By Martha Lee
Has anyone tried a Dive Buddy Swimband for snorkeling? It is a headband, helpful for controlling hair while in the water. I have straight, slick hair, longer than Nicole’s. A number of years ago I began using two pigtails, at her suggestion, and that had really helped contain my hair. But there are still some stray hairs around my face that need taming. I have tried lycra swim caps, but they just come off and get lost. I’m afraid that would happen with the Buff too.
I saw a scuba shop (also Amazon) advertising the Dive Buddy Swimband. It’s nylon and lycra and adjusts with a bungee and cord lock. You can see it here on the Dive Buddy Originals website. I like that it sounds really adjustable, for avoidance of headaches that I tend to get with too-tight headbands. But does it really work under snorkeling conditions?
Thanks for sharing any experiences with the Dive Buddy Swimband for snorkeling.
Hi Martha, thanks for your question. Hopefully someone will be able to share their experience. Here is a link to the Dive Buddy Swimbands on Amazon. You can help us if you use this link. We may make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
I use a similar thing we bought in Bali. It is batik material gathered with elastic and fits similarly as the Dive Buddy. I like it because it covers my part and cowlick. However, when snorkeling I use the batik headband for the little hairs and a thin Lycra hood for the sun. It not only insures the scalp is covered, but also covers the sides of my face and I can pull it up over my chin if needed. I have had it for years and it still works well.
Happy snorkeling!
I went ahead and bought the Dive Buddy Swim Band. I got the bright greenish yellow one for visibility. I tried it out snorkeling in South Florida and Bimini in December 2024.
I liked the adjustability of the bungee cord, since I am prone to headaches when a headband is too tight. I was able to get it set just right: not too loose and not too tight. If I positioned it well, it did help to keep those stray hairs out of my face and mask. I did need to take it off and put it back on every now and then. And it was not loose enough to get lost, also a major requirement. (I have a narrow head.)
One thing to be aware of: when I was washing it out in the sink afterward, it stained several changes of water bright yellow. I presume this is from the bright yellow bungee cord. Other colors have differently colored bungee cords, but I don’t know if those colors run.