DIVE MASK – USEFUL TIPS
MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF YOUR CONFIGURATION?
In order to scuba dive we need to carry quite a lot of equipment. Most of components that form our configuration are essential for our underwater safety and comfort. Dive mask is quite a simple piece of our configuration, all of you had probably known even before taking the very first breath from a scuba regulator.
Although dive masks are so basic and simple in their construction, many scuba divers don’t take into account their important impact. After all, the mask is what makes it possible for us to see underwater ! If this little piece of equipment does not fit properly it can create problems that ruin our dives. Limited field of vision, leaks, uncomfortable straps, fogging and many other issues are often just ignorred by divers while it is easy to solve them before they turn into serious problems.
PROPER FIT
Were you adviced to suck in the mask to your face through your nose in order to check if the mask would fit you? Did you realize that every mask with a silicone skirt sticks to your face quite tightly once it’s sucked in this way? There are many different sizes and shapes of masks on the market. The one that is the best for YOU is the one that gets water-tight on your face with a minimal help of the mask strap. If you need to make the strap so tight that you feel any minimal discomfort or even worse – pain, consider replacing your mask with another model. The strap is there to keep your mask in place – not to make it tight !
Moustache in quite an obvious way makes it more difficult to seal the mask on your face. If you want to avoid very tight straps you may want to test a mask with a slightly shorter silicone skirt.
FOGGING MASK
Most of the masks fog when they are new. This is caused by a very thin layer of silicone film, placed on the glass to protect it from scratching during the manufacturing process.
The protective coating is oily. The oily surface favors condensation of water vapor and this is what makes your mask fogging.
How to fix it? Simply by removing the post-production film. There are many options to do so. Burning, toothpaste, dishwasher, dedicated drops, applying detergents – all of these methods eventually lead to removing the oily residue. Additionally, applying anty-fog spray or saliva will decrease the surface tension of the moisture on the glass of your mask and prevent fogging even further.
Wait a second! What does it mean that my mask starts fogging again after a while?
Remember what we said about oily surface? Greasy fingers can easily make the surface of your mask oily again! Keep it in mind when touching your mask after a lunch break or after using creams! In any case the solution is exactly the same as with the brand new mask – get read of the oily residual and apply syntetic or natural anti-foggers (spray or spit 🙂 .
FRAMED OR FRAMELESS?
The fundamental question is – if it fits and feels comfortable. The type of mask should be a secondary concern.
Our field of vision depends on the distance between our eyes and the masks’ glass. It’s like looking out from a window – the closer you stand the wider angle you can see.
In most of the cases, single-window, frameless masks are low profiled and provide quite wide field of vision. On top of that they are generally more compact and easier to clear from the water.
Some framed masks however, give possibility to install corrective lenses. Keep in mind that using correcting lenses underwater should be consulted with an experience optometrist. It might be that you will end up having more benefits from lenses glued onto your frameless mask instead .
To conclude – frameless mask will provide you with a wider field of view, however, it’s for a 100% better to use a mask that you feel comfortable with – no matter if it’s framed or frameless.
BACKUP MASK
Imagine you accidentally loose your favorite mask underwater. What is the most important wish you have at that very moment? Probably – to have it back ! A backup mask is an essential safety element of your overall configuration.
Now, what would you like to get out from your pocket if you loose your primary mask? Probably a mask that is in the same working condition as the one you have just lost… Loosing a mask is itself quite a stressful experience so you don’t want to increase your stress level by switching to an old, leaking, fogging, uncomfortable mask. Ideally, your main and backup masks should be exactly the same or very simillar. In this way you limit the risk of stress escalation during such an event.
TRY IT BEFORE YOU BUY IT
You can find many different masks in our catalog. All of them have their pros and cons and it’s only one way to make a good choice – try them on in a shop and ask for advice. If you happen to visit Warsaw, you can also mett our team in Tecline Academy and get to know more details – not only about masks :).
Please don’t underestimate the impact that a dive mask has on your diving.
Small changes may make a significant effect.
Did you like this content? Explore more articles about diving equipment in our partner magazine – Perfect Diver.
