purge masks

[Oceanna21]

For me, I had some trouble clearing my mask during my confined pool dives. I tend to inhale through my nose . So for me, a mask with a purge valve really gives me a sense of calm to know that I won't inhale water when clearing my mask. That said, I use a great defogger and have never had to clear my mask apart from when I was doing my skills . Then again, my instructor friend swears by simple masks (no gadgets or valves) as he believes that the more pieces/gadget you have, the higher the chances something will fail!

 

[ReelDuel]

Funny, I just got a purge mask, not because I dont like my old one, a Tusa M16 (I do) or that it leaks (it doesnt, can usually go whole dive without clearing it once) and I even have 2 of them, a black skirt (my favorite) and clear skirt (as backup) ... I love them ... you do not need a purge valve

It's because after demo'ing it at the scuba show, I bought the Hydro Optic mask and you have no choice in purge .. hope for great things from it .. It has some pretty large shoes to fill

How do you like the 4.5??

 

[SDAnderson]

Those of us with mustaches have several solutions to the leaking mask problem available to us:

• Trim the the mustache close and shave the upper lip just below the nose. Personally, that's just a little too precious for me to fool with.
• Goop up with petroleum jelly or silicone. I happily use KY as a lubricant on my dry suit seals but I'm not going for the greased handlebars, not even if fluorescent green was available. Well, maybe at Halloween.
• Clear a non-purge mask a hundred times during a dive. Tilt your head, press your forehead, take an aspirin for the pain in your neck. Been there, done that.
• Use a mask with a purge valve. It's simple and effective, though there are social ramifications. You'll have to decide if it's a problem that some pedantic parrots may razz you.

All in all, I spend about as much time worrying about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin as I do the Great Purge Valve Debate, which is to say I think it's not as big an issue as some do.

If it weren't for my mustache, I probably would not choose a mask with a purge valve - they can (and sometimes do) leak a little bit. More leaks are caused by masks that are overtightened or that don't fit properly than are caused by failed purge valves, however. Most divers (listen up, newbies) would do better to make sure that their gear fits properly and that they master basic skills like clearing a mask before they choose a purge valve but a purge valve isn't going to doom them.

I've had a number of purge masks over the years; I've been happy with my Ocean Masters (like the masks, love the strap) and not so happy with some others. They can leak but the Chicken Little squawking about "failure points" would seem to indicate that you're at risk of a fatal accident because water gets in your mask. I think not but YRMV.

 

[kneptoon]

Beautifully stated. I just returned from a liveaborad. Three of the divers had over 10,000 logged dives each. I asked one of them what he thought about DIR. He didn't know what I was talking about. He is a cave diving instructor in Florida. All of their equipment was a hodge podge. The oldest and most experienced of the three had a pink octopus.