Mares Italian Design Premium Collection Ergo Dry Snorkel

I’ve had one of these before and it works perfectly just like my old one. The valve works the way it’s supposed to.

No water in my mouth So I’m happy

took this on our anniversary trip and great snorkel

We have several of these. One recently got damaged from packing all over the Caribbean, so we needed one more.These block the incoming water from the tube great, and have a flap on the bottom of the breather to expel any water that may get in from other sources.

The mouth pieice is super easy to hold onto and easy to breath through. The purge vent at the bottom empties the water out that you might catch when you let go of the snorkel and the dry valve works very well underwater...

I couldn’t have been more pleased with this snorkel. I have done hundreds of snorkeling trips, and this is the first snorkel that did not leave me drained and exhausted. It’s a pure delight. I did not have to spit water even once while gasping for air.Went for a whale swim while feeling super seasick and this snorkel saved me. All I had to do was chill and look down. Each time I feel like I’m scuba diving as I get perfect air. Dive in, swim out and continue breathing.

I snorkel mostly, diving down underwater every few minutes. This is my first dry snorkel.I had zero problems using it in the water. Actually, I transitioned so easily that I forget I had a new type of snorkel. I have, so far, not come across the valve shutting at an inopportune time. Good amount of air flow. I have a small mouth, but the mouthpiece fit comfortably in it. I'd buy again.

