A vacation to an island without snorkeling is not complete, which is why snorkeling is one of the most popular activities during the holiday season. It doesn't matter where you are and who you are with; snorkeling is fun for everyone. People from all ages and fitness levels can enjoy it even if they aren't certified divers.
But your snorkeling experience depends more on your choice of snorkeling gear. Using the premium quality snorkel gear i.e. snorkel suits can make snorkeling a lot more fun—this essential guide about snorkeling equipment and what to look for while purchasing them.

Why Buying Personal gear is Better?
Experts recommend buying your own snorkel gear instead of borrowing it from a friend or renting it. If you are planning a vacation through a tour operator, some of them also offer complimentary gears. However, most of this equipment is worn out, substandard and inferior quality. So the best is to buy a premium quality snorkel such as Greatever snorkel mask and take it wherever you go. For beginners, mask, snorkel, find, and mask would be enough.

The Must-have Gears for Snorkeling

Most people love snorkeling mainly because it requires less experience and equipment than diving and is somewhat more enjoyable and safer. Yet there are some essential  gears that every traveler should essentially purchase, for example

• Snorkel mask
• Dry snorkel
• Swim goggles
• Snorkeling flippers
• Snorkel suit
• Ocean-safe sunscreen

Let's discuss each one of these individually and see what to look for while buying them.

1. Snorkel Mask

The first and foremost product in your snorkeling shopping list is the snorkel mask. Buying a good-quality mask is mandatory as it will allow you to enjoy the underwater world with the naked eye. Without wearing the mask, you will only see a blurry image and possibly put your eyes in danger, too, as any tiny particle can go inside your orifices.

It is good to invest in a mask that fits you comfortably and falls into your budget.

How to choose one?

To get the best snorkel mask, it is necessary to know the characteristics of all available options. For a start, you can look for a mask with tempered glass. These types of snorkel masks are of a higher quality and last for years. They work well for shallow and deeper layers of the ocean. To be sure, try a mask before diving into the sea. There is undeniably no value for investing in a mask that doesn't fit you well. Try something like the premium grade, antifog Greatever snorkel mask, which is easy on the pocket and fits its user best.  

2. Swim Goggles

Whether it is swimming or snorkeling, goggles must have as make you move freely under the water. Many people confuse swimming and snorkel goggles. Typically, both have the same purpose as creating an air blanket right in front of the eyes, helping for a clearer view underwater. They help eliminate any possible distortion in the vision, which is normal when your eyes contact the water.

The snorkel or swim goggles are made of acrylic, high-grade plastic or glass. Irrespective of what they are made off, the primary goal is to improve the vision underwater with no blurriness or distorted vision. That's why using high-grade swim goggles are necessary.

How to choose one?
The primary purpose of wearing swim goggles is to protect the eyes and enjoy the underwater expedition. But these goggles are not suitable for deep-sea diving. There are different variants of this protective eye-wear available such as swim goggles, diving masks, and snorkel masks. But picking the wrong one for a bad situation can be damaging your eyes. While choosing an eye-wear, first determine your usage. The simple goggles will also work for shallow water, but if you want to explore the deeper layers, try buying the professional diving masks.

3.Snorkel Suits
There are many factors involved, which may help determine whether or not you need to buy a snorkeling suit. From water temperature, weather, and personal liking, many things require attention. If you are planning a vacation in tropical areas, investing in a wet suit is ideal. But make sure not to forget wearing a rash guard cream or a sunscreen to protect your body. In cold temperatures in the ocean's deeper layers, the neoprene suits or the full-body snorkel suits are better as they provide considerable thermal insulation. They give warmth underwater and allows a person to spend more time underwater without feeling cold or uncomfortable.
How to choose one?
Depending on the water temperature, you can pick your snorkel suit as per its thickness. Usually, there is no need to wear a wetsuit if the water temperature is 80F or above. However, UV protection is mandatory. Between 75F to 78.8F, any bodysuit with 2-3mm thickness would work well. Between 66F to 73.4F, wearing a 3mm wetsuit is ideal. And anywhere below 65F, wearing a 5mm, neoprene suit of full-length combined with gloves is recommended. Note that the temperature underwater feels much intense, and those who generally feel colder than other people would always prefer thicker snorkel suits to be on the safe side. If you are snorkeling to the warmer water, wearing a regular thin snorkel suit is acceptable too.

