A well-fitting mask is arguably the most important accessory you have under the water. Why? Because it’s the lone barrier between you and everything you came to enjoy.
If your mask doesn’t fit right, you might be spending hours fiddling with it when you should be focused on your environment, blinking repeatedly as the water seeps in or trying to ignore the growing pressure along your forehead and temples. In other words, a mask that isn’t just right is a really annoying — and potentially dangerous — distraction.
The good news is that a mask is also one of the lesser expensive items to replace compared to your other gear. Finding a good one isn’t terribly difficult to do, provided you follow a few key steps.
If possible, ask for help from a diving pro shop — they’ll get you started on ensuring that the mask you selected is just right for your face.
Once a thing for only military and tech divers, full face masks are becoming more popular with sport and recreational divers. Now you can choose a traditional mask that covers just your eyes and nose or you can go with a full face mask. So what is a full face mask?
Just like it sounds, a full face mask covers your whole face, including your mouth and nose. It eliminates the need for an external regulator and mouthpiece, allowing you to breathe normally, just like you would above water. Some have the second stage regulator built-in, whereas other models allow you to connect your existing second stage reg to it.
The advantages of a full face mask are ease of breathing, greater visibility, protection from cold, pollution and stings, a more secure fit — and you can communicate easily with other divers if it includes a communication device! Learn more about full face masks on our earlier post.
Full face masks cost more than traditional masks; however, if you purchase one with an integrated second stage regulator, it will be comparable to a high-quality traditional mask and regulator.
If you’re not ready for that kind of investment or you want to be able to snorkel with your mask, then stick with a high-quality traditional mask.
These tips apply to both traditional and full face masks, although you’ll want to consider the regulator and communication setup if purchasing a full face mask.
Check out our huge inventory of dive masks. If you live in the Dallas area, swing by our shop in Carrollton and we’ll help you find the best mask for your needs.
Any other mask fitting tips you can share? Let us know in the comments section below!
If you have mildly bad vision you may not need to wear corrective lenses because light through water automatically magnifies objects. However if you are still concerned your local dive shop should carry a selection of masks with corrective lenses built in.
I recommend purchasing a mask tamer strap (or “slap strap”) to fit to your mask to keep your hair from being pulled out by your mask strap.
Definitely invest wisely on your mask. This is a key piece of equipment so don’t ever go for “bargain brands”.
Never buy into the marketing tactic of a mask being labeled as “latest in mask technology”. Also, never buy one just based on its looks. This isn’t supposed to be a fashion statement. 😉
Don’t wear your mask too tight. Too often I see people with leaking masks. They tighten them and it leaks more. Air pressure holds the mask on. The strap is just there in case a side current tries to take it off or someone kicks it. I can, literally, pull my mask 2 or 3 inches from my face with the strap in place.