Sorry for the long review, but if you're like me and tend to "over-shop" things as you try to make a decision... I think this will make a pretty good case for 90% of snorkel shoppers to buy this one, and maybe 10% to skip it.On a previous snorkeling trip I purchased a Cressi Snorkel/Mask combo. I liked the snorkel but HATED the mask, so I had to return both. If you're shopping for an upcoming trip and are NOT a "pro" diver, there are a few tips that I'll repeat in all my snorkel/dive gear reviews, because I think this could help a casual snorkeler tremendously... you can read that at the end of this review.The reason I mentioned the previous trip and previous Cressi experience, is because I would have still been using the Cressi snorkel if I didn't have to return it in order to return the mask. (on the last trip the failure of the mask was so bad that I had to rent gear)... Well, that was fortunate, because while I liked the Cressi snorkel, I enjoyed THIS snorkel, the Mares Ergo Dry... MUCH MUCH more. My only complaint about the Cressi was that my breathing felt fatigued... it was a bit of work to breath through it. I thought it was me, until I used the Mares Ergo snorkel recently.I've been NAUI dive certified for about 20 years, but I haven't been diving in a long time. My old Dacor gear lasted a long time, but all of it has been trashed (some lent and never returned) for years... When I used the Cressi snorkel, I thought it was my age, or being in worse shape than I thought, that was causing the subtle strain in breathing, but nope, this Mares snorkel was just like I never missed a beat... it "breaths" well... i.e. pretty much like normal, EXCEPT for... as another reviewer stated... the dry function sometimes works when it shouldn't. This is where you have to be honest with yourself... if you have any diving experience, or substantial snorkeling experience, then you know there are times when you may want to take a breath, but can't. How are you when this happens? If you know yourself, and know your own comfort level (i.e. you don't panic)... then this really isn't a big deal. You go to take a breath... the snorkel won't let you... you try again and it does. Ironically, I consider this to be fairly minor, but my snorkeling buddy (inexperienced guy or girl) may find this scary. I found it reassuring as I NEVER got a gulp of water... not once over two weeks of solid snorkeling and diving. Still... this is the main reason I knocked off a star. I also agree with another reviewer that the clip... where it attaches to your mask... seems a little weak.Still... I have to say, I will definitely buy this snorkel again. If I see it in another color that I like... on "sale"... then I'll buy a spare any time... just so I have it for a friend, or a backup. On our recent trip I think my companion would have been thrilled to have this, after struggling with a cheap "sorta-dry" snorkel.I would almost give the star back for a 5 star rating because of the ERGO factor... which isn't just a marketing word. Right now as you shop Amazon just look at the other snorkels. Do you see how the mouth piece is on the end of a bend? Now look at how the mouthpiece on this one. This makes a difference in the comfort of a snorkel... there's no leverage pulling on your mouth as you also must bite down on the mouthpiece.Pros:1) Dry? Yep. Totally... but occasionally aggressively so. This will almost be comforting to an experienced person, but may be alarming to Joe Vacation swimmer.2) Mouthpiece... sized right... and ERGO. It's not just a marketing word, this snorkel IS very ergonomic.3) The tube shape and bends. The tube is oval as it passes your head... VERY smart! Less water resistance, larger air volume... and the bends have the snorkel where you want it. Out of the way and effectively serving it's purpose. What's not to like?4) The bottom purge. This is almost a toss-up... as it's another eventual failure point... but for now, I'm calling it a plus. It doubles your snorkel clearing ability. Everybody knows that you'll always drink some water you don't want to, but this helps a lot in preventing that.Cons:1) The dry function is fairly aggressive. You will occasionally come up for air... try to get a breath, and actually hear the valve closing while there's no apparent reason. If you are a sensitive person, this will annoy you tremendously, even though it doesn't happen often... it's going to happen at least once a day. You may take several pulls for air in a row... and you'll hear it go "clunk... clunk... clunk"... then clear. Some people will read this and race to another snorkel... that is why I said "10%" at the beginning... if that's you... if that idea scares you... then you don't want this snorkel... but if you are a calm diver... then you understand while I still recommend it for 90% who read this... it's also the main reason I didn't give it 5 stars.2) The clip. Not much else to say here... I wish the clip was more solid... like made of Nylon or something that knew was unbreakable. Eventually I'll put on a standard rubber clip or something that know can't break... this isn't even close to a deal-breaker however... just something I wish it had for peace of mind.*Tips for "regular folks" about to go on a snorkeling trip.1) Choose bright colored gear if possible... i.e. yellow or white.2) Don't buy your gear at the last minute (probably too late for many who read this)... I'm mentioning this because if you're shopping and relying on your Prime account to get your stuff on the last day before you leave... you're going to regret it unless you get lucky on your mask choice, etc.3) A mask fits if you can tilt your head back... LAY it on your face (don't use the strap and don't press, just SET it there)... then suck in through your nose and tilt your head down... does it hold for as long as you can hold your breath? If it does... it fits. If it only holds for a second or two... or... obviously, air starts seeping in right away... then it does NOT fit. Do NOT find yourself testing this out, with your only mask option... at the hotel or cruise on the way to your destination!4) Buy SPIT or some other anti-fogging solution! It goes a long way and a constantly fogging mask or NOT, will make all the difference, even if your mask fits. You can google for mask preparation as there are several ways to ensure your mask doesn't fog, or that fogging will be minimal. The best two ways I know is either toothpaste (low risk) or burning (high risk)... with toothpaste, you want something