4.Snorkeling Flippers/ Fins
Swimming in an ocean is much different than swimming in a pool. The first thing that you should expect is changing water conditions. In typical situations, wearing snorkel shoes is sufficient, especially in shallow and current-free water or when you are snorkel near to the seashore. But if you plan to explore the deep water with a stronger current, it is a somewhat dangerous situation and requires you to wear flippers or snorkel fins for smooth mobility. Wearing the flippers make swimming better, efficient, and help to navigate better underwater. Typically, a good pair of fins are lightweight, strong, and travel friendly.

How to choose one?
Snorkel fins come in various sizes, colors, shapes, and brands. Although these flippers' basic design has changed during the last few years and the new version is smaller, handy, fast, and travel friendly. These short size flippers are best for fun snorkeling, especially around shores. Power and speed are relatively more desirable in dangerous and deeper waters. The longer fins are never a good option as they may cause fatigue and cramps in the lower body. In addition to fins, you should also buy socks that prevent the feet from getting cuts or blisters, relatively common with wearing flippers.

Additional Gears for Underwater Fun
Here is a list of some practical accessories which are not the must-haves but investing in them will make your snorkeling experience more fun and memorable.
èSnorkeling camera- the underwater world is no less than magic, and it would probably be a shame of not filming it. For this purpose, waterproof cameras work the best as they can be used inside and outside water equally well. If your smartphone is waterproof, you can also use that to capture underwater shots.
èDry bag- you can't be carrying all the snorkeling gears in your hands, which is why you may need a backpack designed dry snorkel bag. It will protect all your belongings, and you can also add dry towels, sunscreen, keys, and other accessories from sand, water, and dirt.
èWaterproof pouch- there are small waterproof pouches available, which allow the users to take their personal belongings with them, for example, keys. Leaving the keys on the beach is not a good idea, which is why you may find this little key holder highly practical. In addition to the keys, you can also keep your room card, pins, money, memory card, or other tiny things inside. Make sure that it is properly closed before you step into the water.
èAntifog spray- It is common for the masks to go foggy, which disturbs the vision. You can keep an antifog spray with you to use on the masks for preventing this from happening. Or alternately, you can invest in high quality, antifog Greaterver snorkel mask and avoid this problem for once and all.

How Much Deeper Can You Safely Explore?
Depth for snorkeling is a genuine concern, and most people fail to figure this out by themselves. Typically, snorkeling only requires you to roam around the surface with your face partially or fully submerged in the oceanic water while you float freely on your stomach. But when you go deeper, this becomes more of a free-diving snorkeling, which requires controlling breath and resurfacing instead of using the diving gears i.e., scuba tank. So, wearing the scuba goggles may not be enough.
Floating on the surface is easy because breathing takes place through the snorkel tube. It is also safe for your ears because going into deeper water may add pressure to the ears, and without proper training, it may be hard for the beginners to follow it.
Shallow-water snorkeling is dangerous if you don't know the breathing techniques. Without training, it may make a person lose consciousness as oxygen levels decrease as you dive deeper. Participating in practice exercises improves breathing skills and helps you determine the right time to go back to the surface. Likewise, learning equalizing techniques is also necessary to protect the ears from increased pressure. Otherwise, going into shallow water can permanently damage the ears.
The Final Word
Before planning the vacation and buying the snorkel gears, exploring the ocean or your vacation spot is necessary. It will give you an idea of which type of gears you would need and how you can make your vacation more enjoyable. Buy the snorkel gear from a trusted source that offers you superior-grade, highly equipment at an affordable price. We hope this guide has helped you to make your decision on investing in the right product. Happy vacations!