Masks - purge vs. non-purge

[otobmark]

At the moment, this is the mask that leaks least w/ me (usually no beard). I have lots of masks......sigh....
My younger son has a Tusa purge that he loves (single lens) and has used for at least 3 years. I can't get him to change. When I was younger I used a Voit Swimmaster w/ purge for many years w/out a hint of trouble. It was single lens teardrop w/ a huge purge moulded into the nose pocket. The outer skirt was neoprene like a wetsuit and sealed extremely well. Pressing up on the purge w/ palm would cause neoprene skirt to seal against nostrils for clearing ears--worked good. As the mask aged, the neoprene shrank and curved inward so that you had to work the seal out when you put on the mask. I think the large diameter purge was much more resistant to sand etc. than the more common smaller valves. In it's day it was awesome and looked oh so cool.

 

[Phish-phood]

I think purge masks should only be used once you have been though mask skills properly and man can we stop people who know nothing about diving from selling them!!!

Recently there was a course in which a wife was doing her CW dives before getting a refferal to a resort to do her OW dives with her husband. Our instructor recommends that you buy your own fins and mask as they fit better and make thing much easier, however he does say buy them from a dive shop.

Anyway this women was having problems with the mask skills - like she couldn't do them and kept saying she didn't have to because she didn't need them, she wasn't going to be taking her mask off etc etc. She went off and bought a purge mask from a generic sports shop and came back and insisted to the instructor that she didn't have to learn mask skills as she had a purge mask and didn't need to know them!! The shop assistant had apparently told this women who was already having problems with mask skills that if she got a purge mask she would never have to clear her mask again!!! What an absolute idiot!!
In the end the instructor just said either you learn the skills or you don't get a refferal so with a lot of huffing and puffing she did and did them well and had no problems with them.

Rant over and I dive with an Oceanic Shadow and I love it, never tried a purge mask and can't see that I will in the future.

 

[iscuba]

I've been using my ScubaPro Tri-View purge for 9 years with no problems. I have a Oceanic Shadow as a back up.

 

[Paulus Magnus]

Sorry to post late on this thread but I found it via Google as I was trying to answer this question.

I just did my first four (Discover Scuba Diving) dives in Hawaii in open water and had lots of problems with the nose pocket filling. The mask would need clearing every 5 minutes or so but I just lived with a waterlogged nose pocket as I couldn't keep it clear at all. I do have a full beard and a girlfriend that asked me to grow it and keep it on there. Therefore, I'm forced to suffer water leakage.

I'd rather have a leaky and easily clearable mask than just a leaky mask and was searching Google for some advice. It seems that I found it. It looks like I'll buy a Tusa Hyperdry mask with purge valve and use it for my certification which I'm hoping to do in Belize in the next few weeks. I'd also heartily recommend the Kona coast on Hawaii's Big Island as a superb dive location. Lots of different sites, rays, octupus, fish and turtles all easily seen even from the snorkel sites. The 75 deg water temperature and diving in 3mm shorties with no gloves and booties also made the whole sport more enjoyable for me.

 

[Ga Diver]

I use a purge and find it works OK. My trouble is clearing my ears. Ever try putting two fingers in the mask recess nose piece with a reg in your mouth? It is not fun. You have to use both hands and that is a pain to do. I know, I should be clearing my ears by swollowing or moving my jaw or yayaya... but I haven/t perfected that yet...

 

[rakjar]

I don't like the purge due to the fact I can not pinch my nose easily enough to clear my ears. I have to say that my girlfriend likes her purge but I can not use it.