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Scuba Diving Equipment – Mask Selection And Preparation
By Rick Van Raden
Scuba Diving is a great adventure! However, it is also a visual adventure. If you can't see clearly, you are missing the best part of diving. Find a diving mask that fits and prepare it correctly for diving and you will be a life long participant.
The most important consideration when looking for a diving mask is fit. If the diving mask doesn't fit it won't matter how stylish it looks or that it has the latest integrated technology. The bottom line is if the diving mask doesn't fit properly you will be clearing the diving mask continuously throughout your dive and miss all the exciting attractions.
Let me tell you a quick story to illustrate my point. My wife Sheila and I went to Fiji last year on a diving and relaxation adventure. My wife had never been diving in the ocean, however, had heard the stories from other divers and myself about how great ocean diving is. As we anxiously waited to get in the water for our first dive I could see Sheila was excited about the new exotic world she was about to visit.
As we descended though a school of hundreds of barracuda towards a coral wall teaming with fish and color a wide smile slid across my face. I knew that if Sheila was seeing what I was seeing she would be hooked on diving and my life long companion would also be my life long diving companion. As I looked over to Sheila fully intending to see the same smile that I had plastered across my face, I saw here diving mask was half full of water and she was having to clear the diving mask frequently. Not only was the diving mask needing frequent clearing, when she wasn't clearing the diving mask, the lens appeared to be foggy.
We finished the dive and everyone on the boat was busy talking about how great Fiji diving is. I asked Sheila what she thought? She said she wasn't that impressed with ocean diving. I told her that I didn't doubt that her experience wasn't good because every time I looked at her she was either clearing her diving mask or the lens were all fogged up. I was surprised she could see anything.
I convinced Sheila to try again and we where able to find a diving mask that fit her and we also prepared the lens so that they wouldn't fog up. Our second dive was as spectacular as the first and this time Sheila could see what everyone was so excited about. Sheila and I went on to have a fantastic week of diving and Sheila is busy now talking about our next trip the ocean.
The moral of this story is to make sure you select a diving mask that fits and is properly prepared for diving. Sheila selected her diving mask based on fashion and color. Like many new divers Sheila didn't understand how important mask fit is to the enjoyment of the dive.
How can people find a mask that fits? The best answer is to start by consulting a professional diver that has experience in fitting people with the right diving masks. I have been fitting people with masks for over 30 years. Through experience and product knowledge, I have developed the ability to look at a divers face and suggest a diving mask with the right fit. The best ‘on face’ test is to look up at the ceiling and place the diving mask on your face. Inhale through the nose and the diving mask should seal and pull onto your face. If air is leaking between the diving mask skirt and your face chances
are you don't have a good fit.
How about those issue of lens fogging? What can be done to solve this problem? Lens can fog for a couple of reasons. The most common reason is that people don't prepare the diving mask for diving after purchase. Most diving masks come from the factory with a silicone spray coating the lens. This coating makes the diving mask look new and shiny out of the box. However, this coatig must be removed prior to use or you will get fogging. You can purchase a mask/slate cleaning product designed to clean the lens of a mask. Your diving mask can also get a build up over time from the water and may need to be cleaned often depending on use. I highly encourage any new diving mask owner to clean there mask with this type of product before using the diving mask for the first time. I know that Sheila would recommend this as well.
A second reason diving masks fog is that people don't use defog solution prior to diving. The defog solution is different than the diving mask cleaner. The defog solution should be applied to the diving mask prior to each dive.
Another reason worth noting is fogging occurs when divers exhale continuously through there nose. Most people don't even realize that this happening. If you have cleaned you diving mask and have applied a defog solution prior to diving and you are still getting fogging, ask you buddy to watch you to see if you are exhaling through your nose.
Make your next dive more enjoyable! Select the right mask, clean it and prepare it properly. Happy Diving! Article Source: http://www.article-matrix.com Rick VanRaden has been diving for over 30 years. Rick is a dive shop owner and certified instructor. Rick offers a very unique service - Send Rick a photo and he will suggest a mask to fit you! Learn about Scuba Diving Equipment at www.scubasuppliers.com
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