Should have shaved my beard
One of the things that I was most excited about while we were in Mexico was our snorkeling tour. I didn't realize that my beard was going to keep me from enjoying it to the fullest. We booked our trip with a company called Oceanus. The tickets cost me $40 each and they include an open bar for the whole trip and lunch after snorkeling.
The trip starts off at the marina in Cabo and it takes you past the arch and Lover's Beach. Then it is about a 30 minute boat ride out to the place where they let you out for snorkeling. A perfect amount of time to have a few drinks and enjoy the sea breeze.
The drinks were pretty good, but I didn't want to have too many BEFORE we went into the water. The boat is pretty large and had a main deck and a roof deck for checking out the amazing views. The crew was pretty awesome too and was doing everything they could to make sure people were having a good time.
One of the things that I want to do next time we visit is to go parasailing. There were so many parasailing behind boats and it looks like a ton of fun.
Once we got to our destination, we had a quick safety brief and then jumped off the boat into the water. This was about the time that I realized that having a beard was a bad idea. My mask was leaking water into my nose the entire time and sea water in the nose and down into the back of the throat tastes pretty bad.
I did manage to get some decent shots in between almost puking and drowning though.
It was my wife's first time snorkeling though and she loved it. There were so many fish and they kept swarming around us because one of the guides was throwing tortilla pieces around and feeding them.
One thing I did not like about the trip was that it was pretty crowded in the water because the fish were only above a small reef area and everyone crowded together, so it was pretty cramped and a lot of flippers in a small area doesn't work out too well.
There also wasn't as big of a variety of fish as I had hoped there would have been. There was a puffer fish that people saw, but I may have been too busy almost puking up sea water and missed it. If I would have puked though, the fish would have swarmed me and I would have gotten some nice close ups.
These fish are fast too. I grabbed at a few of them and was only able to touch them a couple times. Their spikes were pretty sharp and they had some pretty strong bodies.
If my mask sealed properly, I would have been diving down further to get some shots from the bottom, but there was no way I could have done that.
Overall, we were in the water for about 45 minutes. Some of the tours go to multiple spots and I wish that we would have done that because the chances of seeing more fish would have been higher.
It was still a pretty fun time and I am glad that my wife was able to go snorkeling for the first time.
Overall, the Oceanus snorkeling trip was a lot of fun and the food and drinks on the boat were really good. On the way back, we had fresh tuna and some fruit. I am not a big fan of seafood, but the tuna was really good and I went back and got some more. I guess fresh seafood is a lot better than the crap I have bought in the stores.
Thanks for taking the time to check out my snorkeling photos. I am going to be putting together a video of the footage I shot while snorkeling and I may post it here. Next time I go snorkeling though, I will make sure to have a smooth face so my mask seals and I can enjoy it more.
Haha I know exactly what you mean man and I am sorry you didn´t figure that out earlier. When we lived in Mexico and were about to go for some big snorkeling trip, I always shaved my face the day before so that my mask wouldn´t leak. And I don´t even wear a real beard, I just don´t shave regularly... So sorry man, I know how a leaking mask can totally ruin the experience for you. But you still somehow managed to capture some very cool shots down there, wow :) Btw next time, you can guys try the other side of Mexico - Yucatan and the Mayan Riviera, very different vibes, different culture, painted colorful skulls and chilled iguanas everywhere :D
Ya, we are planning our next trip now and would love to go to a more culture oriented area. There is so much to see in Mexico and we can't wait to get back there.
Yeah. I think you would really love the culture of the old Mayas. In some parts of Yucatan, their descendants still make for the majority of the community. Plus the Caribbean is an excellent place for snorkeling. I got to see everything from turtles, stingrays, octopuses to large barracudas and other amazing fish species without even being on an organized trip, it was all just random solo snorkeling from the beach...
Experiencing the culture of places I travel to is what I enjoy the most. This trip was more about relaxing since it was only a few days, but our next trip will definitely be longer so we can go out and experience what the location has to offer. I would love to snorkel in the Caribbean though. It sounds awesome.
Looks like a great time. We are headed down that way in December for the first time and I was hoping the water would be good and clear enough for snorkeling. It looks great. I'm even more excited now. I also have beard, but not going to shave it off. I always take my own mask and find that some have better flare than others, and also I like ones with the little purge valve on them. It makes it much easier to just give a little blow and let the water go out instead of having to do the whole mask tilt thing.
