Kids' snorkelling and diving gear

How to choose a kids' snorkel set 

Mask fit is the first thing that goes wrong with kids' snorkelling gear. A mask shaped for an adult will not seal on a smaller face, and a leaking mask sends a confident kid back to the shore inside five minutes. Look for a mask cut for a smaller face shape with a soft silicone skirt that hugs around the nose and cheekbones. A semi-dry or dry-top snorkel suits younger swimmers who have not yet learned to clear water from the top of the tube. Fins should fit the foot now, not the foot two summers from now; an oversized fin slips and chafes. 

Bright colours matter more than parents expect. A kid in a fluoro mask or fin tip is easier to track from the water's edge. 

Sizing changes quickly between ages four and twelve, which is why we run in-store fitting at Gladesville. Bring the kid, try a few masks, find the seal, and you are usually done in fifteen minutes. If you are buying remotely, call us on (02) 9958 5699 with the child's age and shoe size and we will point you to the right options. 

Snorkelling is often the first step into in-water skills that lead toward our Pool Discover Scuba experience for ages eight and up, and the Junior Open Water certification for ten-year-olds and older. Once a child is comfortable with a mask in the water, plenty of options open up. 

A note on full-face snorkel masks: the evidence around their safety for under-twelves remains contested. For kids' snorkelling we recommend traditional mask-and-snorkel sets as the safer default. Adult supervision in open water is non-negotiable regardless of gear.