Bottom line on masks

[Ontario Climber]

So, since I am getting into this, was in a dive shop today, tried on some masks, the guy was trying to get me to buy a technisub Look 2, in black, i admit it fit well, but after going for lunch and googling it, seems it is not on the list of freediving masks, even though it looks similar to a micromask.

He told me, if you are doing some free diving, and hunting, a mask with low volume and GOOD vision is better than just ultra low volume.

Up here it is hard to try on masks, especially this time of the year.

so what is it? ultra low volume? or low volume with good viz, seeing how I'm just getting into this, it is unlikely I will be doing and 70-80' drops

help please

 

[Apneaddict]

From one Canadian to another, the cheapest way to get a good freediving mask is to go to equalpuck.com (Canadian) or canamuwhgear.com (us based, but there's a UWH tourney in Guelph next weekend and he'll be up here) and get a mask from them.

I think the micromask (M99 is a copy) is great, as are many others in their lineup.

Hope that helps.
You can come try on a mask or pre-order one to Guelph if you want for free shipping, if equalpuck doesn't have the one you want.

 

[CEngelbrecht]

That depends heavily on your face, and what you need it for; spearfishing or apnea depth training or a little of both.

For a number of decades now, the Cressi Superocchio has been the weapon of choice for many on both sides because of its low internal volume versus good field of vision. It's actually so popular, that the design has various more or less direct copies from e.g. Omer, Beuchat, Picasso, etc., and I think they all get the same job done.

For deep apnea, competitive freedivers have been nuts about Aqualung Sphera ever since it came out. The curved plastic front glass makes it reduce the internal volume substantiously, but it also distort the vision a bit, which irritate some spearfishers.

For deep apnea, a mask like Cressi Minima has become popular as well, or though it sacrifies some field of view for extremely low volume. In principle it's a pair of swimming goggles with a nose pocket.

And finally, if you want to go extreme and have deep pockets and similar desire, there's always fluid goggles, which are nosepocket-less goggles which you just fill with water, while internal lenses correct the light refraction under water. There's no volume issue with those, but refraction physics also limit vision, so they are not recommended for spearfishing at all.

I only mention fluid goggles in order to complete the thesaurus. Mostly only record freedivers go so far.

A good contemporary cross mask between all this I find is Technisub Falco, I've seen some spearfishers swear to that. It's basically a Sphera, but with a plane mineral front glass, offering good field of vision. I personally swear to this now, because it fits perfectly on my face type, which some of the above hasn't.

Those are the types I know off, but regardless of model, it has to be comfortable on your face. Some people have wider or narrower faces, or larger or smaller noses. Test your way (maybe you already knew that.)

There's also a good blog about choosing masks here.

 

[Alfy]

Ive been using the cressi minima for about 2 years now and its a great mask..

 

[cdavis]

Salesman gave good advice, for general use good vision is much better than extremely small volume.

I use a Falco for deeper diving and a much larger volume, better vision mask for spearfishing less than 15 meters.

 

[Ontario Climber]

well, I've decided to keep this mask, and there is another offered by a guy here that i will likely get too to try.

the Technisub I got seems to fit well, and while trying it on a few times, i was wondering what the strange sensation I was getting was; it was my eyelashes hitting the lenses when i blinked, guess it is low enough volume

It is actually almost identical in size and shape of both the lenses and skirt to a Riffe Naida

thx all