Mask fitting problems

[BobbyWilliams]

My wife cannot get a mask to fit her without leaking. We now both have Atomics (approx. $100.00 each).
She has narrow eyes, a standard size head but she has deep creases from her nose down to the corners of her mouth. She also has a low hairline that may impede on a seal. She spends so much of her time clearing her mask that she does not want to dive anymore. And she loves diving!
What can I do?
Bobby Williams

 

[Bert van den Berg]

You can try a mask with harder silicon rubber. I have a mustache and the soft software silicon rubber masks do not seal well but a mask with harder silicon rubber seals great.

Do the "sniff" test at the dive shop. Have her hold the mask against her face and inhale through the nose. A mask with a good seal won't leak air.

A trick I learned with my "leaky" masks is to put a slight vacuum in the mask after clearing it underwater. When you clear the mask while underwater you end up equalizing the pressure and the seal is not quite as good as what you get when there is a slight excess water pressure on the mask.

Regards,

Bert

 

[NorCalDM]

Make sure the mask is not too tight if she keeps pulling it tighter it will leak more. My wife has a lot of hair that get in the way of a good seal so she uses a low volume free diving mask that works great for her. Also the shape of your face will change with a reg in your mouth so one that you tried on in the dive shop will seal different so if you can put a reg or snorkel in your mouth to try on a mask.

 

[jbb]

Try smaller masks for smaller faces such as the Mares X-vision MID (other manufactures do as well). They have it in regular and soft silicone - but like another post mentioned this might not help. I have both grades of silicone and it really doesn't seam to matter which one I use on my face. They all fit (masks) differently. She doesn't try to breathe thru her nose underwater does she? Some people will exhale thru the nose occasionally underwater which make them think the mask is leaking.

 

[Instructor_Tom]

My wife cannot get a mask to fit her without leaking. We now both have Atomics (approx. $100.00 each).
She has narrow eyes, a standard size head but she has deep creases from her nose down to the corners of her mouth. She also has a low hairline that may impede on a seal. She spends so much of her time clearing her mask that she does not want to dive anymore. And she loves diving!
What can I do?
Bobby Williams

Deep creases are a sign of a joyful life, but they do tend to cause mask leaks. My trick is Chapstick. I use it around my laugh lines and on my mustache. Apply liberally where needed right before your dive. Its inexpensive yet work very well.

Also i recommend replacing the standard silicone strap with a neoprene slap strap. Once its sized to fit it never needs adjustment again and will prevent over tightening.

Finding the perfect mask can take some time and you might go through several masks before you find the perfect one. I went through seven masks before i settled on the 2 i actually have in my dive kick now.


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[drrich2]

Sometimes lower cost masks can work. I've tried a number of masks; got a big head, and creases from nose to mouth edge can be an issue for me. I've got an Atomic subframe mask that works pretty well, but I've also got an AquaLung Sea Quest Visage, about $30 at LeisurePro, which seals just as well and is more comfortable (for some reason my Atomic feels like someone is pressing my forehead between & above the eyes, unless I really stay on top of keeping plenty of air in it).

I don't know whether what I use would work for her. Any chance you guys know some divers you could borrow 3 or 4 masks from for her to try?

Richard.

 

[Instructor_Tom]

Forgot to mention - you may want to checkout some of the low volume frameless technical masks like the M1 or M4 from hollis :

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&ke...vptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=t&ref=pd_sl_7kb4qc0sno_e

These masks tend to offer a better fit for those of us whom lack smooth youthful faces.

T.



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[MAKO Spearguns]

My wife cannot get a mask to fit her without leaking. We now both have Atomics (approx. $100.00 each).
She has narrow eyes, a standard size head but she has deep creases from her nose down to the corners of her mouth. She also has a low hairline that may impede on a seal. She spends so much of her time clearing her mask that she does not want to dive anymore. And she loves diving!
What can I do?
Bobby Williams

Please check the MAKO Spearguns micro-mask. It has proven to be very versatile and fits a wide spectrum of people. Since we sell all our gear over the internet, we understand that if it doesn't fit or she doesn't like it, it is going to be returned... NO PROBLEM! She loves the mask or you return it...

The low volume mask is very comfortable and has incredible visibility because the face plate sits very close to the eyes.

We sell direct, so don't be surprised by the low cost of our masks (and other gear).

http://www.makospearguns.com/Minimus-Mini-Freedive-Mask-p/mmm.htm

 

[fnfalman]

My wife cannot get a mask to fit her without leaking. We now both have Atomics (approx. $100.00 each).
She has narrow eyes, a standard size head but she has deep creases from her nose down to the corners of her mouth. She also has a low hairline that may impede on a seal. She spends so much of her time clearing her mask that she does not want to dive anymore. And she loves diving!
What can I do?
Bobby Williams

Try a lot of masks. Seriously.

a well fitted mask on the surface can easily become an ill-fitted mask underwater. I have EIGHT masks. Yes, EIGHT freakin' masks right now and only one of them; the latest one, fit me properly. After seven years of diving, shopping, trying and searching, I finally found a mask that fits. Of course it has to be out of production...alas, the fickle fingers of Fate.

 

[Dive-aholic]

I've had a few different masks over the years and my two favorites happened to also be the least expensive ones. I used one mask for several years until it wore out and I was extremely disappointed to discover it had been discontinued, especially since I had only paid $30 for it. I was fortunately able to find another mask that works and it happened to cost in the $30s. I have a mustache and have to use a mask that seals above it. While your wife likely doesn't have a mustache it sounds like she would benefit from a similar type mask. I'll be driving through Jupiter later this week and would be happy to let her try the mask and see what she thinks.