A Scuba Mask may be a relatively cheap piece of Scuba Diving equipment in comparison to rest of the items in your Scuba kit, but it is also the one piece of equipment that is almost always owned by every Scuba diver and rarely rented. A Dive Mask is also a piece of equipment that divers are fondly attached to, and great effort is put into finding and selecting the right kind of mask and the perfect fit, which is even more reason to learn how to properly care for your mask so that once you find that right mask, it serves you for several years.

Cleaning your mask
When you first buy your mask, ensure you rub the inside and outer glass surfaces with a tiny pearl of toothpaste using your index finger. This helps remove the tiny layer of oil that manufacturers coat the silicone surfaces of the mask with to protect the silicone in storage and shipping. Toothpaste can also be used when you need to clean a used mask from dirt, or oils from your head, suntan lotion etc. Gently rub the paste applying minimal pressure to clear both surfaces from any dirt or oils. The micro abrasive particles in toothpaste help clear dirt and oil from the microscopic dents and scratches that are on the surface of the mask.

Keeping your Mask Scratch Free
To ensure that your Scuba Mask remains scratch free, never lay your scuba mask face-down on any surface. Crusty sea salt, sand and dirt found on dive boats or on piers will scratch the lens of your mask and permanently damage the viewing surfaces. Always place your dive mask face upwards when you are not wearing it. Take care where you place your mask in the dive boat. Several divers are exhausted after a dive and simply toss their masks into the boat along with their other equipment and tanks, that can damage, scratch or crush masks easily. Also ensuring your mask is transported in your dive bag inside its protective box will prevent other items of equipment scratching it.

Rinse your mask in freshwater after a dive
Always remember to rinse your scuba mask in clean, freshwater after each dive. Salt and grime attack the soft silicone in your mask causing it to degrade over time. If you have a long wait between dives, ensure you carry a freshwater bucket, or have a source of fresh water nearby where you can rinse out your mask before you next dive. Dry the mask thoroughly using lint free or micro fiber cloth before placing it for storage in a plastic hard case for masks. If you didn’t get one of these with your mask, we’d strongly recommend getting one which is great for protecting your mask while traveling.  If you are between dives, have a mesh bag hanging in the dive boat that is hung out of reach, and will allow the mask to air out and dry. Cleaning and airing out your mask also ensures that the mask is odor free, so you experience the sights and not strange smells on your next dive.

Store your mask away from sunlight.
One of the most important things to ensure your mask stays with you a long time is to keep it out of contact with direct sunlight as much as possible.  Harsh Sunlight and high temperatures attack the rubber and silicone of masks, turning the translucent soft silicone into a yellowing harder mass, that causes mask leaks and degradation over time. Mask bands and straps exposed to sunlight, form cracks and may break easily when stretched. Always store your mask inside its case in a cool dark place but not moist. If you have a silica gel packet or desiccant, place this inside your mask case to keep the moisture at bay. We know it sounds odd to keep moisture at bay from a mask that is meant for use underwater, but prolonged exposure to moisture will harm your mask and eat away at the silicone.  While on a dive, ensure that when you are not using your mask, that you place it in a cool shaded area and away from the harsh sunlight.

* Featured in this article: Cressi-Sub “Big Eyes” Clear Skirt Mask & the Mares Pure Vision Mask from leisurepro.com

Needless to say Scuba diving masks are an integral piece of dive gear and can greatly influence the comfort of a dive. Much needed to keep the stinging salt water out of your eyes, Scuba masks make your view of coral, fish, sea mammals and other life that much more clearer. Dive masks come in an endless choice of style and color and choosing the right fit and type is crucial. Afterall, nothing can ruin a dive faster than mask squeeze or constantly having to clear your mask that keeps flooding.

Here’s all you need to know about dive masks-

Types of Scuba Masks:

Single Lens/ Single Window Masks
This type of mask uses a single pane lens across both sides of the mask. There is no physical separation of the lenses and although you can’t really see much between your eyes, it allows you to pick up movement there instead of a blind spot.

