I usually hate it when people type "Eeeek!" but for once I feel this is warranted as in just a few days I am flying out to Cyprus with two of my older teens (a birthday gift from my 18-year-old son) and an exciting array of snorkelling gear. So "Eeeek!"
We have had a go at snorkelling in Cyprus during a previous visit to see my mum who lives there but I'll confess I picked up cheap kits at a High Street sports store and another couple of sets from beachfront tat shops and surprise surprise, they leaked like sieves and so we all ended up with blurry eyes and a nasty mouthful of salty water when the valves failed on the first day.
In the end we chucked the snorkels away and my little man just used the (leaky) masks for some swimming pool fun bobbing up every few minutes to empty his goggles out!
We ended up spending far more on replacement sets (which also lasted only a day or two on the beach) than if we had bought a decent, quality well-fitting set in the first place.
Browsing the Simply Scuba website to find snorkel sets for our holiday I was astounded at the range of sizes, designs and colours available.
We had headed straight for the snorkelling equipment pages (it's a very easy site to navigate around) and my 17-year-old daughter who normally dresses from head to foot in black astounded me by getting very squeaky and excited by the pink sets so choosing her mask, snorkel and fins was easy.
My 18-year-old son opted for blue. I frankly don't really care about colour but be assured if matching your gear to your swimming outfit matters, Simply Scuba has it covered. Or choose transparent frameless goggles which will go with everything and give a great all round view!
The site even offers junior pirate sets as part of their fantastic range of children's masks and fins so the whole family can enjoy a snorkelling adventure.
You can opt for next (working) day delivery so we didn't have to wait long for our gear to arrive. Post and packing is free for orders over £50.
You might be worried about how much room snorkelling gear takes up in your suitcase but as you can see I got our three sets easily into an average sized suitcase on top of all our clothes.
Nothing is heavy so I wasn't worried about the items taking me over our 23kg allowance even with our clothes and my frankly ridiculous shoe collection which I always insist on packing.
Now I know a lot of people opt for hand luggage only nowadays so out of curiosity I packed my daughter's set in her carry-on bag (we are flying with a well-known budget airline which is fond of the colour orange) and was delighted to see it took up hardly any room at all, even with the fins.
They didn't weigh much either. Take a couple of old supermarket bags with you if you are worried about re-packing them at the end of the holiday but since you should rinse all items well in clean water after every use you shouldn't have to worry about getting salty water or sand in your luggage.
We've had so much fun planning where we would like to snorkel. One of our favourite beaches in Cyprus is Ladies Mile Beach just outside Limmasol where even the most nervous swimmers can meander in shallow knee deep warm water with fish darting around. Put on a snorkel kit for a fascinating close up and see if you can spot hermit crabs and starfish too. Even beginner swimmers can look under the water and see wildlife as it is so shallow for quite a way out.
It's usually almost flat calm there and there are lifeguards and buoys marking a huge swimming area so you can be facedown for as long as you like without worrying about boats or jet skis.
Another spot we love is Timi Beach just minutes from Paphos airport where the water is deeper and the ground rocky and there are currents to watch out for so less good for little people but much more interesting for more confident swimmers and experts. (There is also a lifeguard at peak periods)
We had one of the most unusual experiences ever at this beach when my son discovered that the large rock pool just left of the Bonamare Beach Bar and Cafe was literally teeming with life just after the tide went out. Not unusual in itself but he discovered that it's just deep and large enough that you can snorkel in it!
You often see people scuba diving and snorkelling in the Paphos Harbour area (pictured) we've never done this but with our new top quality sets I think this time we might be brave enough to give it a go. There are a few ship-wrecks over there to explore but I think we will leave those to the serious divers.
You can just feel the quality of our snorkelling gear from Simply Scuba is so much better than the cheap sets I've previously bought which should make the whole experience a lot more comfortable.
I also trust the sets more so think I am more likely to venture a little further. Previously I was reluctant to move away from the shallow water where I could stand upif when my gear suddenly and unexpectedly failed.
Look out for my Cypriot pictures next week on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook .
