Complete your equipment, for more safety and comfort in and out of the water!

You can of course snorkel with minimal equipment, i.e. a mask, a snorkel, and fins. If you practice snorkeling on a regular basis, it might be useful to complete your traditional snorkel gear with practical, comfort, or safety accessories. Enough to make your sessions more enjoyable and safer!

What accessories to complete my snorkeling equipment?

Some equipment is recommended for all snorkelers. Sunscreen for example (useful to protect the few areas of your skin exposed to the sun, even if you are wearing a rashguard) or a good anti-fog for your mask are often essential.

The opportunity to buy other accessories then depends on your practice. If you like to explore isolated spots, which can be reached during hikes, a suitable backpack will allow you to comfortably carry your equipment. If you are snorkeling outside swimming areas, wearing a diving flag is often mandatory (and anyway recommended for your safety in the water).

A comfortable backpack, suitable for carrying snorkeling equipment (especially swim fins, which can be bulky), is essential if you want to take your equipment on a hike. Here, Jonathann is equipped with a Beuchat snorkeling bag, at Cala Ti Ximo, in Spain.

Ethical Zinc sunscreen

Sunscreen

Ingredients contained in conventional sunscreens are extremely harmful to the marine environment, and in particular to corals. In addition to your rashguard, apply a cream without chemicals or nanoparticles, more environmentally friendly.

Choose high levels of UV protection (preferably UPF 50+), as the effect of the sun’s rays, is further enhanced on the water.

Seac biogel antifog for snorkeling

Anti-fog

Fogging in the mask is a recurring and very annoying problem in snorkeling. It occurs by condensation due to the temperature difference between the air inside the mask, hot and humid, and the water, colder, in contact with the glass.

If some tips exist (such as the use of saliva, toothpaste, shampoo, or else, which are not very eco-friendly), prefer the ecological anti-fog products.

Cressi Dry GARA backpack

Bags

For beach snorkeling, a simple mesh bag is recommended to store your equipment. On the other hand, if you like hiking (which allows you to reach remote spots located in wild locations), we recommend a real backpack, with comfortable shoulder straps.

Many snorkelers also equip themselves with a waterproof bag, which will keep your belongings dry during boat trips.

Inflatable Float and Flag Bouy

Diving flag

Think about your safety! In many countries, if you plan to snorkel outside swimming areas or in boat traffic areas, it is recommended (and often compulsory) to signal yourself using a floating buoy equipped with a diving flag, red with a white diagonal. This will definitely help you avoid any unfortunate accident.

Snorkeling Report’s choice

Here is a small selection of comfort and safety items recommended by Snorkeling Report’s team. We use most of them when we snorkel!

Ethical Zinc sunscreen

Ingredients contained in conventional sunscreens are extremely harmful to corals and we MUST take this into consideration. Hopefully, there are alternatives, such as this zinc-based cream, which is environmentally friendly. Perfect if you want to protect the parts of your body not covered by your rashguard (neck, ears, legs in particular).

Seac biogel antifog

Have you ever had your glass mask covered with mist? This is a snorkel session killer that has to stay a past thing! You really should try this organic gel, without chemical agents. It is one of the best environment-friendly options currently on the market. Apply before each snorkeling session and enjoy!

Gill Race Cap

This nice cap, originally designed for sailing, is the ideal partner for snorkeling via boat excursions. It offers optimal sun protection (UV 50+), and a small cord with clip allows you to attach it to your T-shirt to prevent it from flying away (yeah, it happened to us once in Panama 😉 )

Inflatable float and flag buoy

Think about your safety! This diving buoy is compulsory in many countries to signal yourself outside the swimming areas. This will definitely help you to avoid any accident with boats of all kinds. Inflatable, you can carry it everywhere and it won’t take you too much space on your bags.

Nite Ize waterproof bag

We really love that one! A small waterproof pouch, with a nice and robust design, will keep your most precious things (smartphone, car keys, wallet, IDs, etc.) dry in all circumstances. Very useful! We recommend you to take a look at others if the design of this one is not your favorite.

Cressi fast-drying microfibre towel

Let’s face the truth, we often feel the cold when we get out of the water 😉 We use and love this towel for quite a long time now! It is extremely absorbent and allows you to dry and get dressed in a few minutes! More than that, it dries very quickly (4x faster than a conventional towel), while taking 6x less space. If you do not want towels that take all your bag space, strongly consider this one!

Cressi Dry GARA backpack

Let us talk to you about a perfectly waterproof backpack that keeps everything dry! From our point of view, this is a must-have for snorkeling enthusiasts, especially during boat trips, where the water pretty much always wet your stuff. Its large volume (60l) allows you to transport all of your equipment, including your fins.

Cressi Roatan Mesh Backpack

A voluminous and quality mesh bag, which allows you to take all your equipment, including wetsuits and fins. It is equipped with padded backpack straps, unlike other bags that tend to hurt your shoulders. A front pocket allows you to store more fragile items. Useful if you have to walk a bit before accessing the snorkeling spot.

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