Snorkeling Equipment
 

Going to Maui in May and would like to know where is the best place to rent snokeling equipment and what type you would recommend. We are beginners and probably need to get a life vest also. We are staying at the Westin Ka'anapali. Any advice would be appreciated!!

You won't need a flotation device. The water has a enough salt to keep you afloat with minimum effort. Try Boss Frog's or Snorkel Bob's for rentals. They each have websites & many island locations. Another idea is to buy a snorkel, mask & fins at WalMart. Might be cheaper than the weekly rental fee. Enjoy!

Also, check out Maui Revealed guide book for snorkel spots.

If you have a Costco membership, I can recommend the snorkel sets they sell there. They're $42 and good quality. If you will only be there a week, the Snorkel Bob sets will be cheaper. For more than a week it will be cheaper to buy, unless you go with the lowest level rental. No one goes with the lowest level rental, it's old-school Jacques Cousteau style gear, lol.

My wife and I just bought gear at Costco and brought it back with us. Not sure when we'll use it again, but we were there for 15 nights on 3 islands, so it was definitely cheaper.

Bought ours on our honeymoon, and since then they've handled 5 trips to Hawaii and one to the Galapagos. Still going strong.

+1 on costco set.
We got ours 4-5 years ago (they were $30-ish back then) and they are still in decent shape after 15-20 trips.

Since you are staying at the Westin your best bet is to rent your gear at the Maui Dive Shop located literally next door in Whalers Village. I've rented from there several times and it was cheap and easy.

I usually bring my snorkel and mask with me, that way I feel much safer from hygienic standpoint. I usually buy or rent fins at the destination.

If you're uncomfortable in the water, you can either use a rental floatation vest or get one of the "noodle" foam floaters from ABC or Costco.

If you don't need prescription lenses, the sets from Costco are fine - if like me you need prescription glasses, I always rent from Snorkel Bob....although at the rate I'm going with them, I would have probably paid for my vision correction surgery already.

I too have a snorkel set from Costco back in 2003 or so... still working fine after many a swim. One thing that I do take carry-on as I don't want it to disappear in the checked bag hold.

The snorkel spot on Kaanapali is Black Rock down by the Sheraton. One of the best in Hawaii.

I don't float well and really like something to help. If you get the blow-up vest get the newer kind that is more like a jacket, which will stay put better on you than the Mae West vest that rides up. If you want to avoid cost till you decide if you like snorkeling, a kick board works well without the bulk of a boogie board.

Black Rock once you get out a very short ways is a vertical face over deep water, which makes it easier. The flotation assist is needed more to keep you up off a shallow reef. If its a really calm day you can go around the end of Black Rock to a notched-in v in the rock that is shallow but has really great fish color. Don't try if the sea is not very smooth.

Don't get the biggest fins you see, and they may frustrate more than help off the beach in a calm area.

I bought snorkel sets for my husband and I back in 2006 off of ebay. I got a dry snorkel, mask, fins, diving gloves and fitted flippers.

Fitted flippers are more comfortable than the ones you have to adjust, but the downside is that you can't share them with anyone who isn't your shoe size. And they take up a lot of room in the luggage. I'd also second the recommendation to stick to the shorter fins. Longer fins make for easier swimming, but shorter fins are much easier for entry/exit from the beach.

If it doesn't come with a bag, I recommend buying a mesh laundry bag for stowing everything. After snorkeling, we just throw the bag under the outdoor shower for a few minutes to rinse everything off. The Costco set come with its own carrying case, which is really nice, but it has more fabric on it than mesh. I prefer mesh because it speeds drying and doesn't get as smelly.