Scuba masks suck.

[Joneill]

I want to look down and record a video, of a cuttlefish, and look back up and have my tour guide in my field of view somewhere. My problem is I would be done with the video and my guide would be somewhere off behind me and it would take me a while to figure out where he was. I also could not locate my dive buddy LOL. This is really the first time I've ever dove with anybody else outside of my class.

Regardless of the mask, you need to work to maintain situational awareness when diving with others or you can easily lose them if you get fixated on something.

 

[TMHeimer]

I want to look down and record a video, of a cuttlefish, and look back up and have my tour guide in my field of view somewhere. My problem is I would be done with the video and my guide would be somewhere off behind me and it would take me a while to figure out where he was. I also could not locate my dive buddy LOL. This is really the first time I've ever dove with anybody else outside of my class.

I'm not trying to be a wise guy, but if your guide is somewhere behind you how would you ever be able to see him/her? As well, locating a buddy is a problem no kind of mask, full face or not, will solve.

 

[Robert H. Diver]

So after doing between 50 and 60, zero visibility dives, cleaning boat bottoms.
I have finally done my first recreational dive with visibility.

Now that I have something to look at underneath the water, I am questioning why scuba mask sucks so bad.

My scuba mask gives me a super small window to see out of and I found it very difficult to find the tour guide.

Now that I've seen my first items underwater, I am completely addicted.

I am considering getting a full face mask. I can think of two reasons I want it. One of them is visibility, so I can have a wider arc of view. The other is for safety. Seeing as how almost all problems underwater resulting in death. Are from a person going unconscious and losing their regulator? It seems that this would solve that individual problem. But for the life of me I can't figure out why they're not more common? I know they're expensive, but is that the only reason?

Ok first off….do not get a full face mask…..secondly…get a different mask with a wider field of view…bam problem solved. No need to be so dramatic.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I have a whole collection of dive masks from over 50 years of diving. Yes, visibility is a problem, and it was addressed in the 1970s with three-window masks. One of my favorites is the Farallon three-window mask, and you can see two versions of it in this photo, bottom left two masks (one marked “White Stag,” but it was a silicone version of the Farallon mask.

Masks-1 by John Ratliff, on Flickr

One of my favorite masks of all time is this three-window mask by Scubapro. You can see one of the versions in the above photo, top row on the left. Silicone masks are not only semi-transparent, but will last a lifetime. This one is in silicone, with an older front glass piece without the purge valve (I took it off an earlier neoprene Scubapro mask that literally melted off my face), and put it into the silicone version. Even with the nose purge, it has excellent visibility.

John with the Scubapro Supervision mask. by John Ratliff, on Flickr

Here’s some more of my collection. Note that there are a number of the old, oval masks. These have excellent up and down vision, but not so much side vision. There is a Dacor 3-window mask in the bottom row, and the Scubapro mask with the nose purge is there too.

John's Mask, Snorkel & Helmet Collection by John Ratliff, on Flickr

Right now, mask prices are sky-high, and I would not buy a new one. I‘d go on-line to E-Bay and see what I could find, then take it apart and give it a good scrubbing before using it (this can only be done with older masks with metal rims). Here is a Scubapro mask of a type I’ve used (but in a Dacor version), which would fit the bill:

Vintage ScubaPro Scuba Dive Mask Tempered Glass Goggles | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vintage ScubaPro Scuba Dive Mask Tempered Glass Goggles at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Here’s another:

Vintage ScubaPro Dive Mask Wrap-Around 3 Window, with vintage ScubaPro Snorkel | eBay

<p>Vintage ScubaPro Dive Mask Wrap-Around 3 Window, with vintage ScubaPro Snorkel. Mask seals well and silicone shows no signs of degradation. Please examine images carefully to verify the condition of your item prior to making a purchase and feel free to contact me if you have any...

www.ebay.com

And another (you get the idea):

Scuba Pro Frameless Single Lens Diving Mask Tempered Glass & DACOR Tempered lens | eBay

In good condition.

www.ebay.com

SeaRat

PS, ignore those who are telling you that you lack something or another (awareness, etc.). It is a problem with visibility.

