Orange County Scuba Diving CourseHow to select a Dive mask
The human eye cannot focus in water. The mask provides an air pocket so your eyes can focus and you can see clearly underwater.
All dive masks must have:
- An enclosed nose piece. Your nose must be within the eye pocket so you can adjust for pressure changes. This is why swim goggles cannot be used for scuba diving.
- Tempered glass. Plastic fogs up and standard glass is hazardous if accidentally broken.
Your dive mask should have:
- A feathered, double skirt. This makes the seal more reliable and comfortable.
- A wide strap with touch buckle adjustment. This is so it can be adjusted quickly, easily and stays adjusted during the dive.
- A canted-in bottom. This shapes the eye panel for maximum viewing angle up and down and side to side.
You dive mask can have:
- Custom optically corrected lenses. Some masks can be fitted with prescription lenses, which is convenient, if not necessary, if you wear glasses or use contacts.
How to choose a mask:
- Hold the mask gently against your face. Do not use the strap.
- Inhale gently through your nose.
- If it fits properly the mask will stick to your face and stay there without air leaking through the skirt and without continuous suction through your nose.
- Choose only from the ones that fit as described.
Tips:
- Don't buy a cheap mask. Masks may all look the same (except for color and design), but the things you can't see, such as the quality of the silicone and glass, are more important than those you can. It is one of your most important pieces of gear. Think of it this way: If you only have a mask, you can still have a lot of fun swimming in the shallows looking beneath the surface. If you have every piece of scuba gear except a mask, you wouldn't even get in the water.
- Scrub out the mask and use defog. Mask fog can make your dive miserable, but it's actually easy to prevent. First, scrub out a new mask with a soft scrub, toothpaste or as recommended by the manufacturer. This removes a chemical that sometimes coats the glass during manufacturing and causes the glass to fog. You only need to do this when you get the mask. Then, before each dive, use defogging solution according to the instructions.
.