trying to get all my equiptment purchased prior to our September trip. So far I have a Henderson dive skin, and Aqua Pro Rocket fins. I still need to know what type of mask to get. Do you really get what you pay for? Mares, Tusa etc., or are the cheap ones just as good. Also booties. Can I use the short one or get the long ones. Also when I am there, do the do resort dives and how much do they charge.By resort I mean an instructor taking you down to see if you like it. Thanks, Allan

My experience with masks is that it is a personal thing. What feels good, is comfortable, amount of visibility desired, what seals around the face. Try some on and decide!

Allan, Discover SCUBA is what is offered on the Island. About $100 for a instructor to teach you how to use the gear (in shallow water or pool) Then take you to the reef and let you enjoy! The length of the dive depends on how fast you burn air. A few dollars more and you can do a second dive after a surface interval. A resort course is not done on Bonaire. I have never seen one offered, if wrong, someone please chime in...

With a mask, it is mostly about the fit. You will come to loathe any mask that does not fit you well. It will leak or be uncomfortable. Or both!

If it does not fit your face right, it is not the mask for you.

Personally, I would stop by the Carib Inn (where I bought my last two masks) as they do a great job with fit and have good prices. Once you buy, wash the inside with toothpaste really well (this gets the mold release off with scratching the glass). Then use some sort of no fog thing (sea drops, spit, etc.) before every dive/snorkel. These two steps will keep you fog free.

All the rest are just features. One window, two windows, more windows. (Personal preference) Clear skirt or black skirt. (ditto) Low volume. High volume. (I find low volume easier to clear). Purge (easier to clear but more parts can fail) or not.

With a snorkel, your major choice is wet or dry. I prefer dry although they are somewhat larger and cost more.

Did you get open heel fins and sturdy booties? If you plan on shore diving, this is key. While full fins work well from a boat, they do not on most shore entries (although a friend used to go out in Tevas and change in about 5 FSW and strap the Tevas to her BC)

Hello... I own about a dozen masks, well, ok., probably more, and have been freediving/snorkeling/a little scuba for years. For the freediving where field of view isn't an issue, I seem to always grab my Cressi Minima. Last year I bought my wife an Atomic Aquatics frameless (single pane) that if I'm going site seeing, I am always glad when she's not along as that allows me to use her mask.. it's like looking through a picture window. Otherwise, I wear my Cressi Big Eyes..
Also, on the cleaning with toothpaste... be sure it does not have any abrasives in it, like whitening pastes and similar, or you will scatch the lens.
I don't care, scuba or snorkel or freedive.. I'd go with the full foot fins, one size over, get some neoprene socks or wear athletic socks.. you will never have a broken strap.

Resort course.. my wife did one on Bonaire and has done several others as she has not much interest in scuba.. I think cost was around $70 - $75 U.S... a suggestion from what I've seen.. make sure they don't give you a 20 minute dive.. there has been a big difference in resort courses that she's done. Take notice of the tank.. is it 80? or a dinky little spare air?

Here's some quick links I found on google to the two masks I described. I'm not affiliated with joediver.. but they show good pics of the masks..
http://www.atomicaquatics.com/vision.html
http://www.joediveramerica.com/page/JDA/PROD/msk/DS2910XX
http://www.joediveramerica.com/page/JDA/PROD/msk/DS2610XX

(Message edited by subaqua on August 11, 2007)

(Message edited by subaqua on August 11, 2007)

the full foot fins are not recommended for Bonaire's iron shore... the sharp "beaches" will slice right through neoprene socks or regular socks not to mention the sharp briars that one finds near the dive sites.. Unless you can get fins to fit over hard soled booties you are better off getting open backed fins.. jmho

I second the Atom Aquatics Frameless Mask.

Can you get corrective lens in a frameless mask?

OK, to establish my bona fides -- I was Scuba certified in 1977 (when I was 15 years old). I have been to most of the Yucatan, Belize as well as Bonaire. I also used to dive in Wa. state (yes, with a drysuit). I have been to Bonaire ten times and I do an average of probably 50 dives per year there (plus snorkels). All are shore dives (or snorkels). And I have owned a mask probably since I was about four.

