Tips on Waterproof Boxes & Bags for Snorkeling

Waterproof boxes or bags are really useful when you are snorkeling at a public beach area and don't want your valuables stolen. Strap one around your waist and you don't have to worry about it.

We have used waterproof boxes for years whenever we are in public areas and entering the water from the beach.

The things we have stuck in it in the past are:

• Money
• Passports
• ID
• Rental car keys (very expensive to replace)
• Ipods
• Cell Phone
• Point & shoot camera (we sometimes have a "land" camera besides our snorkeling cameras)

Just the small important stuff. We don't worry about our snorkel gear bag, towels, clothes, sunglasses, etc.

It is not like we have ever had anything stolen (maybe because we take these precautions?). It is just piece of mind. We don't have to think about it. Because when we are away from home if any of those things got stolen it would really waste a lot of our travel time. We much prefer to take our valuables with us like this rather than leave them in the car or hotel.

So there are a variety of products you can use to do this. There are a few good ones, and a lot of cheap (leaky) bad ones. Two good options are shown below.

Note: No matter what method you choose below, do this....put everything in a good quality zip lock bag, and zip it closed, before putting it all in your waterproof bag or box. It is very inexpensive way to guarantee you won't get ruined stuff if your case or bag floods (it only takes one hair sometimes). You can also throw some silica desiccants in there to help keep moisture down.

There are basically two different types of products for this purpose.

Waterproof Bags (or pouches, or wallets, or waist packs, or fanny packs, or armbands) These are normally translucent plastic bags with some sort of waterproof seal at one end. Don't be tempted to try and use what is called a dry bag. These achieve their waterproof opening by folding over the top several times and attaching some sort of clip (or velcroing it down). These are not a good choice. Besides not being very waterproof, they are bulky. Get a bag that has a simple and secure waterproofing clamp at the top, like the ones made by Aquapac. The best model is the Aquapac Belt Waterproof Case (pictured on the left below). It is the ideal size for passports, money, cellphones, etc. Other popular models are the Aquapac Keymaster and Aquapac Whanganui in different sizes. They also make a neat armband version. Kwik Tek and Akona also make decent bags.

Waterproof Boxes
This is what we use (pictured above), mostly because when we got it we had a decent amount of heavy stuff to put in it. But if you only have keys and some id and money, we would probably go with one of the Aquapacs above.

There are two major brands of waterproof boxes. The most well known and available are Pelican Boxes. But we greatly prefer Otter Waterproof Boxes. Why? If you look at the fine print, Pelican Boxes only claim to be water-resistant, and Otter Boxes guarantee they are waterproof down to 100 feet. Also Otter Boxes website has links to the technical drawings of each of their products, which if you can't see one in person before you buy it really helps you figure out what size to get.

Whatever you get, go for a clear color so that you can look in at times and make sure it is not flooding. Ours has a clear top. We also prefer the vertically loading ones, because we feel like the smaller opening has less chance for springing a leak.

Using a Waterproof Box Or Bag Snorkeling
We greatly prefer to strap one of these around our waist. Putting things around your neck is not a good idea. It will hang in your way in the water and be a nuisance. The companies always have pictures of people standing on beaches with these around their necks, but that is not how we use them (we are laying down in the water).

So long as you don't get too big of a box or bag, you won't even notice it in the water. Our box floats, so Nicole (she normally wears it) says she almost never feels it. In the picture below you can just see the otter box Nicole is wearing.

If you get a box or a bag, just make sure that your waist strap is positively connected to it. I would not use the supplied belt clips that some come with. We just used a strap we found, threaded around the box loop twice (to keep it from sliding), and there you go.

See LeisurePro's selection of waterproof snorkeling pouches.

What do you use for a waterproof bag when snorkeling?