hydrooptix mask

[RMHSCUBA]

I recently returned from a trip to Belize and I wore my hydrooptix mask for my first 10 dives until the leaking purge valve caused me to switch back to my old fashoned prescription mask. The purge valves are very much exposed and began to give me leakage problems. The mask was soaked in a fresh water bucket between dives because I suspected salt build-up but it didn't help. I really enjoy the increased visibi;ity this mask gives me but the constant leaking made me give up on it. Any suggestions out there.

 

[Tom Winters]

I have lousy eyesight - something like -6.5, so when I first saw the blurb for this mask, I went to the web site and registered for a demo mask since I'm an instructor. It took a while to it get to a local optometrist, and the mask was an object of wonderment there since no one in the office was a diver, but some months after I jumped through the hoops, I had one.
I used the mask in a pool and also on some dives in southern Florida and one on Grand Turk. My two major concerns were finding the dive boat after the dive and wondering what the 2.0 diopter difference between my myopia and the mask's -4.5 would be - when I got my mask in the summer, there was n empty monocle. When I worked in the Hydrooptix booth at DEMA in October in Miami Beach, they were shipping the mask with a corrective lens in the monocle. It's a little awkward to use, but I could find the boat on Grand Turk when I surfaced, although you sure feel like Colonel Klink using it, plus you sure don't want to lose that monocle.
I was not comfortable in very clear water - viz around 100' with the fuzziness casued by the correction gap. In murkier water where you're not seeing any great distance, I didn't have this problem. One ongoing annoyance is that when you look straight down, whatever water is in the mask gathers there in the bottom of the spheres. The two purge valves were nice and worked well, but there's always some water in there.
If I pop for the lasik surgery, there is no way I would put contacts back in to let me use this mask, but at my next eye doctor visit, I'm going to get some cheap disposable contacts that will balance out the difference between my eyes and the mask.
I love the construction of the mask, and the polycarbonate lenses would be handy wreck diving at night where I almost broke my regular mask swimming into a small piece of protuding pipe I didn't see in time.
I pretty much use another mask that I got at DEMA - a SeaVision with the red lenses and the 2.0 gauge readers ground into the bottom of the lenses. Even at night, I love this thing since I can actually read my computer and pressure gauge without all sorts of gyrations. Although I'm going to try th corrective contacts, it will still be a hassle wearing eyeglasses on a boat and having to put in some weak -2.0's to use the mask. Let's see - do I wear regular glasses and use -2.0 lenses; wear -2.0 contacts and a pair of -4.5 glasses; just wear regular contacts and use a normal mask? Ah, decisions, decisions. Diving on a nice big dive boat will be a factor here - it's too easy to misplace glasses on a six-pack.
Hey, if you're a -4.5 myope - you might enjoy this mask.

 

[chrpai]

simonk999 once bubbled...
Hydrooptix is making an effort to convince 20/20 divers that wearing contacts to counteract the effect of the lens is worthwhile, given the resulting huge field of vision.

And just what optometrist is going to give you a prescription for these contacts?

 

[simonk999]

hydrooptix has partnered with a bunch of optometrists/opthalmologists/opticians to
enable purchase of contacts for those with
good vision. The hydrooptix site has a search
feature to find one. A quick look for my area
brings up quite a few.

 

[DWJ]

simonk999 once bubbled...
hydrooptix has partnered with a bunch of optometrists/opthalmologists/opticians to
enable purchase of contacts for those with
good vision. The hydrooptix site has a search
feature to find one. A quick look for my area
brings up quite a few.

I spoke with one of the listed optometrists and he is also a diver ( as well as business associate of mine). I have had laser surgery on my eyes and he told me that I would need contacts to use the mask and then get a pair of glasses to counter act the contacts during the surface interval.

What a hassle factor. Drive to the site, get all geared up, pop in the contacts, put on the mask so you can see, walk to water wearing the mask and go diving.

Get out, walk with mask on, back to the car, find the glasses, hangout.

Repeat as nessessary.

On the positive side, he really likes the mask. He said the field of vision is wonderful. Now if I didn’t have the surgery then……



:wackoWJ

 

[MikeR]

Acually because of the shape of the mask you wont be able to see on the surface either. The curvature maximizes vision in the water but distorts it out of the water.

 

[DWJ]

MikeR once bubbled...
Acually because of the shape of the mask you wont be able to see on the surface either. The curvature maximizes vision in the water but distorts it out of the water.

Yea, I realized that after I wrote the reply, :huh:

So for me, the only time I'll have clear vision after gearing up is when I'm in under. I guess I'm not a canidate for this mask.

DWJ

 

[MikeR]

Me either. Maybe when the boats get seeing eye dogs to lead you to the ladder

 

[MikeJacobs]

I can't imagine the 3.5 to be all that "blinding" especially if you already wear glasses. I can't wait to try the mask but - related to a comment by one of the last posters - the hassle factor of finding a local optomitrist, making an appointment, keeping it (lol) and then taking the risk is a high hurdle.

One of these days I'll get off my butt... it would have been nice to have taken care of this all before I made my Christmas wish list known, but I haven't even shopped yet myself.

 

[suckair]

I signed up for the dive professional special and have had my mask for about 6 months now. I took it doving in NC and have done work both in the pool and in a local lake we use for open water.

I have 20/20 vision so I have to wear contacts to use the mask. I have never used contacts before so it was quite a adventure to learn how to use them.

I understand the physics and how the maks works and was thinking myself on how to experiment with a curved mask when I ran across their site. I was quite excited and dissapointed to find out about it. I was hoping I could invent such a mask myself.

As far as the view.. What can I say except you will neve go back to a regular mask again. It is like being above ground. It is spectacular to be able to see like that under water.

I had to get used to the non magnafaction of the mask. I was used to the view from the flat mask and would find myself getting too close to things with the hydrooptix mask.

The only problem I have and it is a big one "the leaking" and fogging. The seal above water is perfect. It fits to my face and makes a great seal. Underwater I have nothing but problems with it. It leaks bad and once the leaking starts the fogging is behind it. I spend most of the dive swirling the water on the lens to clean off the fog. And the other half of the dive clearing it. When I clear it I spray water all over the inside and the fog starts agagin. I am unsure why this is so bad and the seal above water so good but I am about to give up on using it unitl I get this resolved.

I am headed to Belize in a month or so and I hope I come up with a solution before I go. The view is amazing. It will be hard to go back to a flat mask.