My son Luca had a bad experience with snorkelling gear the previous summer. We'd rented a set from a beach shack in Sardinia — the kind of place where the equipment has been used by approximately ten thousand people and maintained by approximately none of them. The mask leaked constantly. The snorkel let water in every time a wave came. He spent twenty minutes fighting with it, got frustrated and upset, and decided snorkelling wasn't for him.
My name is Mark. I'm 44, I live in Oxford, and Luca is seven. This summer we were going back to the Mediterranean — Croatia this time — and I was determined that the snorkelling experience was going to be different. Not because I'd talked him into trying again — he was still sceptical — but because I was going to bring proper gear that actually worked.
What Went Wrong Last Time
The problem with rented beach gear is that it's designed to be cheap and replaceable, not to work well. A leaking mask is the most common issue — the silicone seal degrades, the strap loses its tension, and water gets in constantly, which is both uncomfortable and anxiety-inducing for a child who's already nervous about being in the sea. A wet snorkel is the second problem — a standard snorkel lets water in when a wave comes over the top, which means you have to clear it by blowing hard, which is a skill that takes practice and that a seven-year-old who's already stressed doesn't have the bandwidth to learn.
I needed a mask that sealed properly and a full dry snorkel — one with a mechanism that closes the top when submerged, preventing water from entering at all. I found the Jolof Store Kids Snorkeling Set on ALTOE and it had everything I was looking for.
Why This Set
The full dry snorkel was the non-negotiable. The dry mechanism closes automatically when the snorkel goes underwater, which means no water enters the tube regardless of what waves are doing. For a child who's already nervous, removing that variable entirely changes the experience completely — they can focus on what they're seeing rather than managing the equipment.
The tempered glass mask gives superior clarity compared to plastic lenses — you can actually see the fish clearly rather than through a slightly distorted plastic window. The food-grade silicone seal is soft against a child's face and creates a proper seal without the discomfort of harder materials. The adjustable fins fit US sizes 1-4, which covered Luca's feet with room to grow.
The carrying bag was also a practical consideration — travelling with snorkel gear is much easier when it has a dedicated bag rather than rattling around in a suitcase.
The First Morning in Croatia
I let Luca try the mask and snorkel in the hotel pool the evening we arrived — no pressure, just getting used to the equipment in a safe environment. He put the mask on, adjusted the strap, put his face in the water, and breathed. No leaking. No water in the snorkel. He lifted his head and looked at me with an expression I can only describe as cautious optimism.
The next morning we went to a small cove about ten minutes from the hotel. Clear water, rocky bottom, plenty of fish. I helped him put the fins on — they adjusted easily and stayed secure — and we waded in together. He put his face in the water.
He didn't come up for twenty minutes.
The Rest of the Holiday
Snorkelling became the thing Luca wanted to do every day. He found a sea urchin on day three and spent the rest of the holiday telling everyone about it. He learned to dive down slightly to get closer to the bottom. He started pointing out fish to me underwater with the focused enthusiasm of someone conducting important research.
The child who'd decided snorkelling wasn't for him was now the child who didn't want to leave the water. The gear worked perfectly throughout — no leaks, no water in the snorkel, fins that stayed on. We rinsed everything with fresh water each evening and it came back looking new each morning.
If your child had a bad experience with rented snorkel gear and has decided it's not for them — it might not be snorkelling they don't like. It might just be bad gear. Get them the right equipment and try again. The underwater world is worth it.
You can find the Jolof Store Kids Snorkeling Set on ALTOE. Browse the Diving & Snorkeling Equipment Sets collection for more options, explore the Diving & Snorkeling range, or take a look at the Boating & Water Sports, Outdoor Recreation and Sporting Goods collections. The Latest Products collection always has something new worth discovering.
Get the right gear. Try again. Watch them discover the sea.
— Mark Delacroix, Oxford
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