Best Waterproof Bag for Snorkeling: 2023 Snorkeler’s Review

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Here is the short and sweet version if you don’t feel like reading the rest of this article.

Meet Ugo, your underwater best friend who’s going to keep all your can’t-live-without items safe and dry.

Well if you are like me and research the heck out of anything to make sure you are making a smart purchase, then keep reading to find out why I love this little snorkeling bag.

First of all, why do you need a waterproof bag? 2 reasons.

We have done some incredible off-shore snorkeling like when we were in Haulover Bay in St. John USVI (as shown above). These outdoor excursions will require some kind of waterproof pouch to carry valuables like a phone, money, credit cards, and car keys.

Never leave these items in the car or on the beach. Car break-ins for these easy-target valuables do occur especially in the Caribbean islands.

We leave nothing in our rental car and often keep the doors unlocked.

Once on the beach, I strap on my snorkeling bag and then jump in the water ready to go.

There are some snorkeling sites you cannot reach yourself and must book a tour to access.

Some of our favorite snorkeling tours are Shark Ray Alley in Belize and our Whale Shark Tours in Mexico and the Maldives.

In cases like this, I still store all of my valuables in my snorkeling pouch. The bag keeps them protected from any water spray on the boat. Then I’ll just leave the bag on the boat while I snorkel.

When you are shopping for a waterproof bag, you really need to be looking out for these 5 features:

IP (Ingress Protection) rating shows how well a device is protected against substances like dirt, moisture, and water.

Look for an IP rating of 68, which means it is protected from dust and from long-term immersion in water up to a certain pressure/depth.

Does the snorkeling bag float?

Positive buoyancy is important just in case your bag gets accidentally thrown overboard or sneaks out of your hands before you can secure it in the water.

Learn from my mistakes!

We were in Vietnam several years ago. Unfortunately, my husband knocked my iPhone in the water while we were near the railing on our cruise in Ha Long Bay.

If I had owned an Ugo waterproof bag at that time, there would have been a chance I could have recovered my phone!

There are many waterproof snorkeling bags to choose from.

Some just fit your phone, others are slightly larger to accommodate keys, credit cards, etc, and others are big enough to fit a tablet or small electronics.

I feel the best one is somewhere in the middle.

If you do offshore snorkeling, you’ll need a pouch that not only will hold your phone but will also carry your keys for your rental car, driver’s license, and any cash/credit cards.

You do not want to be looking down every few seconds to make sure your bag’s seal is still holding. Especially when that beautiful eagle ray decides to zoom right past you.

There are some bags that have these triple seals + Velcro closure. Think of like a Ziplock bag that you seal three times and then Velcro over the top like the HEETA Waterproof Pouch.

I snorkeled with this bag for many years at many different snorkel sites until one day while we were snorkeling at Boca Catalina in Aruba, the bag leaked!!!!

My phone was destroyed, and I was devastated.

Use these types of bags with caution and change out frequently if you do purchase one because they do lose their seal over time.

A good seal is obviously the #1 feature to look for in a swimming waterproof bag!

The uZip zipper on the Ugo is what makes it so unique. More on that later!

A touch-sensitive screen will be important to some but not me.

I use my GoPro Hero for ALL of my videos underwater.

If you do not have a GoPro and are not planning on purchasing a GoPro, then the alternative is to use your phone. You can slide it into a touch-sensitive screen bag to take all your underwater videos.

Remember all those features we just mentioned? Yeah, Ugo has all of them.

Here are the items I can comfortably fit into my Ugo 2.0 snorkeling pouch:

• My iPhone
• Electronic car rental keys
• Cash/credit cards/ driver’s license
• Sunglasses

Snorkeling is my first passion, but my husband and I also love other water sports.

Another use-case scenario for the Ugo is paddle boarding.

Because of the included waist/shoulder strap, it’s easy to be hands-free but still keep your valuables close as you paddle through the water.

On a recent trip ocean kayaking into Benagil Cave in Portugal, we accidentally tumbled into the water on our ungraceful attempt to dismount onto the beach inside the cave.

Luckily, Ugo to the rescue! It kept all my vital items dry.

I also used my Ugo on a recent kayaking trip to Pinel Island in St. Martin.

Luckily, we didn’t topple into the water this time, so I didn’t have to put my Ugo into action (but it was ready to perform if needed!).

Alright, let’s talk about the elephant in the room.

The cost. $129. Ouch.

I get it. It’s expensive, especially when you see other waterproof pouches start as low as ~ $15 on Amazon.

I hate overspending for something. Value for the money is super important to me. So, I tried the $15 option, and it got me through many snorkeling adventures … until one day it did not.

Water leaked in and destroyed my phone. Like many of you, I use my phone for EVERYTHING. Having that lifeline temporarily taken away was debilitating not to mention the expense of buying another phone.

Now, $129 doesn’t seem too bad for peace of mind. I will never use anything else. Spending a little more money up front to potentially save money and my sanity down the road was worth it to me.

I research any possible purchase item extensively and always want to make sure I’m getting good value for my money.

I can say without hesitation the Ugo is hands down the best waterproof bag for snorkeling I have found.

I dare you to find something better.

If you are interested in what else you should be bringing on your next snorkeling trip, don’t miss my articles below! Happy snorkeling!

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Questions about our experience with Ugo?

Let me know in the comments below!