Tour operators start ban on full-face snorkel masks

[DeepSeaExplorer]

This paragraph from the article mails it...

“Some of the concerns tour companies in Hawaii have raised with full-face snorkel masks is the difficulty of removing the masks if water gets inside; that the masks can retain more carbon dioxide than traditional snorkel masks; and that the masks cover the snorkeler’s mouth, making it difficult for someone wearing it to call for help if needed.”

 

[kelemvor]

This paragraph from the article mails it...

“Some of the concerns tour companies in Hawaii have raised with full-face snorkel masks is the difficulty of removing the masks if water gets inside; that the masks can retain more carbon dioxide than traditional snorkel masks; and that the masks cover the snorkeler’s mouth, making it difficult for someone wearing it to call for help if needed.”

It will be an interesting tourism experiment if nothing else. Some operators (most, I assume) still offer the masks. Will those that do not offer them attract fewer customers? If the operator really believes them to be dangerous, maybe they don't think they have a choice. Still, it could be very bad for business unless the masks were banned by a regulating body.

 

[David Wilson]

I know the subject of this thread is the full-face snorkel-mask, but I've noticed that half-face masks with integral snorkels permitting nasal breathing without enclosing the mouth have recently become available:

Here's a mouth-excluding mask design US Divers came up with in the late 1950s:

 

[HDP]

Wait until they discover SPLIT FINS (or Spare Air)!

BTW- Thomas Cook is good with FF masks.

I suspect they are not so good anymore!

 

[Results45]

A few brands have started included chin exhalation valves, revised snorkel shape, and equalization mechanisms (nose blockers & silicone nose cavities):

$40 > https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q6B9PKQ/ref=twister_B07Q5QYV4Z
$50 > https://www.amazon.com/AQUAEGIS-Full-Face-Snorkel-Mask/dp/B07DDH1JJC
$70 > https://www.amazon.com/WildHorn-Outfitters-Seaview-180%C2%B0-Snorkel/dp/B07F22VLWY/


I'll probably get a handful of the first two for friends & family next time we go snorkeling


P.S. has anyone used one of these on a dive while at the surface?

 

[CT-Rich]

A few brands have started included chin exhalation valves, revised snorkel shape, and equalization mechanisms (nose blockers & silicone nose cavities):

$40 > https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q6B9PKQ/ref=twister_B07Q5QYV4Z
$50 > https://www.amazon.com/AQUAEGIS-Full-Face-Snorkel-Mask/dp/B07DDH1JJC
$70 > https://www.amazon.com/WildHorn-Outfitters-Seaview-180%C2%B0-Snorkel/dp/B07F22VLWY/


I'll probably get a handful of the first two for friends & family next time we go snorkeling


P.S. has anyone used one of these on a dive while at the surface?

Wow! