Finding a mask to seal on my bearded face

[Grantt]

Tusa Paragon. We have guys with full thick beards dive this mask with no leaks. My dad went through 12 masks before trying this one. Never had a leak since.

 

[Subcooled]

Some full face masks (FFM) + a thin hood might work. I have no personal experience of such, so this is only a reference.

scarefaceDM says in FFM w/ facial hair :

"having dove AGA I can tell you from experience. YES...for me I had to be clean shaven. At least no beard/hair around the face seal. It was irritating for me. Other divers I knew said the same. I switched to Ocean reef FFM which were great and then tried an EVO. Skin to seal for me worked best or I wore a full hood and that also worked well. Sealed just nice. The seal of the FF went over the thin hood we had which made it SCUM/Polution free."

 

[BlueTrin]

I just turn my beard into mutton chops for the duration of a dive trip.

I'm bringing them back!

Here is a beard style bucket list to make sure you don’t miss a cool one:

 

[Subcooled]

OK, apparently a FFM might work. Check these links:
https://diving.oceanreefgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/09/dani.jpg
https://diving.oceanreefgroup.com/w.../2021/03/IMG_1545-1-scaled-e1616582103506.jpg

This is meant as a hint only. Not as verified knowledge. Bearded guys know best.
There might be other brands as well that work, these are but a result of a quick web search.

- or perhaps you try this: Imersion Under Hood 2 mm Black | Diveinn

 

[BlueTrin]

Tusa Paragon. We have guys with full thick beards dive this mask with no leaks. My dad went through 12 masks before trying this one. Never had a leak since.

Except the leak in the wallet

Like most Tusa masks it seems to perfectly fit my face when I try it in a shop. The silicone is so soft too and it kind of looks cool, I’ll probably end up buying one

I nearly got one off eBay but someone bid it up to 75% of a new one

 

[Jeff Dykes]

I use Atomic Venom Frameless with full beard. The Gummi Bear silicone really does seem to help with facial hair. Venom Frameless Scuba Mask | Atomic Aquatics

Wow. I thought $80 was pricey for a mask; this one runs $170 on Amazon. Between similarly-priced fins and snorkels, then NAUI certification classes for four people (me and my three teens), equipment rentals, and (hopefully) shared costs for a boat charter, I'm looking at a couple of thousand dollars. Since I don't have that kind of money right now, and I don't have something to sell to bring that in, it's probably going to be a long time before we can break into this sport.

 

[Jeff Dykes]

I will ce

OK, apparently a FFM might work. Check these links:
https://diving.oceanreefgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/09/dani.jpg
https://diving.oceanreefgroup.com/w.../2021/03/IMG_1545-1-scaled-e1616582103506.jpg

This is meant as a hint only. Not as verified knowledge. Bearded guys know best.
There might be other brands as well that work, these are but a result of a quick web search.

- or perhaps you try this: Imersion Under Hood 2 mm Black | Diveinn

I will certainly keep that in mind!

Btw, I love that Aztec-looking shirt you're wearing in your first link. Where did you get it?

 

[Subcooled]

Btw, I love that Aztec-looking shirt you're wearing in your first link. Where did you get it?

Unfortunately, I am not the guy on the picture
Perhaps you ask him? (there was a link to facebook on company webpage...)
The shirt is great, though!

- I do not have a beard, but I am intrigued by full face masks (and old helmets, but you will not want a 19th century suit).

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Here is a photo of one of the most famous divers of all time, Hans Hass. He developed an oxygen rebreather and used it in his studies of coral reefs in the 1940s. In the below photo, you can see he has a beard and mustache, and you can also see where he has trimmed it for his mask (an old style oval mask without a double seal). Note that it seals above the mustache, as you can see the lines on his face for where the seal happened. He also routinely used a nose clip for clearing his ears hands-free. Because he is using an oxygen rebreather, he had been down a very long time, and hence the wrinkled skin on his hands. This was before even wetsuits, so he's wearing a cotton shirt for protection from the coral.

SeaRat

 

[BlueTrin]

I tried the M1, the atomic frameless standard, the Xdeep frameless.

I left with a Scubapro solo

I think my face is a bit wide, so most frameless masks have large flaps on the sides and they are too narrow for me.

The shop didn’t have a atomic frameless large.

Though the solo would be a good backup mask anyway since it is a bit compact