Snorkel Gear

Should we take up precious luggage space with our own snorkel gear or can we rent decent stuff from Snorkle Bob%26#39;s ? Our masks and snorkel won%26#39;t take up too much space....do any of the places rent just fins or is it an entire package? We like to travel light, but I%26#39;d hate to be stuck on Maui with crummy gear. I%26#39;ve seen Snorkel Bob%26#39;s mentioned on this site...are there other (better?) places? Are rental the fins the kind you need booties for or are they slip on style?

I am thinking of mailing a box containing our keens, sweatshirts, etc. (snorkel gear???) to our friends in honolulu. We are spending a few days with them before going to Maui. By doing so we can fly with just carry on luggage.

Will we find a post office in Maui where we can mail the stuff back home before leaving the Island? Too many trips ruined looking for luggage or waiting at the baggage carousel. Would much rather pack light and re-wear (and rinse!!!) than be tethered to big suitcases.

Thanks....

Snorkel Gear

We tried the mailing thing our first trip with our coats for Haleakala. One word, EXPENSIVE!!! This year we took our boys and we all needed coats so we took coats we had been saving to go to Goodwill. I was going to take them to the Salvation Army but I asked the hotel desk before we did and they went nuts when I said they could have them for other guests. And it gave us room for stuff we bought.

After our first trip we bought all our own snorkel gear and have a suitcase dedicated for it. Everything from wetsuits to fins. The shops I believe will rent fins only but they only rent the full foot, stiff, black rubber fins from what I%26#39;ve seen. Open heel with booties is so much nicer if you have your own. Easier to get on in the water and you can walk to the beach in them and not worry about shoes if you want. If you do end up using rental gear I recommend Maui Dive shop. We have used them and Snorkel Bob%26#39;s and Maui Dive Shop had nicer gear IMO. But again I really think if you have your own gear you would be disappointed with the rental gear and you don%26#39;t want to have a bad experience in Maui. Maui Dive Shop has several locations. The only one I know for sure is the Whaler%26#39;s Village shop. Even if thats your only checked luggage you have I really think it%26#39;s worth it to bring the gear that fits right. We could rent gear for a few years with what we spent on our gear but we do not regret one penny we spent.

If you have had trouble finding you luggage especially if it%26#39;s black like ours try this. My wife got the most bright and gaudy looking fabric she could find and cut it into strips and tied it to the handles. Works great. And with the new carry-on restrictions it could be a real challenge doing a carry-on only trip. You would end up buying a lot of things there and leaving them when you go home.

Hope you have a awesome trip.

Snorkel Gear

My daughter bought gear at Costco because she and her hubby did not have any. They took them home on the plane.

We borrowed them and took them in our checked luggage.

We are doing that again this summer. We used them for 6 weeks and will again!

Our airline had a special they would pickup and take our luggage to the airport for a fee. I do not know if this service still exits.

If you ';mail'; things home you have 2 choices, either send it regular mail (which takes about 5-6 weeks to reach the mainland) or send it Priority next day air which costs a bundle. I%26#39;d pack my snorkel gear in my luggage so I knew it was there. As far as waiting at the baggage carousel, your in Paradise RELAX, you can smell that sea air blowing in the terminal.....it%26#39;ll just prolong the excitement a few minutes more!!

Buy a sweatshirt while your there and plan on taking it on the plane with you for the trip home. Leave 1/2 of whatever you planned on packing because you won%26#39;t wear it anyway!! Couple of swimsuits, a pair of capri%26#39;s for dinner and a couple nice blouses, some shorts and t-shirts and your good to go! Heck, I took stuff that did nothing but hang in the closet for 15 days!! Swore that I would NEVER take that much ';stuff'; again.......lay out what your taking, then put 1/2 of it away...you%26#39;ll have plenty of room for your snorkel gear...heck, I%26#39;d leave about every piece of clothing I was taking just to get my snorkel gear in that suitcase!!