Has anyone hired snorkel gear in Lanzarote?

[clairedunphy]

Just that really. We're going in August, staying near Playa Blanca, and DS(7) is really keen on trying snorkelling. I'm tempted to buy him a kit to take, but wondered if it might be better to hire when we're there.

Also for me & DH - I don't want to have to pack (or buy) 3 lots of kit, so I thought we could just buy DS's and hire ours - if the hire quality isn't great I can live with that but I don't want DS to be put off from the start by a leaky mask etc.

Also, if I do buy, is there anything I should particularly look for? I've found one on Amazon that looks pretty good.

Snorkelling in Lanzarote is great - so many fish. Look for the little rocky bays and go quite near the rocks (watch out obviously to not get bashed on the rocks).

Masks need to fit properly to not leak - if you put one on your face with out using the strap and breath in, it should stay there - this proves a proper seal.

It's just pot luck whether cheaper or more expensive ones fit well.

Maybe also teach him to clear the mask and duck diving too. There's quite a few dive shops out there that do snorkelling trips and will probably do lessons too where you can learn the skills to get more out of snorkelling and do it safely.

Careful though - we did a try dive in Lanzarote a couple of years ago and since then we have done a few levels of scuba courses, had a few diving holidays, and bought all sorts of kit - it can be an addictive and expensive hobby

Thanks Barbara, so would the dive shops hire out the kit do you know? Or do you have to take an excursion with them for that?

Good point about it getting expensive! DH won't be a problem, he's not great with water, but I'd love to do some proper diving one day!

Dive shops often hire out kit for snorkelling, without going on an organised trip, but if you have a local dive shop, I really would recommend buying your own mask and snorkel so you know it fits properly. My local dive shop does kids mask and snorkel combos starting at under £20.

OK, thank you. I don't know of any locally but I'll see what I can find.

We just buy one from any beach shop, the sort that sell inflatables, beach mats etc. I wouldn't think they cost more than 10 Euros.

Thanks Seacrets, I assumed buying them would be a rip off but that sounds fine, especially for me or DH.

We were in Greece last week and bought 3 sets, they were perfectly adequate for snorkelling around the beach area and on swim stops on boat trips. I handed them to some new arrivals as we left as they weren't worth the luggage space.

Do you have a Decathlon nearby? That's where we get ours.