Double Window Mask
As the name indicates, double window masks use two lens panes separated into two sides in the middle, just above the nose bridge. It’s not a major disadvantage as compared to a single window mask, as your line of sight usually doesn’t extend to this area.

.

Three Window Masks
Three window masks use a single pane lens across the front of the dive mask and replace have box like side windows on either side which allow a wider range of vision on the sides than regular masks.

Dive Masks with Purge
These types of masks have a purge valve on the bottom of the nose, allowing divers to clear the mask by simply exhaling into the mask while the water escapes through the one way valve. While the purge is placed for simplicity of mask clearing two fairly common complaints with this type of mask seems to be problems equalizing and leaks at depths. At the same time many divers have no complaints and love having the purge feature in their mask.

Full Face Scuba Mask
These scuba diving masks cover the divers whole face. Water is sealed out and a mouthpiece is built into the mask allowing the diver to breathe. Full face masks aren’t very common in recreational diving unless diving in very cold waters. In the case of cold water diving full face masks are used along with hoods so that the divers skin or face doesn’t come into contact with the cold water at all.

What to consider while choosing a Scuba mask
After selecting a style from the above types according to preference, it’s very important to look at the silicon skirting around the mask. The skirting and shape of the mask must fit your face well to provide you with a comfortable fit. Also the quality of the silicon should be good. Higher quality silicon is usually found in the more expensive models and will feel softer and more flexible than poorer grade silicon.

Another important consideration to make while picking out a dive mask is the nose pocket. Different types of masks have different shaped nose pockets. Check that your nose fits comfortably in the pocket without touching your nose. This will help protect and cushion your nose as well as have necessary air pockets that’ll help equalizing and purging water out in case any gets in.

Lastly the strap should be off good quality and fit your head comfortably. Many straps are made of rubber or silicon and come in a single or double strap option. The advantage of the double strap is that you can position the top strap on the upper part of your head and the bottom strap on the lower part of your head to offer extra stability and comfort. You can also opt for a soft strap cover to protect your hair from getting entangled in the strap.

Take these points into consideration if your in the market for your first or a new scuba mask and it’ll pay off in comfortable, leak free dives. Happy Diving!!

* Photo credits: photo byneilbetter on flickr

**Products pictured above- Tusa Concero One Window Mask, Mares X-Vision MID LiquidSkin Two Window Mask, Scubapro Cool VU 1/3 Window Mask, XS Scuba M-Line Mask P 1, Scubapro Full Face Mask. All available at LeisurePro.com

I can distinctly remember my first day at my open water dive class, when our dive instructor asked us all to spit into our dive masks and put them on. Eyebrows went up in disbelief everywhere, and not to mention a few chuckles as well. When we asked our instructor why, his reply was simply “to prevent your masks from fogging up underwater.” We accepted this and proceeded with our class and found out quickly that the spit really did work well.

But have you ever stopped to wonder why spit? What makes ordinary saliva so effective against fogging of masks? Why do masks fog up in the first place? Why won’t simple water do the trick? To answer this, we have to get a little technical.

A Scuba mask fogs up when the inside of the lens is at a temperature below the dew point of the air inside the mask. So water condenses on the inside of the lens. But the explanation doesn’t stop there. The surface of the glass in your mask is potholed with microscopic depressions. Moisture is attracted to this uneven surface and adheres to the front causing the fogging. Decreasing the surface tension and creating a moisture film prevents fogging.

So how does Spit help? Saliva acts as a surfactant. Surfactants are wetting agents that lower the surface tension of a liquid, allowing easier spreading. The term surfactant is a blend of the words surface acting agent. As a surfactant; saliva decreases the surface tension of the droplets. The water from the condensation does not mound up as beads or droplets but, instead breaks to form bigger droplets that just roll away into the mask.

Ok so why use Spit? Well simply because it’s the most conveniently available surfactant and it works really well too. You could just as easily use shampoo, detergents, toothpastes, soaps, alcohols, or glycerin all used by divers as a spit alternative used to the same effect. You could also purchase manufactured defogging solutions. But spit is free, plentiful and doesn’t require a wetsuit with pockets to carry around!