cheap... like pepsodent or standard paste, NOT gel... then you rub it into the inside of your new mask, and scrub it out... you want the grit to slightly (VERY slightly) buff the sheen/coating off the inside of your new mask... to burn a new mask, you hold a lighter on the lens (away from any edges) and make some soot, then buff that off... obviously in both cases this is ONLY for the inside of the lens... I hope that's a Mr. Obvious statement, but you never know. Either way, be sure to prep your (already sure fitting) mask, and you'll have a better time.5) "SPIT" or some other anti-fog prep, is applied before you go in... rub it into the inside of the mask, then wash it out before you put it on (right before)... YOU WILL REAPPLY THIS SEVERAL TIMES A DAY, NOT JUST AT THE START... Each time you get out of the water, you will have the best results if you reapply. If you're in/out every 30 minutes... maybe every other time, but it's cheap enough to do it every time. Real spit works too, but I think the professional stuff is well-worth the result for the cost.6) Get a neoprene strap or strap pad. I always used a velcro/neoprene strap before buying my latest mask, but I'm so happy with this DIRT CHEAP mask that I got recently... that I'll probably just use it as it came, with the pad... until something breaks. Wow was that mask/spit/pad combo ever a good deal... I'll buy another one of those as soon as I get done typing this very review. I'm not sure if I can paste a link here... but you'll see the Head Barracuda mask sold alone for thirty bucks... and meanwhile you can get two bottles of SPIT... a pad... a case... AND the mask for twenty, at least right now... I had no idea that mask would work as well as it did... that one will be an easy... EASY... 5 stars... honestly... it's at least 6 stars if I could give it an extra... BUT... a mask fit is very personal... so that's no guarantee that it's the one for you... although it fit both me, and my girl who is tiny compared to me... my only regret is that I didn't buy one for her too... I'm not kidding I may buy two extra just to have a spare for myself, and for someone else... I was blown away by that purchase... dirt dirt cheap for something that worked almost perfectly.7) TRAVEL FINS!!! Ugh... to replace my old professional fins I decided to buy new professional fins. I bought Mares Quattro OH and added the bungee straps... not only was this expensive, but holy cow... 99% regrets. The went almost totally unused as they cost too much to leave laying around... and they are huge and relatively heavy... If you hold your fins my the heals or straps... arms down... and they touch the ground... well... after a week I'll bet you fifty bucks you HATE them... and remember this very "tip"... don't do it... those big fins got carried around several times... and went virtually unused. I really hope I can return them and buy something else... as I would ONLY use them on a real dive... like a real real dive. Right now I'm honestly thinking full foot Mares Super-Channel... and using my jig-saw to cut them down a bit so that they fit in a back-pack. If I can return the Quattros, that's my plan unless I find a good option for a travel fin. If you think buying a full-size, full-performance fin is going to make a big difference in how much you enjoy snorkeling... you are right... that big set of fins will (almost) ruin it for you.8) Whatever you expect from the rental place (or excursion)... as far as gear... expect much, much worse. As my Quattro fins were so heavy, huge, and expensive... they stayed in the hotel since our destinations offered fins. This ended up getting me the worst of both worlds as far as fins are concerned. I had great fins that I couldn't use, and the supplied fins were worse than I could have expected. On one excursion I discovered that one fin was nearly cut through on the support blades... but I only realized this once the dive started, because one fin was "HINGED" and worked as if I were swimming with a broken leg... i.e. I had propulsion on one leg, and a drag-chute on the other!At another place, the straps on the supplied fins wouldn't stay connected... I ended up swimming with my toes "in a fist" to keep the fins from dropping off. Wow... yep... and this same thing repeated at yet another place. Have I stated it enough? I could not believe how junky the fins were at all the places we went to... I can't overstate this enough! If you choose the cheapest, junk travel fins you can find on Amazon... they will probably be at least twice as good as anything you get supplied for you. Again, I think the best advice will be at least "okay" fins... and if you have to (and are able to) modify them into travel fins, realizing of course that if you do something like this... it's at your own risk... i.e. you're reducing the effectiveness of your fins and claiming them permanently, even if you don't use 'em.9) Whatever you think of fins... if you think this one or that one is going to be the difference in how fast you swim... blah, blah, blah... nope, it's the shape you're in. That will make the biggest difference. To move big fins and swim fast takes big legs and cardio. If you're going snorkeling... don't worry about this. There's no free lunch... big awesome fins won't make you an olympic swimmer... and if your going snorkeling, it's not going to matter anyway. See next.10) The brochures for snorkeling trips are BS. If you go on a tour, or to a "national park" destination... i.e. most of the touted snorkeling locations off a cruise ship, or in Mexico... you will be STUCK with a guide... and you will be STUCK in a life-vest! The pictures you see in brochures are taken by divers, with good cameras, and more importantly, underwater lights! So... as you're shopping for all this stuff... and wanting everything to be perfect, and imagining how much difference the best gear choice will make... based on those amazingly colorful pictures you see in brochures and sales images for tours... NOPE... it's not going to be like that! Sure you can see some great stuff... and nice fish, etc. but it won't be like you are probably imagining.The things that will make your trip great (or stink) are making reasonable gear choices THAT FIT... ahead of time. Everything must be comfortable... but you'll be surprised at how much better a practical choice makes your trip... if you are the guy, like me, who always thinks you'll make sacrifices for performance... don't do it. Trust me... unless you're a pro, you're going to regret it.