Wish I could find a mask that fits

[danvolker]

When you try on a mask in the shop, to you have a regulator (or a mouthpiece) in your mouth? It changes the whole shape of your face.

That actually makes a big difference for my wife Sandra...she has to try a mask on with a snorkel in her mouth to see if it will seal....without the snorkel and often the mask will be ok in the shop, then leak underwater.

 

[herbdb]

I had the same problem. Finally tried a Halcyon low profile mask. This mask seems to have wider seals than the others I tried. This helped seal around those smile lines us older folks get.

I bought two and had them sent them out for RX lens. Best money I have spent on diving.

 

[ReneB]

I'm new to scuba, but have been snorkeling for years. Every mask I've ever owned leaked pretty badly, but that's because I have a beard and mustache. When I knew I was going for my OW certification I purchased at least 6-8 masks to try and found that the best fitting for me was the Tusa Freedom One with lots of silicone grease. Next best was a Scubpro Marin 3. I kept both of those and returned an Aqualung Infinity, Micromask, a couple of Cressi masks and a few others I don't remember. I have to admit I thought it was hype, but the Tusa's black silicone really does seem to make a difference.

Good luck!

 

[mmcdanie]

i had the same problrm with masks leaking, i tried tusa visio pro mask and it awesome! instructor had a hard time flooding my mask at check out dives

I too use this mask. It's great, unless I forget to shave under the nose and have a lot of stubble.

 

[261311]

No mask on the market claims to be 'leak proof' and that's because they fit everyone differently and are worn by people in different manners. I'd think with over 10 masks he would have one model that would have worked for him if the store dry-fitting worked fine.

I agree with others, try your fit with a reg/ snorkel in your mouth. If you have indeed correctly been fitted for your mask, something is happening on your end for flooding to occur. This can be over tightening, sounds dumb but exhaling through your nose (pinch your nose, make sure this isn't the fact), folded silicone, changing your facial shape when putting it on (ie. surprised look before donning your mask and then relaxed once in the water), not equalizing, hair, etc. make sure that you're also getting just a small bit of suction when you put it on, same as if you were in a dive shop and were trying it on. Short of a video showing us how you don a mask under water and how a couple different ones you own are leaking, I'm not sure what else to tell you.

 

[Quero]

I make the same initial recommendations to my divers who struggle with leaky masks--loosen the strap, check that there's a good seal around the nose area with a mouthpiece in place, adjust the angle of the head strap....
But even so, some people are just hard to fit. For these divers, I've had excellent results from getting them into the Techni-Sub Micro-mask. It's very low volume, is nice and snug around the nose, and doesn't come down too far onto the upper lip or ride too far down on the brow-ridge. This mask has solved the leaking issue for every single diver I've put into one of them. Coincidentally, I think it was designed with freedivers in mind.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Wondering if the OP spends a lot of time smiling whilst on a dive. That'll flood my mask every time.

 

[lucky83]

But even so, some people are just hard to fit. For these divers, I've had excellent results from getting them into the Techni-Sub Micro-mask. It's very low volume, is nice and snug around the nose, and doesn't come down too far onto the upper lip or ride too far down on the brow-ridge. This mask has solved the leaking issue for every single diver I've put into one of them. Coincidentally, I think it was designed with freedivers in mind.

That sounds reassuring since i just ordered one of these masks. I do have a tricky face, narrowish but not straight and not the smallest of noses, so i keep my fingers crossed. I do have to say that i have tried quite a few masks and the one that fitted me the best this far is SubGear Vibe. Not very logical when you see the mask since it is pretty big and wide, but have been taking it for a spin in a pool and it was only leaking when i was doing stupid things like blowing bubbles Let's see if the Micromask is as good if not better!

 

[highdesert]

An illustration about tight mask straps ...

We had a dive guide in RA who used no mask strap. He just stuck it on his face, and was leak free for the dive.

 

[Akimbo]

Not much info to go by. I have had a similar problem for decades. I finally realized that the mask will leak if the glass or frame touches my brow or nose anywhere. Thus far, I have only found one low volume mask I have used for Scuba and freediving that works on me. It happens to be the XS-Scuba Merge, which I discovered when the LDS said they use it in their rental fleet because it fits “most” people.

Try a high volume mask if you only dive Scuba. The few on the market tend to have broader face seals and don’t have anything to interfere with the face. Look at the Tusa Imprex Hyperdry for example. They can be a little more difficult to block your nose for equalizing but you get used to it. There are several simple old-school oval masks that fit smaller faces quite well.