low volume mask? easy to clear?

"John" <john@spam.me> wrote in message
news:%rzcb.212$rC2.2225328@news-text.cableinet.net

> Does anyone have any idea which is the lowest volume mask avaliable? (on the
> basis that the lower the volume the easier it is to clear)

There are some tiny masks like goggles with a nosepiece which are tiny
volume, but the field of view is like peering through a keyhole.
Freediving style masks are somewhere in the middle in terms of volume,
and the field of view is middling too. The high profile ones don't seem
to offer any advantages - bigger volume like a box sticking off your
face, and no advantage in FOV.

> I know that it also depend on fit,

It *all* depends on fit. Buy a mask on fit first.

>but if I can get some idea of what some
> of the lowest volume masks are, the it at least gives me a starting point to
> try them out.

Your lung volume is so much larger than the volume of any mask, any
normal 'low volume' diving mask should be easy enough to clear.
Practice makes perfect and all that.

Cheers,
Huw
--
http://www.huwporter.com


--
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On Thu, 25 Sep 2003 15:12:45 +0100, "Jason"
<jason.usenet.nospam@ntlworld.com> wrote:

>On Thu, 25 Sep 2003 12:06:41 +0000, Lee Bell wrote:
>
>> Mares makes a somewhat different mask to do the same job. It's got
>> unusually shaped lenses, seems to give similar field of view and seems
>> to fit better. I'll let you know about that when I get a chance to try
>> it out.
>
>I tried a Mares Lirica when they first came out. Leaked a bit until I got
>the strap tension right. Then the strap loosened after a bit of use and it
>absolutely poured in. The second time this happened, I chucked it into the
>corner of the spare room where it rests to this day.
>
>I've currently got an Oceanic 4Site which is a good fit for my face. Only
>time's it leaked is when a mozzie bit me on the face right where the seal
>is.

Perhaps the underwater mossie likes the taste of seals?
:)

>Jason

David

On 25 Sep 2003 11:14:15 GMT, dixit Alasdair Allan
<aa@ukrecscuba.org.uk>:

>*nod*

Nah - mine's not been a problem.

>They also leak like a bastard if you have the wrong face shape, none the
>less you'll see alot of them on UKRS trips as they're very, very, good at
>what they do, which is give you extra vision. Many of us just put up with
>a little bit of mask leak for this added benefit...

I've heard a lot of people complain about this. I'm not really all
that surprised. The company manufactures to a certain design, yet
faces are all different.

I reiterate: mine's not been a problem with it leaking due to fit. I
find the downwards vision bonus you get is cancelled out,
incidentally, when a rebreather mouthpiece is in the way. Funny that.

However, if you take the thing apart to clean it then fail to put it
back together properly, it'll leak like a junior cabinet minister.

--
ICQ 163264 "Follow, lead or get off the shotline"
Make spammers pay... use CruelMail

Jason wrote

> I tried a Mares Lirica when they first came out. Leaked a bit until I got
> the strap tension right. Then the strap loosened after a bit of use and it
> absolutely poured in. The second time this happened, I chucked it into the
> corner of the spare room where it rests to this day.

I don't know if that's the model or not. It's in my dive bag out in the
garage and I'm too lazy to make the trip at the moment. If it is the same
model, perhaps you'd like to swap it for a Big Eyes, used only once.

Lee

"Jason" <jason.usenet.nospam@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
newsan.2003.09.25.14.12.45.330023@ntlworld.com.. .
> On Thu, 25 Sep 2003 12:06:41 +0000, Lee Bell wrote:
>
> > Mares makes a somewhat different mask to do the same job. It's got
> > unusually shaped lenses, seems to give similar field of view and seems
> > to fit better. I'll let you know about that when I get a chance to try
> > it out.
>
> I tried a Mares Lirica when they first came out. Leaked a bit until I got
> the strap tension right. Then the strap loosened after a bit of use and it
> absolutely poured in. The second time this happened, I chucked it into the
> corner of the spare room where it rests to this day.
>
> I've currently got an Oceanic 4Site which is a good fit for my face. Only
> time's it leaked is when a mozzie bit me on the face right where the seal
> is.

