A good snorkel can do more than make your snorkeling experience, it can save your life. Additionally, you should make a decision as to whether single or twin lens dive masks suit you.
My wife and I had decided to go to Maui and do all the typical touristy things, which would, of course, include snorkeling. I did a little research, Googled “snorkel gear,” and came up with a great online snorkel dealer called seavenger.com.  When I figured out how much money outfitting my wife and me was going to cost, I was very pleasantly surprised. The gear I chose, fins, as well as snorkels, the whole shebang wasn’t going to be more than $75! Of course, our friends on the other hand, chose the cheapest stuff they could find.  As you will see, they were sorry about that.

We did some more research, figured out how to breathe through a mask and snorkel, packed, got on the plane, arrived in Oahu, took another flight to Maui – long story short, we were wading into the water in front of our hotel before dark. That’s when I realized, buying the cheapest snorkel gear isn’t the way to go. Our friends’ regular cheap snorkels, basically a solid tube with a mouthpiece, immediately filled up with water, and they spent the whole time blowing water out with their mouths. Big mistake. For a few extra dollars, they could have bought a dry snorkel, one with a valve on top which prevents water from entering.

We were very pleased with everything, the flights, the car rental, and the condo which was awesome with two stories, private pool and security. The weather was perfect, and we had beach front access. Except the first day I just described, when we all decided to walk up the beach, and then let the current carry us back down, bringing us in front of the condo. We entered the water, put on our gear, and started to snorkel. Our friends who all had very cheap snorkels that let the water enter their snorkels and they had serious reactions. We learned that it could have been fatal, a snorkeling accident known as “dry drowning.”