Any pros to having a black skirt?

[b1gcountry]

does the area you dive in play a part? I will be diving in the Seattle area, and it is not famous for really high vis

I doubt you will have a tremendous amount of ambient light in Seattle, so it probably won't make much difference either way...

 

[D_B]

I have two identical masks and find I prefer the black skirted one for the better vision even though it has the disadvantage of less peripheral awareness than through a clear skirt

I have kept my clear skirt clear by using a dish washing scrubby on it so it takes off that "soap skum" ... still looks clear

 

[TSandM]

It does make a difference, even in Seattle, if you are using high intensity lights as communication tools.

I lost a mask in the surf in LA, and had to replace it there. The only thing I could find to fit me in the shop where I went was a clear-skirted mask. What I found was that every time my buddy moved his light, it made me jump. I had become accustomed to a certain amount of light movement meaning, "Look at me," and with the clear-skirted mask, I was getting "that" amount of signal from my buddy's normal light usage. As I had to get another mask anyway (the replacement couldn't have bifocals put in it) I went back to a black skirt. Works better for me.

 

[BigFame]

thanks to all for the great info, I will certainly be as well informed as I can be prior to making any purchases thanks to the folks at SB. I am ready to start my classes but scheduling (and waiting for one buddy to get the time and money etc) has held us up. Its killing me to wait, so the only thing I cn do is gather data and I appreciate everyones help.

 

[D_B]

gathering data is fun
... so is window shopping

 

[scubaskipper]

I can't believe no one mentioned that you can't see the black mold that eats into the silicone. If the material is black, you don't notice it. Maybe not a problem anywhere but Florida. Mold or mildew grows on everything here. With a black skirt, you don't gross out all the other divers when you come up the ladder with scuba nose! All the other reasons for a black skirt on your mask were also valid.

 

[Lord Melch]

If you are thinking that you are going to look like a stud in dive gear... think again!

Only divers find dive gear *cool*. For the rest it is just a truck load of ugly, unnecessary stuff!

+1 Ditto bikers all dressed up in "race leathers" they think they are cool. Everyone else is laughing

 

[floridanewbe]

Dandruff would be the only drawback