Snorkeling for Kids - Use the Right Mask

Children's Snorkel Mask

Junior Masks

It is very important for your child's mask to be comfortable and water tight.  A junior mask that has a flexible rubber type seal will feel softer against your child's face.  It will also create a better water-tight seal.  A good mask depends on a good mask fit, instead of a really tight head strap.

Small Mask

I have ordered masks online and have purchased masks at our local sporting goods store.  Both have worked well, but it has been important to request that my child try on the mask.  For sizing, my 4-yr-old still clearly needs a junior or child mask.  However, my 8-yr-old, is now big enough to wear a small adult mask.  Being able to use an adult-sized mask gives him a wider range of products and features... such as the valve in the nose of the mask, which adds better functionality.

Valve in Nose of Mask

I've not seen one brand of mask perform much better than another for children.  But, also, children tend to be tougher on their snorkel equipment.  So, masks are bound to get scratched, dropped, and casually tossed in the sand.  We are always careful to wash ours out at the beach and to wash them up at home, but we buy them with the intent to use them... wear will happen.

Prescription Mask for Far-Sightedness

A change for us, that has impacted our snorkeling, has been my son getting glasses in kindergarten.  By this point he was a good snorkeler and had a great fitting mask.  But, suddenly he wasn't seeing everything that we were seeing in the water.  Unfortunately, his eyes are bad enough, that it is very important for him to wear his glasses.  Thanks to a fabulous idea from a friend, for our last vacation, we purchased a prescription snorkeling mask online.  It worked amazingly well and made seeing all the underwater life so much better for my son. (We purchased the adult size mask, and it fit our 8-year-old.) http://www.snorkel-mart.com/detail.cfm?ProductID=121&AllocatedProductID=120#.UUkvPlfm8Z0

We have tried many things to keep our masks fog-free, but have found a fantastic solution (thanks to some experienced divers in Hawaii)!  We mix 1/3 baby shampoo and 2/3 water in a small spray bottle, and use this solution to lightly spritz the inside of the mask.  Rub the solution over the lens surface and quickly rinse in the ocean or lake water.  This works super well and is safe for eyes!!  We keep the spray bottle in a small zip-top bag that travels with our snorkel gear.