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When choosing a mask, three sets of criteria are critically important: fit, fit and fit. As no two faces are alike, proper mask fitting needs to be a careful undertaking. Bring your regulator and snorkel on your shopping trip because these can affect the mask’s seal. Don’t fall for the old method of inhaling to see if a mask fits. Creating such a vacuum can provide a seal on even an improperly fitting mask.
Instead, with your reg and snorkel in place, tilt your head back and rest the mask in place without inhaling — look for any gaps between the skirt and the skin. Next, make sure the mask is comfortable — there’s nothing worse than diving with a mask that digs into the bridge of your nose, eyebrows or upper lip. At depth, these pressure points can make you feel like you’re wearing a coffee can. Make sure you can reach around the second stage to pinch your nose.
Lastly, if your retailer will let you take it into the pool, take the plunge and make sure the mask doesn’t leak and that there are no issues with comfort. If you can’t do an in-water test, check the store’s return policy.
Prepping Your Mask
There’s a reason all new masks fog so readily: A chemical used in the manufacturing process leaves a residue on the lens and traps water. It can also leach out of the skirt and strap material causing fogging to persist with frameless masks, which are designed to fold flat, bringing the skirt and strap into contact with the lens between dives.
The solution? Use toothpaste, Soft Scrub or a mask precleaner to clean the lens inside and out before you dive with the mask. Use your fingertips to apply the cleaner carefully to all areas of the lens and rinse thoroughly with fresh water. It may also help to wrap the strap of a frameless mask around the front of the lens for storage so it doesn’t rest against the inside lens where fog occurs. It’s also important to clean your mask lenses of sunscreen, sweat and salt residue before each dive.
Yes, spit will do the job in a pinch, but it also puts bacteria in your mask. We recommend using a defog solution or baby shampoo. To help prevent fogging, keep your mask immersed in fresh water between dives.
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It’s no fun diving with a mask that keeps filling with water every few seconds. So the first consideration when buying a mask is how well its skirt seals against your face. Despite claims to the contrary, no one mask fits all.
ScubaLab examined 18 new masks to help you find one that will fit your face — and style of diving.