 

[scoobert]

Thanks for the info on this last great post. Here is the mask I have now.

 

[BlueTrin]

One thing you may consider is a low volume mask with large windows: if the window is closer to your eyes, it usually gives a wider field of vision.

Full face masks require proper training because it’s not the same procedure when they are flooded and if this happens and you cannot resolve it, you need to be able to remove the full face mask with its regulator to switch to your backup.

 

[clownfishsydney]

Thanks for the info on this last great post. Here is the mask I have now.

Well, from that photograph, one problem appears to be that your mask is badly fogged up. No wonder you cannot see properly. Solve that, things might change as the mask itself appears to have a good field of view.

 

[johndiver999]

Thanks for the info on this last great post. Here is the mask I have now.

that is a terrible mask, you have very poor downward vision. You are right it sucks.

 

[Belzelbub]

My scuba mask gives me a super small window to see out of and I found it very difficult to find the tour guide.

Definitely sounds like a problem with your mask. I've tried a few over the years. None will give you quite the peripheral vision that you get on land, but the lower profile masks put the lens closer to your face. The mask I use is a two window design, fairly low profile, and when I put it on, I can just barely see the frame.

Water will magnify things, so the view will be a bit narrower than on land, but a good mask will help.

I have a whole collection of dive masks from over 50 years of diving. Yes, visibility is a problem, and it was addressed in the 1970s with three-window masks.

I tried a 3 window mask when I first got certified. It did improve peripheral visibility, but in my opinion that came at a cost. While I could see wider, the refraction made for a weird effect that I found disorienting and could not get used to. Looking through the mask, you could make out the frame between the front and side windows, but it was pretty small. The problem was that the field of view of each window weren't aligned with what my brain expected. I would see them as more or less a continuous field of view (barring the small frame section I mentioned), but what I was actually seeing through the side windows was actually further back. There was a blind spot between the front and side windows. So something moving through my field of view would disappear for a moment before showing up in the next window. I found it to be quite distracting and could never quite get used to it.

Thanks for the info on this last great post. Here is the mask I have now.

Yep. Terrible mask. Get a new one. Maybe use that for scrubbing boat hulls only. Plus, you need some defog. The fogging lens is certainly not helping things.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Definitely sounds like a problem with your mask. I've tried a few over the years. None will give you quite the peripheral vision that you get on land, but the lower profile masks put the lens closer to your face. The mask I use is a two window design, fairly low profile, and when I put it on, I can just barely see the frame.

Water will magnify things, so the view will be a bit narrower than on land, but a good mask will help.


I tried a 3 window mask when I first got certified. It did improve peripheral visibility, but in my opinion that came at a cost. While I could see wider, the refraction made for a weird effect that I found disorienting and could not get used to. Looking through the mask, you could make out the frame between the front and side windows, but it was pretty small. The problem was that the field of view of each window weren't aligned with what my brain expected. I would see them as more or less a continuous field of view (barring the small frame section I mentioned), but what I was actually seeing through the side windows was actually further back. There was a blind spot between the front and side windows. So something moving through my field of view would disappear for a moment before showing up in the next window. I found it to be quite distracting and could never quite get used to it.

Yep. Terrible mask. Get a new one. Maybe use that for scrubbing boat hulls only. Plus, you need some defog. The fogging lens is certainly not helping things.

The 3-window masks have that blind spot mostly with the masks that have the two secondary lenses at 90 degrees to the front lens. But the Scubapro 3-window mask has these lenses at an angle, and some designer must have been paying attention to the refraction of light, as it does not have a noticable blind spot (the one that I’m wearing in the photo above). Yes, that blind spot can be distracting, but the 3-window mask really comes in handy on the surface too. I worked in helicopter rescue for the USAF in the 1970s, and used that Scubapro mask almost exclusively.

SeaRat