I'll update you on how we got along very soon and I promise I will take some video footage too. I think it's going to be an amazing holiday with my older teens and snorkelling with them will make it extra special. It will be a fantastic bonding experience which I'm sure we will be talking about for years to come.
Thank goodness for my lovely husband who is staying behind to look after the rest of our family!
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post and we were gifted our snorkel sets for the purpose of writing an honest review.
We have had a go at snorkelling in Cyprus during a previous visit to see my mum who lives there but I'll confess I picked up cheap kits at a High Street sports store and another couple of sets from beachfront tat shops and surprise surprise, they leaked like sieves and so we all ended up with blurry eyes and a nasty mouthful of salty water when the valves failed on the first day.
In the end we chucked the snorkels away and my little man just used the (leaky) masks for some swimming pool fun bobbing up every few minutes to empty his goggles out!
We ended up spending far more on replacement sets (which also lasted only a day or two on the beach) than if we had bought a decent, quality well-fitting set in the first place.
Browsing the Simply Scuba website to find snorkel sets for our holiday I was astounded at the range of sizes, designs and colours available.
We had headed straight for the snorkelling equipment pages (it's a very easy site to navigate around) and my 17-year-old daughter who normally dresses from head to foot in black astounded me by getting very squeaky and excited by the pink sets so choosing her mask, snorkel and fins was easy.
My 18-year-old son opted for blue. I frankly don't really care about colour but be assured if matching your gear to your swimming outfit matters, Simply Scuba has it covered. Or choose transparent frameless goggles which will go with everything and give a great all round view!
The site even offers junior pirate sets as part of their fantastic range of children's masks and fins so the whole family can enjoy a snorkelling adventure.
You can opt for next (working) day delivery so we didn't have to wait long for our gear to arrive. Post and packing is free for orders over £50.
You might be worried about how much room snorkelling gear takes up in your suitcase but as you can see I got our three sets easily into an average sized suitcase on top of all our clothes.
Nothing is heavy so I wasn't worried about the items taking me over our 23kg allowance even with our clothes and my frankly ridiculous shoe collection which I always insist on packing.
They didn't weigh much either. Take a couple of old supermarket bags with you if you are worried about re-packing them at the end of the holiday but since you should rinse all items well in clean water after every use you shouldn't have to worry about getting salty water or sand in your luggage.
We've had so much fun planning where we would like to snorkel. One of our favourite beaches in Cyprus is Ladies Mile Beach just outside Limmasol where even the most nervous swimmers can meander in shallow knee deep warm water with fish darting around. Put on a snorkel kit for a fascinating close up and see if you can spot hermit crabs and starfish too. Even beginner swimmers can look under the water and see wildlife as it is so shallow for quite a way out.
It's usually almost flat calm there and there are lifeguards and buoys marking a huge swimming area so you can be facedown for as long as you like without worrying about boats or jet skis.
Another spot we love is Timi Beach just minutes from Paphos airport where the water is deeper and the ground rocky and there are currents to watch out for so less good for little people but much more interesting for more confident swimmers and experts. (There is also a lifeguard at peak periods)
We had one of the most unusual experiences ever at this beach when my son discovered that the large rock pool just left of the Bonamare Beach Bar and Cafe was literally teeming with life just after the tide went out. Not unusual in itself but he discovered that it's just deep and large enough that you can snorkel in it!
You often see people scuba diving and snorkelling in the Paphos Harbour area (pictured) we've never done this but with our new top quality sets I think this time we might be brave enough to give it a go. There are a few ship-wrecks over there to explore but I think we will leave those to the serious divers.
You can just feel the quality of our snorkelling gear from Simply Scuba is so much better than the cheap sets I've previously bought which should make the whole experience a lot more comfortable.
I also trust the sets more so think I am more likely to venture a little further. Previously I was reluctant to move away from the shallow water where I could stand up
Look out for my Cypriot pictures next week on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook .
I'll update you on how we got along very soon and I promise I will take some video footage too. I think it's going to be an amazing holiday with my older teens and snorkelling with them will make it extra special. It will be a fantastic bonding experience which I'm sure we will be talking about for years to come.
Thank goodness for my lovely husband who is staying behind to look after the rest of our family!
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post and we were gifted our snorkel sets for the purpose of writing an honest review.