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Why black masks?

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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H

H-MAN

New Member
Dec 1, 2004
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I've been into snorkeling & scuba for a while. I enjoy freediving and am thinking of getting into some spearfishing as well. My question is why are all the freediving & spearfishing masks in black as opposed to the normal clear silicone?

What the advantage of the black? I would just think the clear would allow in more light for better visibility.
 
Clear masks let light in from behind that reflect off the inside of the lense decreasing your vision. A big part of spearfishing is seeing the fish. Spearfishermen spend a lot of time at the surface scanning down. The better you can see the more success you should have.

You really can see noticeably better with a black mask.
don
 
Thanks for the info, which makes sense. Kind of like looking outside at night from either a lighted room or a dark room.

Then why are all the snorkel/scuba masks in clear?
 
So they can make pretty color frames and sell them to ignorant scuba divers!
don
 

+

clear silicone makes your eyes very visible to the fish and it will scare the fish away. Clear silicone also may cause unwanted reflection. As Don said, it may screw your eyes too.
 
Another point is that your irises adjust to the amount of light present, logically if you use a clear skirt your eyes will be exposed to more light.
When you invert and dive it takes some time for your eyes to adjust to the different light level.
Black skirts allow less light in and corresponding smaller iris allowing your eyes to adjust quicker.
 
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