So that's what they mean by "Swimming with the fishes"... ? Huh. And here I thought it was some kind of threat. Next time I'm saying YES!
I think it all depends who is saying it. If it is a mobster, then you don't want to swim with the fishes.
Those fins they were offering did look kind of heavy and rigid. But how can you go wrong if they're offering free lessons?
The fins suck and I think made it even harder to swim in.
Been a scuba instructor nearly 30 years and there are ways around this. I have a beard and a few of my instructorS resembled vikings over the years. If the mask is a good fit a beard won’t make a massive amount of difference but using a little vaseline smoothed into the hair over the top lip works a treat. Also another rookie error people make is having it on too tight. Just needs to be snug. If its too tight it will tend to cause leakage either side of the nose in the creases your face makes accommodating the mouthpiece of either a snorkel or scuba regulator. You still got some awesome shots though. Pain in the ass a leaky mask!
Thanks for the tips man. I am going to have to try the vaseline trick. I am sure my mask was way too tight as well. I figured the tighter the better, lol. That would explain why it would leak when I turned my head certain ways.
No worries. It was the most common issue we had to deal with. People would blame the mask and I would say dude the masks fine it’s your face thats the problem lol. If its an activity you will do alot find a mask that fits your face well and buy one. Even more important diving
My face has been a problem I have been dealing with my whole life, lol. When I lived in Japan my dad would go diving all the time and he had the coolest mask. I don't even know how much he spent on it. It had his glasses prescription and everything so he could see clear under the water.
Oh! That is a shame that your experience was marred, but, you really did get some great shots! It is even more impressive with the puking/drowning going on.
That was a lot of fish swimming around to me. Any more and it makes me twitchy. :))
So glad your wife got to have a great first experience. The tour boats do have a tendency to crowd into one spot, but, they are all trying to make a living and give the best experience. Thanks for sharing them!
Thank you. Ya, I have learned a few tricks from others here on hive about how to reduce the amount of water that gets into my mask without having to shave. Hopefully our next snorkeling trip is a bit better.
That is great! I am sure your next time will be awesome.
I love the shots you were able to take, so many fishes! It is lovely that your wife got to experience this, your effort to try to capture all of thise while partially drowning is admirable lol
LOL, I guess almost drowning and getting decent shots is a skill I have acquired. I can't wait to go again and try to get better shots while having a mask that doesnt leak.
That’s such a shame about the beard and so crowded all in one spot but you still hit some awesome shots
Thanks man. I am glad I was still able to get some. It was my first time using the GoPro underwater and it is a lot harder to see through when my mask was filling with water. I was just clicking randomly towards the end. Next time I will be more prepared.
The times I have been snorkeling I was clean shaven so I didn’t know a beard would be an issue
I just picked up a new GoPro recently more for time lapse
Nice. Did you get the 9? I've got the 8
Yeah I got the 9 last week
I had one a few years old nit even sure where it is after we moved so hit the new one
Great pics. I'm a diver/snorkeller and can assure you you do not want to have facial hair unless you are willing to deal with the leaking. Looks like a fun trip.
Ya, I learned that pretty fast. If we lived near the ocean, my beard would be gone because we would be doing this everyday. Good thing I will only need to shave it once or twice a year.
Wow, it is beautiful!
The fish is wonderful.
Thanks for sharing, @derangedvisions!
Thank you
I have been snorkeling with my beard and never had any problems. I guess it is all about the gear you are using. When we had a pool I do some in different gear till I found the gear that worked. Might be an idea for you before you shave for the next trip!
I may just end up getting some goggles to swim with instead of a full mask.
Yeah, I used the mask that was under the nose and trimmed the moustache a little and worked great. Spent a week at PCB snorkeling and had no problems. It seals under the nose and works well.
Ya. It was leaking under the nose from the mustache. So that's good I won't have to shave it completely off.
Wow I love the almost under water pics!
Thanks
Eventhough the beard hot in the way aren’t these the best memories. Freedom in the water. Fish around blue’ist sea and a great boat. Next time I go I will take the lensball and try the above and under water line got that idea looking at your pictures
That would be awesome to get some shots with a lensball.
Yeah I hope so the large one might be a bit to heavy , yet again a net bag can help, thinking about it some more. Maybe just the little one
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Wow I have never snorkelled with so many beautiful fish around like that. It's awsome!
Really beautiful photos, I thought I was in a moment
Nice shots and looked like a fun experience!