Leaking Sphera masks

Opinion:

As you said, sphera is better. How much better? I can't tell for sure.

After diving daily with the sphera for over a week, I was using a minima once again. After ascending up from about 26m~ (the bells in dahab.) I felt like there was a cloud of bubbles engulfing my head (I don't tend to sniff the mask air back).

I can't quatify the amount, but it felt like a lot more.

The narrowed filed of vision was also noticable.

I remember Bevan once did an experiment and took the sphera and the minima down a line the deepest he felt possible without equalizing them. I don't remmeber the results (both around 10m), but the sphera got a few meters deeper. If you still have both the masks, it's an easy experiment.

I just fixed mine too. One day at the pool it just flooded in and the silicone had detached from the lens.

It's quite simple to dismantle the thing, like described above. The lens isn't glued on anything and the frames are really soft so with the kind of abuse I've been giving it I'm not at all surprised that it leaked (tossing it around in my bag etc). I am however surprised at the crappy craftsmanship evident after opening it. It really does not look like something I want to be diving to great depths with.

Anyway, I cleaned the silicone with some rubbin alcohol, it was wet and had accumulated all kinds of gunk. Did the same for the edge of the lens. I then carefully applied some glue in side the "u"-silicone and attached the lenses and let it dry. Now it was completely air tight even without attaching the frame.

I then attached the frame and I think it is now much better than it was originally. I can stick it to my face and cause such heavy negative pressure my eyes turn red and it stays on my face forever even without the strap (before it would stick for a few seconds and fall of). I'm much too cheap to throw it away just because a minor leak The lenses are also scratched to almost matte surface ...Not that I would see anything in Finnish water anyway, so no problems there...

I guess by AIDA rules this is now an illegal mask, since it has been "modified". So do this at your own risk

When the time comes, I'll be seriously looking into other alternatives...

For those that compete, how about just buy 1 new mask and only use that at competitions?
Glue the old one use that all the time for training. Use the new one only on your comp dives, then rinse it put it back in the case. It should last a long time.

I have personally never seen anyone checking masks at a competition. If you glue it well and can't notice it unless looking at really close I don't think it will matter. Even if they did the judge would have to be a real A-hole to DQ you for it.

Cheers,
Wal