Mask recommendations

[MacDuyver]

You need to equalize the mask (which is why low volume is preferred by freedivers).

Right, you need to equalize a scuba mask too. The small volume in a free diving mask makes it much easier for a freediver to equalize without an air supply.

With scuba, you have the ability to equalize a larger volume mask , which lets you select a mask with a little more standoff between it and your face, which prevents things like the water pressing the mask against the bony structures of your face for an hour at a time.

 

[Still Kicking]

Right, you need to equalize a scuba mask too. The small volume in a free diving mask makes it much easier for a freediver to equalize without an air supply.

With scuba, you have the ability to equalize a larger volume mask , which lets you select a mask with a little more standoff between it and your face, which prevents things like the water pressing the mask against the bony structures of your face for an hour at a time.

The water won't press against your face if you equalize, regardless of the volume.

 

[RobPNW]

I'm not a free diver but if you're at depth and the air in your lungs is compressed to the volume of a lemon, wouldn't it be more difficult to equalize the mask if there's almost zero volume in your lungs to do so?

 

[happy-diver]

Look at masks with a very soft skirt - the part that touches your face should be very soft. Some masks use more than one type of silicone.

but not so soft that the mask collapses before sealing

 

[danpass]

Best to try them on at the LDS. Push it against your face. The ones that stick are the ones to choose from.

Something I didn’t expect when doing this two weeks ago was the XS Scuba Gauge Reader mask.

”What’s this?”

[tries it on, sticks to face easily]

[reads watch easily]

[sees distance normally …]

They designed it such that it was an effectively seamless transition between the reader portion and the regular portion.

Bought the mask immediately. That $100 is not something I expected to spend and it was worth every penny in my first pool dive (refresher course)

Also, I prepped the mask with Fast Orange Hand Cleaner (the non-abrasive type) and one application cleaned up everything. Some J&J Baby Shampoo and no more fog.

That hand cleaner turned out awesome for removing whatever preservative they use on lenses and skirts. (Did my other two masks as well lol)

-

 

[eelnoraa]

No you should not keep renting mask. And you should not choose forum favorites. The single most important aspect is fitment. So get one that fits. It can be $30 or $150. Check out LSD, or maybe even buy online and return if it doesn’t fit. When you find one that fit well, buy 2.

 

[johndiver999]

They work they can just get pretty uncomfortable at depth over time.

Even a free diver who dives deep is only under water for a couple minutes. They aren’t bad for shallow dives with scuba bottom times. Once you get down to 50, 60, 80ft though, you start feeling the pressure build up in the mask, you end up with a sore nose bridge, and some sweet imprinting.

Wow, the situation is actually the opposite. Freedivers often wear their mask for 3, 4 or more hours a day, while this is less common for scuba divers. An uncomfortable mask will be worse for freedivers.

The part about the maks pressure is all off base. Freedivers equalize their masks similar to scuba divers, so there should be no difference.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Wow, the situation is actually the opposite. Freedivers often wear their mask for 3, 4 or more hours a day, while this is less common for scuba divers. An uncomfortable mask will be worse for freedivers.

The part about the maks pressure is all off base. Freedivers equalize their masks similar to scuba divers, so there should be no difference.

Exactly. Free diving masks are no different than any other. Except the lower volume makes them much easier to clear.

 

[buddhasummer]

The Atomic Frameless is a great mask and it seems to fit a lot of people.

The medium is the only mask I've ever tried that doesn't leak on me, so scared regs stop making them I've at least three. The rubber part where strap attaches on one but that was after a few hundred dives.

Find one that fits, buy a spare.

 

[MacDuyver]

You need to equalize the mask (which is why low volume is preferred by freedivers).

I found I had to equalize the free diving mask more often to stay comfortable. Thanks, I’m good with a full sized mask.