Check your mask for leaks!

[JaminBrown]

I bought XS Scuba mask about 6 years ago. It got used only for a week of snorkeling on my honeymoon in 2015, then open water training and 26 logged dives over the last year.

My past few dives I thought I'd been having a hard time getting my mask to seal. Slow water ingress, requiring some mask clearing every few minutes. A minor annoyance, but an annoyance nonetheless.

In prep for a dive tomorrow, I decided maybe it just needed a good cleaning to get grease off the skirt. I put it face down in the sink and as I started filling it with water, and it started pooling up through the edges of the lenses! Huh, well that explains why I couldn't seem to keep my mask clear.

I don't know what model the XS was, but it had two separate lenses, clipped against the skirt from the front with plastic surrounds. I tried to gently pull them off to see if I could clean the sealing surface, but the plastic tabs on the surrounds broke off.

So I went mask shopping.

But it was a great reminder to inspect your gear carefully, and not assume a problem you are having is your fault when there could be another explanation.

 

[vjb.knife1]

Did you get a replacement? I recommend the TUSA Freedom HD. I have purchased quite q few over the past 3 years or so and this is my favorite regardless of price. I have an Atomic Venom and a Frameless 2 and most recently a Zeagle Scope mono.

 

[JaminBrown]

Did you get a replacement? I recommend the TUSA Freedom HD. I have purchased quite q few over the past 3 years or so and this is my favorite regardless of price. I have an Atomic Venom and a Frameless 2 and most recently a Zeagle Scope mono.

Picked up an Atomic Venom Frameless yesterday afternoon. Sealed best of those I tried on. Looking forward to using it today!

 

[vjb.knife1]

I found the venom to seal pretty well but the first one I had was terrible at fogging up so clean it many time befroe you use it. I cleaned that mask a dozen or more times with various things and had no luck. I sent it back to Atomic and they replaced it. The second one was much better but still required several cleanings. Atomic told me that they had a batch of them with similar problems; this was a couple of years ago.

I liked the Atomic Frameless 2 better because it had a wider field of view. It also had less fogging and seals just as well at a much lower price.

The Zeagle Scope Mono is a leaker unless you are clean shaven. The Atomics seem to seal better on a rough face. The elastic fabric strap on the Zeagle is very comfortable. But that leads to the other problem with the Scope if you are snorkeling. the snorkle retainer is an elastic fabric as well and is a little wonky. It is long and lets the snorkle flop around a lot; it is not a dealbreaker but I think they could have made it simpler and better. The nose pocket is pretty large on this mask and if you are cramped in other masks this may help.

For me the Tusa Fredom HD has been a very nice mask at a pretty reasonable price; lower than the others. It has a good field of view and just plain works well. It probably is a little higher volume but that makes no difference to me.

I do about four dives a month and snorkel a couple of times a week here in Hawaii. I also swim a mile and a 1/4 twice a week and wear a mask and snorkel. So this stuff gets used pretty often.

I am still testing the Zeagle Scope Mono, I just got it a couple of weeks ago. But so far I like the The TUSA Fredom HD and the Atomic Frameless 2 the best, so I will go back to one of them soon. They are pretty close IMO.

I hope the Atomic you chose works out for you.

 

[Still Kicking]

The best mask FOR YOU is the mask that fits YOU best. I define "fit" as being able to put the mask on and not have it leak first time, almost every time. You can check fit somewhat by doing the sniff test -- touch it lightly to your face an inhale lightly to create a vacuum -- but there is no real substitute for trying it in the water. Make sure you can exchange the mask after a pool test if it leaks.

Aside from fit and being able to easily pinch your nose to equalize, everything else -- price, size, color, style, tint, brand etc. -- all fall under "personal preference."

One more tip -- once you find a mask that really fits you, buy a couple of extras. Dollars to donuts the manufacturer will discontinue that model just before you lose it or break it

 

[JaminBrown]

Took the new mask out yesterday. It's a *much* nicer experience when the inside of the mask stays dry! The shop I got it from has a 1 year exchange policy. So if it turns out I'm not happy with it, I can swap it out for something better. But my initial reaction is good!

The dive itself was only 3' visibility, trying to help friends find a lost mooring. Found a tire, someone else's mooring line, and my wife saw a horseshoe crab. But still, another day in the water beats a day with no bubble time!

 

[vjb.knife1]

The best mask FOR YOU is the mask that fits YOU best. I define "fit" as being able to put the mask on and not have it leak first time, almost every time. You can check fit somewhat by doing the sniff test -- touch it lightly to your face an inhale lightly to create a vacuum -- but there is no real substitute for trying it in the water. Make sure you can exchange the mask after a pool test if it leaks.

Aside from fit and being able to easily pinch your nose to equalize, everything else -- price, size, color, style, tint, brand etc. -- all fall under "personal preference."

One more tip -- once you find a mask that really fits you, buy a couple of extras. Dollars to donuts the manufacturer will discontinue that model just before you lose it or break it

This is all good advice but the problem is these days some dealers will not take returns on masks because of the fauxdemic. Also most of the time I have had to special order the equipment I am interested in and then they willnot take a return on that either. On this side of the Island we don't even have any active cases and people are still puckered up tight about it.

 

[scrane]

On this side of the Island we don't even have any active cases and people are still puckered up tight about it.

Good for them. That's why there are no active cases near you.
Stay well.

 

[lexvil]

Love the ignore feature!

 

[pelan-pelan]

Another tip for checking mask fit. Once you have inhaled and the mask is sticking to your face, sllde your fingers under your top lip to simulate having a regulator in your mouth. This checks the fit around under the nose and the "smile lines". Some masks fit really well with the inhale test, partly because they are quite deep under the nose and then they can be badly affected by the regulator pushing up under the top lip.