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.