Us Divers Mask??

[NCadiver]

 

[aj555]

I was told the Atomics were okay.. not as good as the Twin jet Max fins

Every style of fin is a tool, and there are different tools for different jobs. You can't really say one is better than the other unless you are discussing what it will be used exactly for.

he said my Mask was a snorkel mask?? And It can't be used during the certification dives.... is this accurate??

No, this is a load of BS. My dad has been certified for about 18 years. He has a U.S. Divers Hawaii 3 mask that he has been using for 15 years. He has done 150+ dives with it at various depth, and has never had a problem. That particular mask works great with diving. He is just trying to mix it up with the cheap US divers stuff that they sell at walmart. Same brand, but different quality. He is also lying to you to get you to buy more stuff. I wouldn't stay with that shop if I were you.

 

[SOFDiver]

As much as I hate to, will add to the thread. Up until the last year if a prospective student had their own mask/fins/snorkle I would just tell them it was OK to use what they had for certification. I found it necessary to change this policy to "accepable personal equipment". The reason for this was that students were attempting to use gear that was ill fitting, damaged, or worn out. To save a few bucks they often were borrowing this personal gear from others. For many students and new divers the learing process is difficult enough, let alone fighting a damaged leaking mask or fins that do not fit. I can't count the number of times I have had to give my mask to a student to had a mask that was leaking due to damage or poor fit. You guys always assume the LDS or Instructor is trying to get over on you by offering you something to make diving more efficent or comfortable. As to the specific gear referenced in the initial post: A dry snorkle is not a good choice for SCUBA, as most of them offer too much drag and get in the way but in good conditiion-acceptable; the mask in question if it fits and in good condition-acceptable; Atomic split fins, there are two kinds the good open heal fins and a closed heal. the open heal are OK, the closed heal are too soft for SCUBA and I would not recommend them to a student or anyone who needs gear. Also split fins require a much different kick technique that standard blades, and some additional instruction to use them properly. Because of what I do, I see divers all the time using old, ill fitting, and gear that has out lived it's useful life and as a result the pleasure they would get from diving is deminished. These are often the same people who will line up to buy the latest iphone or other 'hot" fad item. As an instructor all I do is in the best intrest of my students and to ensure that thay are confident and competent divers, dive gear is a part of all OW POIs for that reason.

 

[Craig Lugo]

When I signed up for my o.w. class my instructor advised me as to what gear to purchase. I mentioned that I had a U.S. Divers mask, fin & snorkel set. He said the mask would work for the class but advised me to go to the local dive shop and purchase kit that is built better.

I had already planned on purchasing better before he had told me this. So it was no big deal.

I ended up with a $120. Atomic frameless mask that was fine in the heated pool. However when we got out into the cold lake where I had to wear a hood, my mask wouldn’t seal. The skirt was slightly deformed Atomic said was the reason.

Luckily I had my U.S. Divers mask with me if not it would have been a wasted weekend with a long drive home from Lake Havasu back to Las Vegas.

My U.S. Divers mask worked flawlessly. It has tempered glass and is made out of silicone. My model has the purge valve built into it, but I made sure not to use it when clearing my mask when performing my skills test.

Now we didn’t do any deep dives so I am not sure how it would hold up to those pressures, but for the basic open water course mine worked fine for me.