Smaller mask

[h2ovideo]

Have had this same problem for my entire diving career, I know your frustration!!!

First, and best recommendation: If your dive store has a pool on the premises, try the mask on in the water with a regulator in your mouth, before you buy it. Just because it appears to seal while standing in front of the wall of masks, the shape of your face will change once you put the regulator into your mouth, and viola, it no longer seals.

Second, I have found (and believe me, over the last 25 years, I have bought and tried hundreds of masks) that the double lenses, for whatever the reason, fit better than the single lens.

Currently, I am using the frameless Cressi Occhio. I think this comes in several sizes now, so make sure it is the smallest one. The advertise it as a freediving mask, as it is very low volume but I find that it fits nice and small, and because of the low volume, if it does leak, it clears easy!

The masks that you need to watch out for are these new styles that have the LONG lens. (Although the Occhio does have this new style, it is such a tiny mask, it still fits) The area of problem for me is the area between the nose and the upper lip. If the skirt of the mask sits right on top of you lip, the seal will break once you use your reg.

Additionally, years ago, I used a Tusa. Then they quit selling them and SeaVision sold it. Now Seavision has stopped, and I understand another company sells this mask, but I do not know which one. . . someone at SeaVision could probably tell you.

I have tried the liquid vision, and although the skirt is lovely, the overall mask is still too big (skirt lays on lip)

Good luck in your quest for the perfect mask, I know it is frustrating, I have dealt with it for years.....

 

[wunat]

I always love Oceanic Shadow. You might want to check out the Mini Shadow.

 

[Daiika]

You might try and find one that says for small faces. I tried the Mares x-vision liquid...feels good but somehow still leaked. I use Tusa now. The ones sold in Japan are made for the Asian -smaller faces. The export models are a bit bigger. SAS and Gull also makes them for Asian faces. And in the store...every mask will stick to my face.

 

[acqua_girl]

You might try and find one that says for small faces. I tried the Mares x-vision liquid...feels good but somehow still leaked. I use Tusa now. The ones sold in Japan are made for the Asian -smaller faces. The export models are a bit bigger. SAS and Gull also makes them for Asian faces. And in the store...every mask will stick to my face.

Yeah, as I said, I've already tryed the X-vision. It's HUGE for me... The Kona Midi is smaller and fits better, although still not perfect.

Actually, the greatest problem is that my face is narrow, so it doesn't matter if the mask skirt is good or if it's liquid skin. It is always wide for my face - that's why all my masks keep leaking.

Trying to import any gear in Brazil is like a war. The customs hold almost everything and you have to pay sky-high prices/taxes for them to release the gear. I guess that's why you can't find all those brands around here. I'll have to sitck with the traditional Mares/Cressi stuff (which I love, by the way - so it's not a problem).

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

Did you try the X-vision Mid? The skirt on the mid is smaller but the frame is the same size as the regular X-Vision. The X-vision is a smaller mask than the Kona. I just went through this when my Tusa Splendive wore out. The X-Vision was the only Mares mask small enough to fit my face.

 

[acqua_girl]

The X-vision is a smaller mask than the Kona.

Do you think so? I have both X-vision (not the Midi one, though) and Kona Midi. Kona seems to fit better.

Tusa is still a bit hard to find around here, but I'll see if I can find some dive shop which sells Tusa stuff.

 

[Mark Michaud SELAUSAR]

JBL has some great small masks. Check those out. Mark

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

Do you think so? I have both X-vision (not the Midi one, though) and Kona Midi. Kona seems to fit better.

Tusa is still a bit hard to find around here, but I'll see if I can find some dive shop which sells Tusa stuff.

The X-vision mid skirt is 1" to 1 1/2" narrower than the regular X-vision. The X-vision mid skirt was barely wide enough to clear my eye's. If the dive shop will let you, I would try the X-vision mid on a dive.

Good Luck.

 

[pelan-pelan]

Yes, the missus has been through this. With some startling results.

First of all - as said before - the fit changes when you have a reg in your mouth and water shoots up the gap in your "smile line". Herself pulls faces and pushes her fingers into her mouth when trying on masks to try to simulate having a reg in her mouth.

Result - swears by the Tusa Liberator Plus which is designed for smaller face

but the startling results was casually trying on someone else's Tusa View Trekker. They had a broad, larger face and it really was done as a joke. She forced him into selling it to her on the spot. She travels with the View Trekker and the Liberator Plus.

Her best tip is to go back to basics and start with the size and fit of the regulator mouthpiece. After years of struggling with masks it was a mould to fit mouthpiece(can't remember what they're called - soak in hot water and then mould to fit). Small face = small jaw line = standard or even small mouthpiece distorted her upper lip profile = masks wouldn't fit.

She adds this advice - wherever you are, keep trying on any mask you can.

 

[Twistedarts]

Take a look at the Oceanic mini shadow. i have the shadow (awesome mask!) which is too big for my mrs's face but the mini was perfect. YMMV