Snorkling Kit For One Who Wears Glasses?

[Virt]

hello all. Girlfriend was snorkling around yesterday at chaweng north end and said there actually is quite a lot of fish and stuff to watch if you swim out quite a bit.

So wanted to try out myself but i wear glasses so mask does not fits.

Anyone knowing off a shop who maybe make snorkelmask with "strength" for shortsighted person and how much it would cost to make?

Or is there snorkelmask with room for glasses to be sold anywhere.

Cheers.

[happylarry]

If you ask in a decent dive shop they do sell masks for different size noses etc but I dont see how you could get a mask to fit over standard glasses because you wouldnt be able to make a seal because of the arms over the ears. But they may have a general prescription mask available.

HL

[Virt]

ok thanks.

yeah i thought a regular mask was out of the question. tried to wear my gfs mask today without glasses but i constantly got water up in the nose area even if it was tight.

to much sunlotion ? to big a nose maybe? :-) or maybe a 5 day beard getting in the way?

never snorkeled as an adult,but man did i find it hard to get used to breathing through my mouth instead of nose :-) couldn't see so much with no glasses but just wanted to try out before i went spending money on a prescription mask i just use for vacations. gonna look for a divershop after it stops raining :-)

[PoorSucker]

contact lenses?

[Virt]

cant wear lenses. got a scratch in my eye from an accident 20 years ago so stuck with glasses.

And what an accident it was :-) got a coke cap in my eye.

:-)

[PoorSucker]

If you don't have strong prescription, try snorkeling without.

The glass and the water acts magnifying.

[stoffel45]

Hi Virt.

Masks with lenses. These are normal. If you have prescription lenses for your spectacles then copy that (or get it done again and get a copy from the optician). Take that to a reputable dive supply shop and they will make up the mask - perfectly suited to YOUR eyesight. It takes about 10 days in Belgium. My wife is a keen scuba diver and she wears glasses like Coke bottle bottoms and we get her lensed masks done here.

We will be in Samui (Lipa Noi) from 28th July until 17 August. (with a break for scuba in K. Tao in this period.)

If you like we could source the lensed mask here in Antwerp and get it made for you. You could either send the cost after we find out what it is or pay COD.

Best of course is if you can find a Samui or Bangkok place to do it for you - but let me know. email to [email protected]

[Virt]

thanks for the answers all.

Can see prescription masks will take some time to get produced,and is not just stock wares, so think i will get them made when i get home, because im close for my yearly appointment with optician for check ,because in my line of work we are required to get yearly checkups ,so might as well get an accurate update.

have a few collegues at work who dive, so will ask them for more information, where they buy their stuff.

Then i have them ready for next vacation to Samui and always nice with something to look forward to.

:-)

Until them i try to snorkle again with no glasses on and just shoot a lot of pics/vids and hope something is worth editing when we get home.

Cheers.

[PoorSucker]

We will be in Samui (Lipa Noi) from 28th July until 17 August. (with a break for scuba in K. Tao in this period.)

Go for a snorkeling trip at Koh Taen, south of Samui.

Go to Thong Krut (south Samui) and ask at a restaurant there and they will find you a fisherman to take you there in a longtail boat.

[Seeker1953]

Stoffel45, excellent suggestion, thank you. I need a custom mask too, so I'll check it out.

Anyone know of a Dive Shop in Pattaya that handles this?

thanks,

seeker

[islandguy]

The magnifying effect of the water does seem to help me with my nearsightedness. For a short term answer to the problems with the fit/seal get a pair of swim goggles (I know the speedo shop in Chaweng has good ones) instead of a mask. They don't work that well with a snorkel, but just swim as you usually do and you also won't have to learn that skill just yet.

[Virt]

went to a diveshop today on mainstreet and bought a new mask and snorkle that seemed to fit better than the one my girlfriend had and she bought a pair too. Wanted to see if another mask could improve the experience even without glasses. jumped into the sea a little bit south of koh matlang with two small islands maybe 300 meters out.

Scary :-)

Water was not clear at all and without glasses i could not see further than maybe 1 meter and i constantly was close to swimming into the corals on shallow water which spooked me when they appeared right in front of my face :-) Mask fitted better though so can see a suitable mask is important. but for now i think i will wait to snorkle until water get clearer cause i am afraid to dunk my head into some coral :-) but can see why people love to dive when equipment and conditions are good.

[samuijimmy]

went to a diveshop today on mainstreet and bought a new mask and snorkle that seemed to fit better than the one my girlfriend had and she bought a pair too. Wanted to see if another mask could improve the experience even without glasses. jumped into the sea a little bit south of koh matlang with two small islands maybe 300 meters out.

Scary :-)

Water was not clear at all and without glasses i could not see further than maybe 1 meter and i constantly was close to swimming into the corals on shallow water which spooked me when they appeared right in front of my face :-) Mask fitted better though so can see a suitable mask is important. but for now i think i will wait to snorkle until water get clearer cause i am afraid to dunk my head into some coral :-) but can see why people love to dive when equipment and conditions are good.

It's all because of the bad weather your brought with you!!! You may need to wait a few days for the water to settle after things calm down!!!

Glad to see you found a mask.... yeah don't dunk your head on the coral , it would give you a nasty vound ....

[PoorSucker]

Go to Thong Krut at south of Samui and ask one in one of the restaurants to be taken to Koh Taen.

You go with a fisherman about 20 min to Koh Taen, clear water and good snorkeling.

[stoffel45]

Thanks for the tips ref snorkelling in / around Thong Krut - wilco.

I just spoke with the Dive Shop we use in Antwerp. If one has the prescription information at the time of ordering- it takes about 7 working days. (and Belgium is normally VERY slow for service. The lady in the shop said it would cost around 120 euro to 200 euro depending on the quality of mask purchased. The lens is reinforced plastic and is guaranteed for 5 years - but not against scratching. It comes in a special container to keep it free of scratches. The cost included the charge for return despatch to the optical company in Holland.

Thanks all,

Stoffel

[stoffel45]

Thanks for the tips ref snorkelling in / around Thong Krut - wilco.

I just spoke with the Dive Shop we use in Antwerp. If one has the prescription information at the time of ordering- it takes about 7 working days. (and Belgium is normally VERY slow for service. The lady in the shop said it would cost around 120 euro to 200 euro depending on the quality of mask purchased. The lens is reinforced plastic and is guaranteed for 5 years - but not against scratching. It comes in a special container to keep it free of scratches. The cost included the charge for return despatch to the optical company in Holland.

Thanks all,

Stoffel

[samuijimmy]

This is just a thought, but has any one tried asking any of the local optical shops...? (there are so many of them!!!)

Prescription glasses / masks are not something a dive shop would carry... (at least I would not think so?)

It might be something that can be done here, and usually turn around time is quite fast here, although prices I find the same or higher than the west for regular prescription glasses.

Could be worth checking out....?

[Tropicalevo]

Not sure when you are leaving? but ...

........prescription dive masks can be bought at a shop called Dive Supply (I think that is the name).

On the ring road going clockwise from Chewang to Lamai - after the PTT petrol station and before the Bangkok Samui Hospital.

The shop is on the left hand side in a row of shop houses. A friend that dives a lot here uses them says that they are not too expensive either. Apparently these guys supply the dive schools if they order them.