Having the right snorkelling equipment can make a massive difference to how much you enjoy and immerse yourself in our amazing underwater world. Unfortunately cheap equipment, mediocre quality and poor fit can equally have a negative effect, spoiling what could have been a fantastic experience. There is a reason we don't and will never stock cheap seaside quality snorkelling sets - it just isn't worth the saving!
We'll guide you some of the best brands for snorkelling equipment, highlight some of the key products to take a look at within their product range and give you some tips on how to get the most out of your next snorkelling trip.
Atomic Aquatics
Atomic is the snorkelling equivalent of luxury car manufacturers such as Bentley or Rolls Royce. The similarities are numerous in fact - high performance, attention to detail, exotic materials, unique designs, elegance, etc but the one thing that they particularly stand out for is luxury!
Atomic equipment is made to work effortlessly and be ridiculously comfortable. Their masks, snorkels and fins have all been extensively designed and tested, modified, tweaked and honed to be as near as perfection as possible. Some of their fins, for example, have been inspired by the tail fins of fish and employ designs and techniques that nature has taken thousands of years to develop and fine tune.
Atomic Snorkelling Sets and equipment are the absolutely pinnacle compared to all others. If you snorkel regularly for extended periods of time OR you just plain want the best clarity, performance and comfort the Atomic is for you!
TUSA
TUSA is a well respected dive equipment manufacturer but, in our opinion, their snorkelling equipment is where they really shine and because of that TUSA is our go to brand if a customer doesn't know where to start or is looking for recommendations.
TUSA has something for everyone, literally! If you are looking for a colour matching mask, snorkel and fin set then TUSA has the most colour options. If you have difficultly finding a mask to fit you properly TUSA has masks designed to fit kids, youths, narrow and wide faces as well as standard fitting models. Need prescription lenses, no problem, TUSA has one of the largest range of off the shelf replacement lenses on the market!
The TUSA Freedom Ceos Mask is by far our most popular mask and it isn't hard to see why. It has a ludicrously comfort silicone skirt that features their new Freedom Fit Technologies that all work together to create a superior fit. At the last count there was also 22 different colour variations with many matching their snorkel and fin ranges. On top of that you can also get minus, plus and Bi-focal corrective lenses.
If you are not 100% confident in the water the range of TUSA Snorkels include the range topping TUSA hyperdry Elite II Snorkel that features a combined deflection guard and float valve at the top snorkel that helps to deflect water that splashes over the top of your away from the snorkel tube a but also seals the opening should it go below the surface, preventing water from filling the snorkel before reopening once it reaches the surface again. This type of dry snorkel can help massively with confidence in the water which will make you relax and enjoy yourself more.
TUSA also produce excellent snorkelling fins but of particular interest to those that like to trek out to more remote snorkelling spots is their short blade TUSA Sport fins that are really light and easy to fit into a rucksack or day bag thanks to your short blade length.
Scubapro
Scubapro is one of the best known brands in the scuba diving industry and have been instrumental to mask, snorkel and fin development over the years. The Scubapro Mask and snorkel range have some excellent products such as the Vibe 2 which has an unusual but unbelievably comfortable strap design, the Synergy Mini which is designed to fit smaller / narrower faces and features a ski mask style strap that is more 'caring' towards long hair!
Recently, though, Scubapro released the Go Travel and Go Sport Fins to complement their travel range. The Go Travel Fins were designed to be worn bare foot or with neoprene socks like the Go Socks whereas the Go Sport Fins were designed with a bigger foot pocket to allow neoprene boots to be worn in colder climates or if you tend to fill the cold. Both are travel fins with a short blade design but the rugged material construction makes them ideal for snorkellers that also like to do a bit of diving when the opportunity arises!
Mares
Mares is an Italian brand and that fact is evident in their elegant product design. In fact they have won quite a few design awards over the years for unique and innovative products. Unlike other Italian manufacturers you can think of though, Mares offers surprising value for money considering the look, feel and comfort you get in each of their products, with their snorkelling sets being very competitively priced
Some of their masks, namely the 'Vision' models, have a pretty extreme lens shape but it has been proven over the years to provide an exception wide field of view, both horizontally and vertically which means you'll miss less when you're snorkelling.
Mares produce a number of masks specifically designed for snorkellers including the Jupiter, Sealhouette, Juno and kids Comet masks. They don't really differ from scuba diving masks in any way as they have all the same features but they are excellent value for money, all come in a variety of colours and pair perfectly with their snorkel colours.
Mares has one of the larger selections of snorkels available but we normally recommend either the Ergo or Rebel ranges as these offer the best colour matching options, features and comfort levels. Both ranges include splash deflecting and dry valve models to suit all abilities.
Snorkelling Tips
We've pulled together some of our previous snorkelling guides and tips articles to help you get the most out of your next snorkelling trip:
