7 Best Snorkeling Vests in 2020

Last update: 24. December 2019

Exploring the oceans with a snorkeling mask is an incredibly great experience. Hidden underwater landscapes and the unique animal world are waiting to be discovered. But if you spend hours on snorkeling trips you will soon realize that this is quite exhausting. The constant movement to stay on the water surface is annoying and over time quite tiring.

Snorkeling vests solve the problem. For swimming beginners and regular swimmers these inflatable vests are ideal. Compared to a life jacket, snorkeling vests are much lighter. The latter offer enough buoyancy to keep better at the surface. The buoyancy aid is also helpful in case of unexpected weather changes and thus also contributes to your own safety. In an emergency, a snorkel vest is very valuable, but should never replace a real life jacket.

A good snorkel vest weighs little, offers a lot of freedom of movement and is a practical buoyancy aid, but also allows you to dive. By means of a simple inflation valve, the vest can be further inflated or deflated as required.

A number of vests have made it onto our list of best vests, which have convinced both in snorkeling vest tests and in the eyes of the customers. If you want to buy a snorkel vest, you can also use our buying guide, in which we explain step by step the individual features that should be considered when choosing a snorkel vest.

There is a wide range of snorkeling vests available. If you are just starting out with snorkelling, you may not know which models are suitable. For this reason we have compiled a list of the best vests that have been tested in snorkeling vests and customer reviews have been positive.

The Best Snorkeling Vests

#	Product	Rating
1		Lyuwpes Inflatable Snorkel Vest
	Lyuwpes Snorkeling Vest: small footprint, large buoyancy (from 80 to 220 lbs) while snorkeling; fluorescence colors provide excellent visibility, great for learners and good swimmers Fast Inflation, Fast Deflation: snorkel vest supports the body, just right fully inflated without the need of excess air, convenient mouthpiece location Horse Collar Style Over The Neck: simple to put on and take off, very comfortable without skin abrasions, fitting well for most adults
2		Faxpot Men/Women Snorkel Vest Adult
	【Faxpot Snorkeling Vest】: This inflatable vest provides enough buoyancy while snorkeling, And the neon colors provide excellent visibility, great for learners. 【Material】: Outer layer of durable nylon material, and inner with high strength waterproof PVC membrane can load up to 220 Ibs, with high air tightness and super durability. 【Fast Inflation & Fast Deflation】: Just right fully inflated without the need of excess air. Press and hold blow air valve when inflating or deflating, And the valve will be automatically shut down when loosen it .
3		WACOOL Inflatable Snorkel Vest
	Ultimate Snorkeling Vest for Kids: Small footprint, large buoyancy(from 80 to 220 lbs); Neon colors provide excellent visibility, idea for learners & swimmers. Main Material: Polyester 60% (outer) + PVC 40% (inner). Fast Inflation and Deflation: Fully inflated in 15 seconds with your breath blow. Inflated it, keep you floating for a rest. Deflated the vest then you wanna dive down. Convenient blow in valve location. When deflated, just a book size, would not take up much luggage space. Horse Collar over the Neck: Simple to put on and take off, very comfortable. Large enough for most adults. This inflatable vest provides enough buoyancy while snorkeling, give you more confidence to explore in the water.
4		OMOUBOI Large Snorkel Vest Adult
	【Non-toxico Durable Material】---OMOUBOI snorkel vests are made of good quality polyester material uter layer and high strength waterproof PVC membrane inner layer. We also improve the cap of the vent tube to make it perform better and prevent leakage to ensure your safety. What's more, this inflatable snorkel vest provides enough buoyancy while snorkeling, gives you more confident and safety to explore in the water 【Easy and Comfortable to Wear】---OMOUBOI snorkel vest with horse collar design which is simple to put on and take off. You are going to swim freely like a fish in the water without any oppression. Adjustable waist and crotch straps are made of strong and durable nylon. Adjust the length through the buckle, waist straps make the snorkel vest fit body, crotch straps keep your place, your snorkel vest doesn't slip or ride up while you are snorkeling, which improves wearing comfort and stability 【Inflate and Deflate Fastly】---When you want extra buoyancy to stay on the surface, you just need pressing the air valve and then blow air with your mouth about 10 seconds to complete the inflating. The valve will be automatically shut down when loosen it. It's convenience to adjust buoyancy in the water even while you're wearing the snorkel vest. Pressing and hold blow air valve a few seconds for a fast deflation, when you wanna dive down
5		Faxpot Inflatable Life Jacket Adult
	【Purpose】: A life jacket that won't hold back your water sport enjoyment, and that can give the novice or expert the floatation they need when doing water activities. 【Material】: This inflatable life vests has passed “Pony Testing”, being made of 210D nylon ripstop outer shell and thicken PVC inner liner. The bright neon colors add excellent visibility at a distance. 【Design】: This jacket style inflatable snorkel vest with heavy-duty front zipper closure. And the back is mesh style for breathable and cool. it just need about 10s fully inflate it with mouth. And we have added extra leg strap to solve the problem that the whole life Jacket float upward. certainly, whether to use the leg strap, it's all up to you.
6		OMOUBOI Inflatable Snorkel Jacket
	Reusable Snorkel Jacket: OMOUBOI snorkel jacket adult is made of ripstop polyester outer layer and thickened PVC inner liner which ensure our life vests don't leak during use. Our snorkel vests for adults will elevate your confidence and self-reliance in the water. Our inflatable vest is reusable, you would get more fun from this snorkel jacket Convenient to Use: When you want extra buoyancy to stay on the surface, you just need pressing the air valve and then blow air with your mouth about 10 seconds to complete the inflating. The valve will be automatically shut down when loosening it. It is convenient to adjust buoyancy in the water even while you're wearing the snorkel jacket Snorkel Vest Adult With Leg Straps: OMOUBOI snorkel life vest adult with heavy-duty front zipper closure that makes it easy to put on and take off. What's more, you could adjust its waistline through the buckle according to your weight, makes the inflatable jacket fit your body. And we have added extra leg straps to solve the problem that the whole life vest float upward. With leg straps, You will feel more comfortable. Certainly, whether to use the leg straps, it all depends on you
7		Innovative Scuba Snorkel
	Vest is designed to add buoyancy while snorkeling without sacrificing comfort Made from durable 210 denier urethane-coated nylon for maximum durability Intuitive screw-down oral inflation mouthpiece (plastic) provides in-water inflation

