Buying your first dive equipment – masks and snorkels

When it comes to buying a mask for scuba diving, making sure it fits comes first and foremost – but after that, there are lots of options

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By Mark 'Crowley' Russell

The most important thing about buying a mask for scuba diving is the fit. Everything else is secondary. A poorly-fitting dive mask will leak. Leaks lead to annoyance, snotty noses, foggy lenses, stinging eyes, and – in some cases – sheer, uncontrollable panic.

Your mask may be sleek in design and have rose-tinted lenses and the most dynamic of colour schemes for its frame, but you’re never going to look any better with fogged-up lenses and gunk streaming out of the nose pocket, and you’ll be super annoyed if you don’t see the whale shark that cruises by as a result.

If it doesn’t fit, it’s no good.

How to check if a dive mask fits

The classic test to check the fit is to apply the mask to your face without using the strap, and inhale gently through your nose.

Be prepared to catch it. If it falls off your face then it’s not a good fit and you should not purchase the mask. If it falls onto the floor and smashes into pieces, then it’s not a good fit but you will have to purchase it anyway.

If the fit is good, then it should stick to your face when you inhale through your nose and there should be no leaks. If you can still breathe through your nose, it doesn’t fit.

Once a mask passes the ‘no strap’ test, apply the strap and tighten it so that it’s comfortable, but not restrictive. If the strap is too tight, it will force the skirt outwards, which will cause it to leak, plus you get that ‘I’ve just been diving’ panda-style indentation around your face when you take it off.

A correctly adjusted mask should easily pop away from your face by a centimetre or so when you pull it outwards.

Nose shapes vary, of course, and the nose pocket is often the main point of failure of most masks, and not just because you’ve got a big hooter. Once it’s comfortably adjusted, wiggle your face around while gently attempting to breathe in through your nose to see if you get much leakage; move your cheeks and open and close your mouth.

If possible, see if there is any problem with the fit while you have a regulator mouthpiece or snorkel in your mouth.

Note that facial hair can prevent dive masks from sealing correctly against your face, so it’s best to remove any of that lazy weekend stubble before you go to the dive shop to try them on. If you are the magnificently moustachioed type and are unwilling to remove it then you may wish to consider smoothing it down with an appropriate wax – Vaseline works well at a push. This is not a jest – I have met plenty of bearded gentlemen who remove their masterpieces for dive holidays.

Try as many different varieties as you can, and find the one that fits you best. Take in some of the secondary characteristics of the mask, and take your time – you will appreciate doing so once you get in the water.

Secondary dive mask characteristics

The secondary considerations are functional as well as cosmetic, and everybody has different preferences which may not be wholly apparent until you get in the water. I put them broadly into three further categories: black or clear skirts, single or double lenses, and low profile.

Black/white/solid or clear skirt?

Black-skirted masks with solid black frames (sometimes just referred to simply as black masks, white versions are also available) are one of those products that some divers love and some divers loathe. They reduce glare, which is handy for photographers, but others find their vision is restricted, and some people say it makes them feel a little claustrophobic.

You will only ever know if you try one on – but the default is clear skirts and most divers will be comfortable starting off with that.

Single or double lens?

For single or double lenses – price, personal preference, comfort and visual impairment all play a part in deciding which to choose:

It is usually the case that the lowest-price entry-level masks have double lenses, but this does not mean all double-lens masks are cheaper. Some, in fact, are more expensive than single-lens alternatives because double-lens masks are the only option for divers who might need prescription lenses underwater (see below).

In terms of preference and comfort – mostly this boils down to the shape of your face. As an example from my own personal experience: I find the plastic bit of the frame in the middle of some (not all) double-lensed masks tends to push into the bridge of my nose. I find this very uncomfortable so I tend to opt for single-lens masks, which I also feel provide an enhanced field of vision.

One disadvantage to single-lens masks is that they often have a slightly higher interior volume, meaning they take a little more effort to clear. This shouldn’t really be an issue for any diver, but it might be a consideration for someone who has previously had some difficulty clearing their mask. Low-profile masks may provide a solution.

Prescription lenses

Most manufacturers have at least one model that has user-replaceable lenses into which prescription lenses – purchased separately – can be swapped. These come in a range of dioptres (usually in 0.5 dioptre increments) for those who need glasses at the surface. Bear in mind that they are, essentially, like ‘readers’; more complex prescriptions may require alternative optical compensation. Check out DIVE’s guide for more information about prescription masks.

Low profile

Low-profile masks are designed to reduce the interior volume and make it easier to clear. Some of them are so easy to clear, you barely have to think about it, but again, they’re not for everybody. In my case, I found that my eyelashes kept batting against the lens every time I blinked which became super-annoying. However, any issues with comfort such as this would hopefully be apparent when you try it on in the shop.

And finally – snorkels

Love them or hate them, snorkels are often very useful; sometimes essential. The most important thing is that they are easy to clear, and the best snorkels – in my opinion – are those that have a simple dump valve in the mouthpiece, and a shield at the top to help prevent splashes getting into the tube (pictured above, right).

There are some gimmicky devices which are supposed to prevent water entry, but my personal opinion is that they’re mostly unnecessary, especially if they significantly increase the price.

The clip that attaches the snorkel to the mask, however, can be more of a problem than the snorkel itself, as moving the snorkel can pull the strap away from the face, causing the mask to flood.

If I had to recommend an attachment, it would be of a type that fastens securely but is easy to unclip and remove the snorkel if necessary, without having to remove the mask in order to do so.

Functional, not fancy, is the way to go.