Essential Snorkelling Equipment for Cold Waters

Thinking about trying out your first snorkelling adventure in UK waters? Well then, you’ve come to the right place! Here we'll be sharing with you the snorkelling kit essentials list, the equipment you’ll need to keep you warm, the gear that will make it more enjoyable and the items needed post-snorkelling. 

Why Snorkel in the UK?

When you think of snorkelling, you may think of warm tropical waters. Snorkelling may be something that you might think of when doing when you’re on an abroad holiday. But there are so many places in the UK where you can go snorkelling. In the UK, there are plenty of places, wrecks, marine creatures and many other shallow reefs to explore. 

You may have heard of a few of the most well-known snorkelling experiences in the UK, which are marine encounters with Seals at Farne Islands and Lundy Island. As well as sharing a moment with Blue Sharks surrounding the Cornish or Devon coast. There are plenty of places where you can share incredible moments with marine life in the UK. 

But when you’re snorkelling in the UK, there are a few more things that you need to take on your snorkelling adventure. As you’ll probably know, it’s a lot colder snorkelling in the UK than it would be on your holidays abroad. This is why we’ve put together a list of snorkelling essentials and added extras to ensure your snorkelling experience is as enjoyable and as warm as possible. 

Snorkelling Equipment: The Basics 

First off, we need to think about the basics. The most essential items that you need to remember on every snorkelling trip are the mask, fins and snorkel. There is an option of the full face mask, which is perfect for beginner snorkelers and those that want to partake in more leisurely snorkelling activities. In which case, you’ll just need the full face mask and fins. Full face masks are also a great option if you want to keep your full face warm. We have a great selection of full-face snorkelling masks in our range, make sure to check them out. 

If you’re looking at just snorkelling, without freediving, the shorter fins that come with a lot of kits will do. But if you want to do a lot of freediving when snorkelling, we’d recommend investing in some longer fins. All our freediving and snorkelling fins range can be found on our website.

Snorkelling Equipment: Extra Requirements For Cold Water Snorkelling

Now you know the basics of what is required for your essential snorkelling equipment, now we’ll move on to the extra pieces of kit you need when snorkelling in the UK or colder waters. As the UK is much colder than snorkelling in the tropics, especially in the winter, you need to plan to bring extra layers for protection and warmth. The thicker the layers and more layers you equip yourself with, it'll ensure your snorkelling experiences will last longer, be more relaxing and enjoyable. 

Snorkelling Wetsuits

Now let’s talk about wetsuits. Wearing a wetsuit will keep you warmer longer than a skinsuit or rashguard. Depending on where you’re snorkelling or how cold you get when you’re in the water, there are many different options of wetsuits out there. For snorkelling, we’d recommend either a 3mm, 5mm or shorty. The most popular for snorkelling is a 3mm as you’re on the surface, where the water is warmer and the sun will be shining. But if you’re someone who gets colder easily, then I’d recommend looking into the 5mm. But as always, if you need help finding the perfect wetsuit for you, please get in touch through our email or live chat on our website. We stock a range of 3mm, 5mm or shorties on our website, make sure to check them out. 

Extra Thermal Protection for Snorkelling

Next up we’re going to be featuring the gear that’ll keep you that extra bit warmer when snorkelling in colder waters. You’ll need to keep essential parts of your body warm, which are your hands, feet and head. By keeping these essential parts of your body warm, you will stay warmer for longer and ensure a more comfortable snorkelling experience. So we highly recommend that you invest in a hood, gloves and boots. 

When thinking about the thickness of the extra thermal protection, it again depends on how cold you get in the water. Our recommendation for cold water snorkelling is 3mm but if you’re having difficulty deciding on the thickness you need, send us a message and we can help you out. 

Snorkelling Equipment: Safety Items

Now let’s talk about safety. When snorkelling out in the open water you may want to consider taking something that allows you to be seen by others on the surface, especially boats. Make yourself seen by taking a bright or fluorescent buoy. Some buoys event have a compartment inside, that acts as a waterproof bag, so you can take your personal belongings with you without worrying about leaving your valuables on the beach. 

Make Your Snorkelling Experience More Enjoyable

Now let’s talk about some other items that you may want to take on your snorkelling adventures to make them more enjoyable. Number one for us, which is something that we highly recommend, is an underwater camera or an action camera. By taking a camera with you, you’ll be able to take all those precious memories of your snorkelling adventures. Or if you want to take your phone on your adventure, why not take it in a waterproof phone case? Or even better, take pictures with your phone using an underwater housing? We highly recommend the SeaLife SportDiver Underwater Housing for iPhone and Andriod which we stock in our store.  

Cold Water Snorkelling Tip and Advice

Now lastly, there are some last-minute things we want to share on what’s kept us warm and warmed us up quickly after we’ve been snorkelling. Following these tips will make your snorkelling experience more enjoyable. 

• Take a flask for your favourite hot drinks
• Or make hot soup to keep you warm after or in between dives
• Bring a changing robe
• Bring warm clothing (fluffy socks, jumper, insinuating leggings, hat)

We’re Here to Help 

By being prepared for your snorkelling adventures with these essential items and following our advice will make your adventures more relaxing and fun! If you’re having any difficulty in choosing the right equipment for your snorkelling adventures, please email us at support@mikesdivestore.com where we have a team of scuba diving professionals, here to assist you in making the right decision on snorkelling equipment options. Or if you live locally or in the surrounding areas of London, pop in and come visit us in-store where you can try on a wide range of snorkelling accessories for yourself and get a feel of which styles you like best.