I currently own two masks. On main and one back up. Both fit me like a glove. Here is the fitting advice I would follow: http://www.caribinn.com/maskfitting.html

Here are the mask issues:
a) All masks have adjustable straps. That is not the problem with fit.
b) Each mask model uses a certain mold (several even use identical molds). Each mold tends to fit some faces better than others.
c) Overtightening the mask is bad. It is uncomfortable and can causes leaks. (Leaks are bad)
d) If the mask fits well, it will not leak. Ideally, it will not leak even if you smile or laugh underwater.

After that, the issues that Marcus and Subaqua refer to come into play.

Here are the fin issues (as Freddie already noted):
a) There are two main types of fins -- full foot and open heel. Both have advantages and disadvantages.
b) If you are doing boat dives (or entering and exiting from a resort dock), either works fine (with full foot fins, you do have to climb the ladder barefoot).
c) For shore diving in most locations, open heel is really the only way to go (this goes double for Bonaire).

Why? Shore entries in Bonaire (and many other locations) present some challenges for our feet. First, there are sometimes thorns in the area of divesites (I have pulled two or three from dive boots over the years). Second, at some dive sites, you will be walk through coral rubble to get to the water. Third, the walk in shallow water is often iron shore. Fourth, there can sometimes be small urchins at some sites.

The great thing? A good solid pair of booties takes care of the issues nicely. That is not to say that you can't use full foot fins.

One final thought: for some SCUBA/snorkel gear I have found Bonaire prices very attractive. Perhaps more expensive than mail order, but I like the ability to try it on before I buy it. In fact, I am probably going to buy my next reg on island.

A mask that fits properly should be your biggest concern. You can't get a proper fit from a catalog or online. When I started, I went through all the top rated masks according to Scuba Diving Magazines Test Lab and found that none of them fit. I went to five or six dive shops before finding a ScubaPro that worked. (It's now discontinued.) In the six years since, I've only found one other that fits. Also consider getting one with a purge valve--they're much easier to clear. You should be able to find something in the $50-75US range. Snorkels and fins don't have the fit problem so you can get those almost anywhere. And don't forget dive booties and you'll have to get fins that fit your feet with the booties on.

I have always used full foot fins in Bon and walk
into the water backwards, dont seem to have any promlem.

except with my spelling :>)

I tried on probably 15 different masks in a local dive shop and bought one that I thought fit great. That is until I got in the water with it and wore it a while.

Now it either pushes too tight under my nose or too tight on the bridge. Loosening it too much makes it leak.

The dive shop did not have straps on the masks I tried on and I think that may have been part of the problem.

Follow the advice in that post from the Carib Inn above and you won't end up like me, having to buy another mask next time. Wish I'd read that before.

Split fins vs non-split fins.

I must have missed something on this forum (I swear I've read every post).

Can someone please explain the preferred fins for novice shore snorkelers at Bonaire?

Thanks.

In this context, the important thing is open heel.

Start with a good solid, hard soled bootie. Then find a fin that fits you well (while wearing the booties). It should be comfortable, not too much slop side to side and fit in your luggage length-wise.

I have owned many fins over the years (Jet fins Rocket Fins, Quattros, Scubapro Gorillas, Scubapro Splits, Apollo Bios). I think for snorkel use, I would tend to go with a lighter weight fin (i.e., plastic vs rubber).

Personally, and for diving, I prefer split. I think for snorkel use, I would go paddle (like my old Quattros) if for no other reason than they are easier to lug around.

One other thing: I would also buy an entire spare strap assembly for the fin. This gives you a spare in case any part of the buckle or strap breaks.

David - Thanks for the advice. I've spent the weekend researching masks (prescription), boots, fins, and snorkels and plan on visiting the local dive shops in the next couple of months to become more familiar with the brands and products before trying on and buying anything.