Guide: Choose a snorkeling vest

If you want to find a good snorkeling vest, there are a few aspects to consider. In the following we will go into the most important features of the vests, which you should consider when choosing.

various types

Basically there are two different types of snorkel vests:

material

Snorkeling vests are made of different materials. Here there are some materials that are better suited than others. Nylon is used very often. The reason for this is the high wearing comfort and the light weight. Neoprene is used for life jackets. The material is, just like cotton, particularly suitable for use in cold water.

size

Each snorkeling vest is designed for a certain maximum load capacity. If you weigh more than the vest can carry, you should look for a larger model. Also make sure that the straps are long enough to encompass your body.

You can find the details of the individual sizes in the product descriptions and on the manufacturer’s website. The size specifications of different manufacturers can only be compared to a limited extent. Often, the way in which the information is determined is different.

visibility

One of the most important safety features of snorkel vests is their good visibility in the water. The vests often come in a bright colour and are also easy to locate in the water when the waves are rough. Yellow, orange and green neon colours stand out particularly well in dark blue water.

In an emergency, lifeguards can easily identify snorkelers in the water by their vests. Especially parents who want to buy a snorkel vest for children should pay attention to the bright colours when choosing a vest.

Transport

Most people do not have the pleasure of living right next to the water. If you want to go on a snorkeling trip, you have to carry all your snorkeling equipment to the water.

Many water sports enthusiasts love snorkeling in the exotic holiday paradises such as South-East Asia and therefore have to stow their snorkeling equipment in the already tightly packed suitcases.

In general, snorkeling vests are small and take up little space. Classical life jackets, on the other hand, are somewhat heavy and the pack size is also larger.

field of application

Snorkeling vests are made exactly for this purpose. For other water sports the vests are only conditionally suitable. A lifejacket does not replace snorkeling vests in any way. Buoyancy is lower and snorkel vests – unlike classic life jackets – do not have a device to keep a body above water in case of fainting.

inflation valve

A snorkeling vest is similar in design to the life jackets found under the seats in an airplane. In contrast to these, however, snorkel vests cannot be inflated by means of a CO2 cartridge. Air is blown into the vest via an inflation valve or released by pressing the valve together.

For this purpose a Restube would be interesting. The Restube is particularly suitable for children and young people. By pulling a string forcefully, a CO2 cartridge inflates a small bathing island, which provides additional buoyancy. If you like, you can inflate the small swimming island even before the snorkeling trip.

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about snorkeling vests

Snorkeling vests are great for inexperienced swimmers, snorkeling beginners, children and teenagers. Even experienced swimmers on long snorkeling trips should not do without this piece of equipment.

Instead of having to stay on the surface with small swimming movements all the time, snorkelers who wear such a vest can concentrate fully on the underwater drift.

The vests are light and have a small pack size. The snorkeling vests are accordingly uncomplicated in transport. They are also a good protection against UV radiation and keep you warm.

How to find the size of a snorkeling vest?

When choosing a vest, the size of the vest and the wearing capacity should be considered. Firstly, the straps must be long enough to encompass the body and fit comfortably. On the other hand the buoyancy force plays an important role. A snorkeling vest has to be designed for your weight to keep your body on the water surface.

How do you use a snorkeling vest?

Many snorkeling beginners do not know what a snorkeling vest is. The use of such a vest is actually very easy. The first thing to do is to make sure that the vest is securely strapped around the body. Then the vest is filled with air via the inflation valve. If you want to get the maximum of buoyancy, the snorkel vest fills completely. On the water the air can be released again by squeezing the valve.

Conclusion

The snorkeling vests we present are all a good choice for your next snorkeling trip. The vests offer additional buoyancy and make long trips on the water easier. The bright colours and the extra buoyancy are other important safety features, especially for snorkeling teenagers and children.

Average rating 5 with a total of 1 votes