Can anyone recommend a good snorkel set?

[TeaandLemonDrizzle]

Hello,
Im taking my two teens (15 and 19) to the Greek Islands in August so fancy doing a bit of snorkelling. Can anyone recommend a decent set? Don’t want to spend loads but not end up with something useless either!

I have a Cressi Marea free diving mask which is small and lightweight for travel. DS has a Tusa mask (forget which style) because he needed a mask he could have fitted with prescription lenses. Both good quality brands. The key is to prepared the mask lenses by taking off the factory layer - you can do this by scrubbing the lenses gently with toothpaste. And then use a defog spray each dive. The dive shops I’ve been with all seem to use diluted baby shampoo, but you can buy made-up bottles of defog too. Keeping your mask free of condensation is key to enjoyable snorkelling. A lot of people use full face combination snorkel-masks these days. I’ve tried but don’t like them.

Opposite view here... If you want to stay on the surface, Decathlon snorkel masks are brilliant and no salty water in your mouth!

And I don't like breathing through my mouth, it makes me panicky for some reason, so the full face mask is good for that too.

I like the full face masks too. I hate the feel of a snorkel in my mouth.

From Scuba Doctor Australia...

Full face snorkelling masks are designed for easy surface snorkelling recreational use which means you are just floating on the surface and looking down at the fish and other marine life, not swimming. If you need to swim against waves, currents, or intensively for any reason, you should use a traditional mask and snorkel.
Full face snorkelling masks are not designed for leaving the surface to dive underwater, freediving, spearfishing, extensive open water swimming, or swim practice. Soon enough you will feel like you can't catch your breath. This is due to the CO2 build up in the full face mask while you exhaust yourself. If you experience any difficulty, or find your breathing heavy, remove the full face snorkelling mask immediately.
I wouldn't recommend a full face snorkel if you're doing anything other than very easy surface swimming with lots of breaks.

You need to make sure they fit properly. To do this you should be able to hold the mask on your face without the strap by breathing in as this means the seal is good. If you can, go to a dive shop and ask for advice. Might not be the absolute cheapest, but starter sets aren't necesserily expensive and will make the experience more enjoyable.

If either of the teens have facial hair, they need to be clean shaven, as stubble will break the seal and cause it to leak water in.

Thanks all. I’ll take a look!

I was put off full fask masks after reports of people fainting due to co2 build up and drowning.

Also if of help…..
I never bother with wearing fins.
Crocs are the thing - over all terrain, swimming, snorkelling, getting into the sea, one the beach, over rocks.
(the only exception for me is if there’s a current)

I always choose a dry top snorkel. If you have a Costco card, they do a great US Divers set. Best snorkel and mask I've ever owned.

Gosh! That’s scary!

My kids have the Subea sets from, Decathlon (normal mask and snorkel not full face) and they have been great - excellent value. There’s some really good design features like a built in elastic loop for the snorkel rather than having to have a separate clip. I’ve tried one on and it was really comfy as the seal is very wide and flexible.

I have a Mares mask and it’s ok but I don’t love it.