Snorkelling Essentials

Choosing a snorkel

The snorkel is the part most people give least thought to and notice most once they are in the water. Everything here does the same basic job, but these snorkels clear differently, pack differently and sit against your jaw differently, and that is what separates a comfortable afternoon from a tiring one.

Dry tops

A dry top closes the tube when a wave washes over it. The TUSA Sport Dry Snorkel uses a high-buoyancy float to shut the opening, the TUSA Hyperdry Elite II pairs a low-profile dry top with an angled purge chamber, and the TUSA Imprex II runs an internal purge channel below the mouthpiece so exhaled air leaves the top while water drains from the bottom. The Fourth Element Dry Snorkel is the plainest of them: dry top, soft silicone mouthpiece, purge valve and a detachable keeper.

Semi-dry tops and open tubes

A semi-dry top shields the opening rather than sealing it. The TUSA Platina II Hyperdry does this with three current-rectifying plates and a comfort swivel adapter, and the Fourth Element Splash Snorkel uses a splash guard at the top and a purge valve at the bottom, then folds away into a thigh pocket. If you would rather have nothing to go wrong, the open tubes are still here: the Beuchat SPY, the large-diameter rubber Beuchat Tubair, the Fourth Element Float Snorkel, which floats and folds, and the Aqualung Wrap Snorkel, which rolls up small enough to forget about.

Masks for snorkelling and freediving

Worth knowing before you scroll: the traditional snorkelling masks in this collection come as part of a mask and snorkel set rather than on their own. What you will find sold separately are the full-face masks and the low-volume freediving masks.

Full-face snorkel masks

The Ocean Reef Aria QR+ covers your whole face, so you breathe through your nose with no mouthpiece and no jaw fatigue. It uses Ocean Reef's Dry Top System, a dual airflow design that keeps the lens clear, quick-release buckles and a built-in mount for an action camera. The Ocean Reef Junior is the same idea in an XS size, made in Italy, with a shaped orinasal for the seal around the nose and a reusable carry bag. Both carry the same caveat from Ocean Reef: they are not intended for freediving, although swimming submerged at shallow depths is possible.

Low-volume and freediving masks

If you want to get your head under, you want less air in the mask. The Fourth Element Aquanaut is a low-volume twin-lens design offered with Clarity lenses, made for maximum transparency and suited to photography and low light, or Contrast lenses, which carry a green tint and sharpen definition in temperate water. It is small enough to double as a backup mask in a thigh pocket, and it ships without plastic packaging. The Beuchat Strato is the rubber-skirted alternative, low in volume so it equalises easily and tough enough to take a knock.

Mask and snorkel sets

Buying the mask and the snorkel together removes the guesswork about whether they will sit properly on one strap. The TUSA Splendive Snorkel Set pairs a low-volume two-window mask with a ClearVu tempered glass lens and EZ adjust buckles, and it accepts TUSA corrective lenses if you need them. The TUSA Serene Snorkel Set uses a single-window mask with a five-position strap angle adjuster. The Tusa Visio Tri-Ex goes wider again with a three-window design and domed side windows for a 168 degree panoramic view. The Aqualung Nabul Combo is the travel choice: a frameless mask, a soft snorkel and a gear bag to keep them in.

Fins, and something to walk in

Full-foot fins are worn barefoot and are what most snorkellers want. The TUSA Solla Full Foot Fins use ForcElast technology with a 20 degree angled blade design and a three-channel blade with a crescent tip. The Beuchat X-Voyager is a bi-material full-foot fin with Power Jet technology, protected blade edges and stabilisers at the tips.

If you would rather have something on your feet, the Aqualung Storm Fins use a barefoot open-heel design with a silicone bungee strap, can be worn with or without boots, and are short enough to pack into a carry-on. The Aqualung Storm Max Fins are the vented, adjustable-strap version with quick-release buckles. For walking in over shingle or down a rough slipway, the Beuchat Aquashoes have a heel loop to pull them on, mesh sides to let water out and a removable inner sole for faster drying, in sizes 29 to 46.

Kit for children

Three things here are sized for younger snorkellers. The TUSA Mini Kleio Dry Snorkel Set is described for children aged 6 to 12 and pairs a youth mask, with a pure silicone skirt and a ClearVu tempered glass lens, to a dry-top snorkel with a drain chamber and purge valve. The Ocean Reef Junior is the full-face option in XS. The Oceo Purge Junior is a curved tube with a purge valve, designed for children between 7 and 12. Fit decides everything with children: a mask that seals keeps them in the water, and one that leaks does not.

Which snorkelling brands does Oyster Diving stock?

Five brands make up this range. TUSA supplies most of the snorkels and the adult and youth sets. Beuchat covers the classic rubber tubes, the Strato freediving mask, the X-Voyager fins and the aquashoes. Aqualung brings the travel fins, the Wrap Snorkel and the Nabul Combo. Fourth Element handles the packable snorkels and the Aquanaut mask. Ocean Reef makes the full-face masks. If you are after something we do not list here, ask us — we would rather tell you we cannot get it than sell you the wrong thing.

Fit, rinsing and looking after it

A mask fits when it holds against your face on a gentle inhalation with the strap loose. Fins should be snug without pinching across the top of the foot, because full-foot fins bought a size up will chafe on a long swim. Afterwards, rinse everything in fresh water to dissolve the salt and dry a mask properly before it goes back in its case — that is Fourth Element's own advice for the Aquanaut, and it applies to the rest of it just as well. Silicone lasts years if you keep it out of direct sunlight.