FFM SBV? Please Help!

[twstrickland]

Help I have been diving for years and have been looking for things to get me back into diving. First went to Nitrox. Then my dive buddy and I built our own canister lights. Then we went out and got the Poseidon Atmosphere. Diving up in the Puget Sound, I have been having problems with my hood getting in the way of my seal. Once I have it in place I have blown way to much air. I was looking into getting the Sartek SBV-1
to use while trying to get the mask just right. Anyone had luck with this product? Further, if I buy one can I later have it fitted for the buddy phone?

[mntdiver]

What kind of hood are you diving? You're best bet is going to be a direct seal to your face. Trim the hood away to the edge of your mask if it's neoprene. If you're diving a latex hood, you can seal over it. I'm guessing you're diving a neoprene. I've talked to many that have tried custom hoods with skin out and even have one myself, this causes too many problems with moving the mask away from your face (yes, three or four milimeters will make a difference) and leaking.

To the breathing vent, you might see if you can get an ABV installed to the lense. It has several advantages and you won't have any problems with installing communications later. It reduces fogging, has better CO2 washout and is a bit more user friendly.