The colour suits you too


--
Andy C (aka Fuzz)

Always in it, Just the depth that varies.
http://home.clara.net/andy.c/index.html

"John" <john@spam.me> wrote in message
news:%rzcb.212$rC2.2225328@news-text.cableinet.net...
>
> Does anyone have any idea which is the lowest volume mask avaliable?
> (on the basis that the lower the volume the easier it is to clear)

<2d>
My recommendation is to buy the mask which fits best and then you won't have
to clear it so often. Mask clearing is such a fundamental skill that you
should be able to do it without thinking, regardless of the volume involved.
</2d>

R.

John wrote:
> Does anyone have any idea which is the lowest volume mask avaliable? (on

> the basis that the lower the volume the easier it is to clear)

> I know that it also depend on fit, but if I can get some idea of what

> some of the lowest volume masks are, the it at least gives me a starting

> point to try them out.



I agree with most here about the volume not being as important as some
think, especially for scuba (you've got litres and litres in your
cylinder). But here are some very low volume masks freedivers use. The
Cressi Minima is probably the lowest volume mask out there, besides the
Dacor Bandit. Dacor stopped making that mask, but there are still a few
companies selling a version. However, it is single skirted and leaks
easily, plus the lenses are usually plastic. It sucks, but was the best
thing available until the Cressi Minima. The Minima is double skirted
and fits extremely well considering it is the lowest volume mask on the
market. It actually has a very decent window, because the lenses
(glass) are very close to your eyes. A more mainstream lower volume
mask is the Mares Target/ Sporasub Samurai/ Cressi Superoccio/ OMER
mask that all these companies sell different-badged/material/lense
options of. They are good masks that are really popular with freediving
spearfisherman. Cheers, Erik Y.



--
Posted via Deeper Blue [ http://www.deeperblue.net ]
freedive.scuba.travel - The Online Resource for the Underwater World

"John" <john@spam.me> wrote in message
news:%rzcb.212$rC2.2225328@news-text.cableinet.net...
> Does anyone have any idea which is the lowest volume mask avaliable? (on
the
> basis that the lower the volume the easier it is to clear)
>
> I know that it also depend on fit, but if I can get some idea of what some
> of the lowest volume masks are, the it at least gives me a starting point
to
> try them out.
>
>
>

If your mask clearing technique is ok you should be able to clear a
conservatory on your face. Save your money and get what fits nice rather
than what is the latest fad in low volume.

While you are at the shop what out for one piece glass masks...the narrow
bit accross your nose is a weak spot. I found out after unpacking my bag in
the middle of the oggin in the Red Sea after the flight baggage handlers had
done their worst and got a handful of glass bits and an empty frame.

Paul

"Rudy Lacchin" <rulaREMOVETHIS@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:bkvbo0> <2d>
> My recommendation is to buy the mask which fits best and then you won't
have
> to clear it so often. Mask clearing is such a fundamental skill that you
> should be able to do it without thinking, regardless of the volume
involved.

S'true - it becomes second nature.
I can clear mine now while swimming along horizontally - just tilt head to
one side, fingers on upper most part of mask (which ever bit that is) and
short sharp 'snort' :)

M

On Thu, 25 Sep 2003 19:20:13 +0100, "Rudy Lacchin"
<rulaREMOVETHIS@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

>
>"John" <john@spam.me> wrote in message
>news:%rzcb.212$rC2.2225328@news-text.cableinet.net...
>>
>> Does anyone have any idea which is the lowest volume mask avaliable?
>> (on the basis that the lower the volume the easier it is to clear)
>
><2d>
>My recommendation is to buy the mask which fits best and then you won't have
>to clear it so often. Mask clearing is such a fundamental skill that you
>should be able to do it without thinking, regardless of the volume involved.
></2d>


I am very impressed with the latest ScubaPro FFM. Much easier to seal
than others because the oral cavity is separate to the nasal/eye
cavity. Mask has good visibility and comes with surface air valve so
you don't have to waste your air just because you have the mask on.

I was particularly underwelmed by the "Ocean Reef" FFM/
--
Steve Barlow