The ultimate low volume 'mask', Pipe goggles !

ivan · Nov 6, 2003

hi

Wal when you get back to Oz I would like to buy that mask from you, would you been keen to sell it or make one that I can buy from you

cheers

loopy · Nov 6, 2003

Andy if you organise it with Wal, I can bring you up a set... but I shotgun a pair too!

ivan · Nov 6, 2003

hi

You reading my mind their big fella

Just what I was planning, hopefully Wal feels like selling me a pair

cheers

loopy · Nov 6, 2003

I dunno, judging by that photo he looks kinda attached to them...

donmoore · Nov 6, 2003

Great goggles and thread Wal and others. I have been thinking along similar lines. Last year I built a self-equalizing mask for my daughter’s science project. I used two fuel bulbs, like the one used in outboard motor fuel lines, for the balloons. They were too stiff and bulky. I got a little equalization, but it wasn’t practical.

I have been thinking of using goggles with softer balloons and/or pipe goggles since the experiment for the lower volume and the nose clip ability. Wal, one thing I was thinking of is using a one-way valve like the Pro-Ear masks use, in the pipe. That way you wouldn’t have to hold your tongue on the end of the pipe to keep the air pressure up. Simply blow in when you need too. I don’t know where you can buy it but I am sure it’s available with some looking.

Jussi, the flexible tubing is great idea too. I have been thinking of that as an alternative to balloons for the same reasons you stated.
don

Pezman · Nov 6, 2003

@Don

JimGlynn built a mask with a bite-valve which I think he said he got from a hydration setup that is used for biking. Basically an off-the shelf item that "liberates the tongue", so to speak.

loopy · Nov 6, 2003

I'm not sure if you guys get them over there, but here you can buy something called a 'camel back'... It's like a backpack with a bag in it full of water for you to drink. There's a tube coming out of it, and with the rubber endpiece, you have to squeeze it to let water out... something like that would work well. I'll look for a photo this afternoon and post it.

Pezman · Nov 6, 2003

Yup -- that's exactly what JimGlynn used.

tanteh · Nov 7, 2003

Aquasphere Seal

I recently build up a pipe-Mask, using an Aquasphere Seal Goggle. The major advantage for me is, that it does not require a connection between the two glasses.
The tube comes from a modular system for pressurized air, in Germany known as FESTO.

cheers, tanteh

Walrus · Nov 7, 2003

That's the mask that everybody has been using to build the pipemask for years. True that the goggles require extra holes drilled to do the connecting pipe, but the volume is much lower. I would guess maybe 1/2 to a 1/3 of the volume of the seal mask.

Cheers,
Wal

commonerg · Nov 28, 2004

Thanks to everyone who posted info about pipe goggles in this thread.

Here are my pipe goggles...

I bought the tubing at pet's-mart. I fed the pipe directly into the silicone eye-skirt to connect the left and right cups. For the mouth tube, I attached a connector, which I assume is normally used to connect two pieces of pipe together, to the skirt. The mouth tube itself then slips onto this connector (you can see this on the bottom right of the goggles in the picture). This is a nice feature, as it allows me to remove the mouth tube for storing the goggles and replacing the tube if necessary.

The seal on these goggles isn't perfect, but with a slightly larger pair of goggles, I assume I could make a very practical pair.

Also, check out my pillow hair. rofl

JasonWelbourne · Nov 29, 2004

I have recently learned how to equalize hands free; talking to tyler the other day we got into a discussion about merging the concept of a pipe mask with the idea of an air bag that eric had referenced in another post. Basically, you would take a regular mask with nose covering and attach some tubing with a wide enough opening to allow for low-enough resistance air flow to the mask on one end and a freely compressible air bag on the other (snorkeling vest maybe). Upon leaving the surface, while doing the constant equalization necessary to prevent ear squeeze, you would just blow gently out your nose until you had released an appropriate amount of air. Then continue with dive as normal, albeit a FRV dive, and equalization of your mask, and consequatally the sinus air spaces would be automatic, making it very easy to equalize the ears using the hands free method. During ascent, air could be drawn out of the bag (to prevent SWB) by merely inhaling through the nose which would simultaneously assist the depressurization of the ear.

Walrus · Nov 30, 2004

Not sure what you meant with that last one, are you talking a regular mask with nosepiece, or a pipe-mask ?
The bag with air idea I already mentioned in an earlier post on this thread, I tried it a year ago with the goggles. I'm sure lots of others have tried it before me. Only thing is the volume of the mask becomes critical in terms of the size needed for an airbag. I used half a kmart-floaty (arm band) which cost 50 cents. I used a longer hose wich fitted straight into the air inflate valve. I think inflated the bag probably held aprox 200ml. If you used a regular mask would need at least 1 litre or more. The difference in volume between swimming goggles and a regular mask is pretty huge. I only took it down 45m or so just to try it, but worked fine, and could have taken it much further as far as equalising the mask. I just held it in my hand. Don't think I would have needed much more volume to get to 80m or so. One thing I noticed though the position of the bag makes a difference. It worked best when the bag was at the same level as the goggles. Otherwise the pressure is different and you get some suction. Also has a bit of a burping effect when you first duckdive it seems to let some air out, not sure how to solve that one.

commonerg, I have tried it with the style goggles you have in the picture but it didn't seal very well. Most rely on the suction to seal which you lose once you atach the pipe. I finally tried it with the aqua sphere swimming goggles, they have a really good seal since the skirt is soft silicone like a mask. Perfect seal.

Cheers,
Wal

Walrus · Nov 30, 2004

I remembered I still had the floaty armband thing, I just took a picture along with the goggles. They are my original pair that were made in a hurry, notice where I ran out of tube and used 3 pieces for the connecting bit. Yeh they are ugly but sort of my lucky goggles now since I used them for all my deep no-fins training. Seems almost a shame to make up some new ones.....

Cheers,
Wal

Walrus · Nov 30, 2004

Another picture showing the brand name in case you want to find them. The packet says Aqua Sphere Kaiman goggle (Large).

mjacobs · Nov 30, 2004

I'm not a goggle diver, but it seems to me that if you had enough tubing you wouldn't need an airbag. The capillary depth gauge principal comes to mind. You could coil the tubing inside your wetsuit top or hood. Of course, if you went beyound the tubings air reservoir limit you'd get water in the goggles but you could be conservative enough with the tubing. Is this a practical approach? Maybe you could even fashion a mask strap arrangement out of the tubing to make it more compact.
Mark

DeepThought · Nov 30, 2004

That might require taking down alot of plastic for the same amount of air, so my gut feeling says it won't work well for medium-deep CB. Might be very nice for shallow recreational freediving.

JasonWelbourne · Nov 30, 2004

what I was talking about was a regular mask with nose peice. I did the homemade liquid goggles and the homemade pipemask and the homemade noseclip thing, and given how easy it was to pick up hands free equalizing, I just don't have much zeal for them anymore.

I find liquid goggles to be uncomfortable once the saline starts to migrate into my sinus cavities (or whereever the heck those tubes lead). I find nose clips to be a bit tricky when I do my turn around at whatever depth. I am sure that I could train myself past that, but I am not motivated to.

I have however become infatuated with the idea of FRV diving, and the benefits that could be exploited by having that spare air handy.

commonerg · Dec 1, 2004

Jason, you mentioned a "Do-It-Yourself" nose-clip. Would you mind sharing how you did it? Is there a thread about this?

JasonWelbourne · Dec 1, 2004

The ultimate low volume 'mask', Pipe goggles !

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