single edge razor as the double or triple ones can take the line too low.

 

If his beard is longer, he may want to consider trimming it short for the cruise - so that the area below the nose isn't really visible.

[kamfan]

I have a very full beard and moustache. I tried on about a dozen masks before I found one that fits nicely, and I can scuba dive for at least an hour and not have any leakage. The proper fit is the secret.

[cheryl20772]

Thanks to all for the very helpful replies. I bought the masks for us both from a sporting goods store without really thinking about his whisker problem until just today. He can probably shave it down a little and snorkel fine. We will sure give it a try :) I bought equipment because the thought of using stuff provided by a tour was just awful. How can you know if it's "clean"? I know the water we will be swimming in will not be so clean, but at least we will begin with our own germs in our mouths.

[ehfl]

It will leak a little, but he just needs to keep blowing out a little through his nose....this will create a high-pressure state inside the mask, which will blow the water back out. It's really no big deal...I have used a mask with a mustache for many years with no problem, and back when I got certified for SCUBA, I don't think there was such a thing as a dive instructor without a mustache.

[mapsmith]

I really have had no trouble snorkelling with my beard and mustache. However, on our last cruise, I took swim goggles. They work well with a snorkel and you don't really have to worry about shaving under the nose. Although, you may find the field of view limited.

 

As I said, I have never had a problem snorkelling. But for Scuba, there may be more need for a good seal.

 

mapsmith

[Traveler353]

With a quality well fitting mask it is no problem. I have been diving for years with a beard and stash.