Photographs by Many Cats 4 Me and rainspoo

There are so many different recipes and concoctions that divers use nowadays to create their ‘miracle’ mask defogging solution. For the rest of us, we simply spit in our dive masks.

However for those of you who find spitting into your mask ‘unhygienic’ or uncivilized, or simply are tired of hawking all that spit into your Scuba masks, here are a few substitutes, proven to work just as well as saliva when it comes to preventing your masks from fogging.

Glycerin
Glycerin is a chemical compound known as Glycerol also commonly called glycerine. It is a colorless, odorless, viscous liquid that is widely used in pharmaceutical formulations. As glycerin is a form of alcohol, it works well to mix with water and decrease surface tension of water droplets removing the fog forming condensation in your mask. Glycerin is also easily available at your local pharmacy.

Toothpaste
This is a strange one indeed. However Toothpaste works particularity well and leaves your mask smelling minty fresh! Several people actually use toothpaste to clean their new masks, as the microscopic silicone particles and mild abrasive present in the paste helps clean the mask.

Shampoo
Shampoo or more commonly Baby shampoo works well as a defogging agent for the same reasons as the rest; it helps break the surface tension of the water droplets formed by condensation. Divers highly recommend baby shampoo for the simple reason that Baby shampoos or ‘no Tear’ shampoos are mild and will not irritate your eyes should water enter your mask. Once again shampoo leaves your mask smelling wonderful.

Commercially available de-fog solutions
Most dive stores or dive websites sell specially created mask de-fog agents that come in convenient spray bottles. There have been mixed results and quite a bit of debate as to which commercially available product works best. So make sure you don’t spend a fortune on these products when you have so many cheaply available alternatives.

Detergent, Dishwashing liquid & Soap
All the above products work quite well and help prevent your dive masks from fogging up as they all are surfactants that break the surface tension of water. One word of caution though; rinse your mask well after rubbing the inside glass, or use a tiny amount, as you definitely don’t want the liquid to come in contact with your eyes while diving.

Take your pick!

While many claim that there is no need for correction of vision while diving, as the water magnifies your vision; this is not necessarily true for everyone. Things appear approximately 33% larger/closer underwater due to refraction so if you have only slightly corrected vision, you may be able to see just fine underwater. But for the rest of us to truly appreciate the splendor of the coral reefs in macro detail, or to simply be able to read our depth gauges accurately, there are quite a few options available.

Disposable soft contact lenses work brilliantly underwater, and are one of the more easily available and cost friendly options. The main benefit that contact lenses provide is that of being able to use them both on the surface as well as in the water, making them extremely popular with the eyeglass wearing diver community. Though there is always the risk of them occasionally floating away should you take off or clean your mask underwater, many still swear by contact lenses and have completed numerous dives without ever losing one. Still, make sure you keep those eyes closed while clearing your diving mask underwater, and carry along an extra set just in case.

For hard contact lens wearers, make sure you first check with your optometrist whether you can dive wearing them, as they may not be suitable against the pressure as you dive; you may want to switch to soft lenses for your dives.

For those who are not comfortable with wearing contact lenses while scuba diving, there are still options out there. Prescription Lens fitted masks are becoming increasingly popular with several opticians offering custom fitted prescription lenses as inserts into swimming goggles or scuba masks. You can also get corrective lens compatible masks offered by the mask manufacturers themselves buy the lens according to your need and have it fitted into the mask at the dive store itself. Many manufacturers also offer special masks for those that require bifocals or correction for astigmatism.

Prescription masks are however often expensive, but if properly maintained will last the user a considerable amount of time and may be well worth the investment.

If you dive infrequently or just don’t want to spring for a prescription mask, you could always check with your local dive operator before you set out, to see if they stock prescription masks that can be rented along with your dive gear, and save you the trouble and cost of purchasing your own set.

“The few wonders of the world only exist while there are those with the sight to see them.”  So don’t let your eyesight hold you back from witnessing the wonders of the underwater realm and the joys of Scuba Diving.

* Pictured above- Corrective Lens Compatible Mares X-Vision LiquidSkin Two Window Mask