Hydro Optix Ultra Wide View Scuba Masks

[simonk999]

Try a "search" using the word hydrooptix here's my view!
http://www.scubaboard.com/t59191-.html

As the instigator of the older, longer hydrooptix thread referenced by RoatanMan, I unreservedly recommend reading it, instead of posting what is probably redundant info on this thread. That thread has posts pro and con, with a lot of in-depth posts.

To quickly summarize: really amazing wide field of view if your eyes match the mask and you can deal with the fit and looking silly (this is a debatable point, imho). Some problems mentioned, which are not unknown to other masks: fogging, leaking (which due to the mask design, does pool in the center of view looking downwards, not like a flat pane mask). Most think if your eyes do not match the mask, dealing with the contact lenses is not worth the trouble, but there are some converts.

Me, I fall in the sweetspot. Fits me and my eyes as is. Love it.

-Simon

 

[scubatoys]

I've been avoiding them up till now... but finally looked through one instead of just at one... WOW!

So I ordered up a bunch, and if you're in the Dallas area, we have a big pool, and I invite you to jump on in and try it. It's an amazing mask.

 

[Shaka Doug]

OK, now I've made a total of four dives with this great new mask and I'm really digging it. Today I dove Molokini Crater off of Maui, down to about 100 feet. Water visibility was 150 feet, each direction. I say that because you can see both left and right out of this mask at the same time and it was like having three hundred feet of vis!!! I was really happy (celebrated my 2200th Maui Dive with this mask today too!) and to top things off, got a fly by from a 14 foot Black Manta being followed by almost a dozen gray reef sharks. It was so cool to see this awesome sight through this mask. Especially after making my last 2000+ dives without it!

I tried a lot of things with the mask today and it performs well. I could look over my shoulder to the right and see my divers following me, then I looked over the left shoulder and I could see both of them there too. I can't tell you how great it is to have such a huge increase in peripheral vison. I could just about see my first stage right behind my head when I turned to the right!!

I will be offering tours and lessons on how to acclimate to this mask starting next month (November). If anyone wants to hear more about it, please feel free to PM me. I showed a couple of salty dive guides the mask while I was out on the boat and let them swim around with it. They needed the contacts but didn't have them, so when they looked through, things were blurry but they were amazed at the side to side and top to bottom viewing and are actually now asking me how to get in touch with my eye doctor. I think this mask and the new ones they are working on at Hydro-Optix are going to be HUGE. Now, along with your spare parts kit, don't forget the extra contacts and cleaning solution. This is a "must have" if you really want to see what it's really like to be a fish.

 

[ArthurGerla]

I borrowed one of these masks from the LDS and tried it three times in a local lake. Like others here I experienced a lot of fogging, which I never have with my normal presciption mask. Bad visibility in the water combined with the fogging to cause some truly disastrous dives, but when next I took it to the pool and did some controlled comparative tests I decided to spend the 199 euro european retail price. The mask arrived just in time to take it on a trip to Sharm el Sheik last week. Even though the fogging occurred to some degree on every dive (even on two occasions causing me to switch masks at depth) I won't be going back to the old one. The improvement in width of view is simply worth the tradeoff. I would never have spotted this guy without it.

I did get a lot of flooding. Though the purge valves operate as advertised and I don't mind the task loading, I suspect the valves are also letting the water in. Purge valves aren't exactly DIR anyway so I'm considering closing them off sometime and finding out if this improves matters. Now where did I put the duct tape?

Art

 

[simonk999]

I have never had trouble with the purge valves. It's difficult for water to back up through them. Most likely, there's a leak somewhere around your face. Others have commented that fitting the mask slightly tighter than normal fixed things. I suspect it's that the mask doesn't have a huge range in facial shape conformance. Others have also commented that the leakage seems to go away with use, so perhaps with wear, the sealing gets better. I haven't had any trouble with leakage that I haven't had in a normal mask.

-Simon

 

[mebgab]

I have been intrigued by the HydroOptix design for some time now. I have followed their new product progress closely, waiting on the -3.5 mask to come out. In my conversations with their sales reps the date kept getting pushed off. They even announced it's introduction on their website several times and then made excuses over the phone when I called.

My lds tried to obtain a sample mask but the company isn't interested unless the lds is willing to buy a sample, albeit at a reduced cost. I am not interested in purchasing any mask, especially at this price, without first having the opportunity to at least try it on.

The bottom line is this. The idea and technology are fascinating but not without flaws affecting fit and function. With better corporate focus on R&D and Marketing, this company could take off. Until then, I suspect they won't be around for the long term.

 

[jonnythan]

I would really love to try one just to see, but I would not want to dive one. All that volume and you can't really carry a backup..

 

[simonk999]

I have followed their new product progress closely, waiting on the -3.5 mask to come out. In my conversations with their sales reps the date kept getting pushed off. They even announced it's introduction on their website several times and then made excuses over the phone when I called.

Ha ha, this is par for the course for Hydrooptix. When I first got wind of them, it was 3-4 years ago, and even then, they were promising delivery by some time soon. Each month, the date on their website was moved up another month, until years later when it actually came out!

Johnnythan: why does high-volume in a mask dissuade you from using one? A backup mask doesn't need to be the same type. I agree that with the bulk, the hydrooptix mask wouldn't make a good backup, but no reason why you couldn't carry one of those low volume masks that advertise themselves as being good for backup.

-Simon

 

[Web Monkey]

I was going to try one, but the local optician who offered to let me borrow his already had it all scratched up, and it had only been used once or twice.

It's a nice concept, and since I already wear contacts, I'd be happy to buy one if it was glass.

As long as it's plastic, I'll skip it.

Terry

Surfing along on scuba related websites turned out this new offering in the world of masks:

Hydro Optix <<<click link to view site

Some pretty radical designs and ideas here. I'd like to hear what the rest of our crowd thinks...


--Mike