Atomic Venom Mask Leak?

[SFLDiver3445]

I bought the Atomic Venom mask a few months ago. I do a lot of photography, and the super clear glass was a big selling point for me, so I didn't mind paying the $200 cost. I also do a lot of deep wreck deco diving, so having top-notch equipment is important to me.

Yesterday (April 6th) I dove the wreck of the RBJ off Pompano Beach, Florida. This wreck is in approximately 265', so after approximately 35 on the wreck, I racked up approximately 90 minutes of deco.

When I had approximately 50 minutes of deco left, I started to hear a bubbling sound. Since I dive a closed-circuit rebreather, bubbling sounds are not common. I looked up to try to get an idea where the bubbling was coming from, and immediately noticed the bubbles were coming from the frame of my mask and water was slowly leaking into my mask.

The leak eventually got considerably worse, and I started getting worried that I would not be able to finish the dive with this mask. This is a problem because I wasn't carrying a spare mask (I should have been), but because I was having to continuously clear my mask, and I was running low on diluent (main gas in my rebreather). Fortunately my buddy was carrying a spare mask, and I eventually had to swap to her mask, because the leak got pretty bad.

This mask comes with a lifetime warranty on the frame, so today I took the mask back to the shop where I bought it (Diver's Direct in Hollywood, FL), and when I explained the situation to them, they immediately exchanged the mask, without question.

I love the fit, design and the clear glass on this mask, which is why I'm sticking with it for now; however, I'm writing this post to see if anyone else has had a problem with an Atomic mask?

 

[kierentec]

I've seen 3 on our boat so far, 2 of them seperated like yours about half way through their dive week. the other one only did one day of diving with us, don't know what happened to his since.

I did get a pretty good chuckle when the guy that had been bragging for 3 days about how he had the best mask ever made and he can see so much better than everyone else blah blah blah came up from a dive whining about all the water in his mask.... he wasn't too happy when I showed him where the skirt was seperating from the frame and handed him a spare rental that we had on board.

 

[SFLDiver3445]

Jon, thanks for the heads-up on the other mask failures you've witnessed.

It's my understanding that this issue was caused by a production problem, which has since been corrected. However, I'm still concerned that the new mask they provided me today is from an old batch that's been sitting on a shelf for a while.

I do a lot of underwater photography, and the glass on this mask actually does provide a much clearer view, which is why I'm going to give it another try before I switch to a different mask. However, I definitely won't make the bonehead move of diving without a spare mask again, because had my buddy not had a spare mask, it would have made for a very unpleasant and long deco with a flooded mask!:shocked2:

I've made some inquiries via the manufacturer, so I'll update this thread if I acquire any new info.

 

[HIGHwing]

We sent back nearly 30 of them; our AA rep provided replacements. If you look at the mask from the inside, you should be able to confirm you have a broken one by looking at the bottom of the lenses by peeling back the plastic skirting just a bit there is about 1-inch where there is a complete lack of bond. AA is replacing Venoms as fast as possible... Rumor has it the Patent Number is being added to the skirt molding so that you know for sure you got a new one.

 

[Oldbear]

... If you look at the mask from the inside, you should be able to confirm you have a broken one by looking at the bottom of the lenses by peeling back the plastic skirting just a bit there is about 1-inch where there is a complete lack of bond... Rumor has it the Patent Number is being added to the skirt molding so that you know for sure you got a new one.

HIGHwing,

I bought an AA Venom mask from Leisure Pro as that I am in the Middle East and LP ships to U.S. Armed Forces Post Offices. Can you give a little more details on how to inspect the mask for the defects and what to look for? I have tried to follow your instructions but I am not quite sure what for & where at I am suppose to be looking.

Thanks,

~Michael~

 

[divezonescuba]

There are two small production time stamps molded into the skirt. The one on the left is for the year of manufacture. The one on the right is for the month. I will see if I can find out what the critical month is. We have one that was manufactured in 03/12 and are curious about this ourselves.

 

[SFLDiver3445]

There are two small production time stamps molded into the skirt. The one on the left is for the year of manufacture. The one on the right is for the month. I will see if I can find out what the critical month is. We have one that was manufactured in 03/12 and are curious about this ourselves.

Where on the skirt are you finding these stamps, because I'm not finding them on mind.

I hope that doesn't mean my mask is one of the defective ones.

Mine is the replacement one I exchanged and it's still unused. I think I may stop by the dive shop where I got it and have a chat with the manager tomorrow.

Btw, I never heard back from the manufacturer in response to the email I sent them.

 

[AMorneau]

Atomic Aquatics Venom Mask leaking - YouTube

Hi, just joined Scuba Board when I read this post. I just bought mine in February and the quick YouTube video above is what happened on the second dive I did in Cozumel. I returned my mask to the dive shop (Montreal Scuba Diving PADI Certification Courses and Dive Equipment Shop) in the middle of March and have heard nothing since. The only information I have from the staff is that Atomic indicated that the first to have been shipped had a defect. It was also more on the red ones (I am assuming as this is the popular colour). I will be interested to follow this post as I am skeptical about a solution to this problem. it would be nice for Atomic to address this on the post.

 

[SFLDiver3445]

That Youtube video reflects the exact same problem I had with my mask.
I called Atomic Aquatics Friday (04-20-12), because I wanted to know how to identify if the replacement mask I received was ok. The person I spoke with told me that every Venom mask was not defective, so there was not way to know. I asked about the marking of dates on the skirt, and I was told that some new masks were being marked.

I then got in contact with the manager at the dive shop I purchased and got it replaced from. The manager told me he was unaware of any scientific method of identifying the defective masks. However, he did tell me that in March, he had his staff go through all the Venom masks they had in stock. He said they checked each mask by pulling on the rubber molding on the inside of the mask, where it meets the glass. He indicated they returned all masks that separated. Mine was replaced at the beginning of April, he felt pretty confident that mine was ok.

Even though the conditions were pretty bad, I did manage to make it out yesterday and do relatively shallow wreck dive and the mask seemed to work great. I guess time will tell.

 

[divezonescuba]

The year and month molding stamps are left and right two thirds down the sides of the nose pocket.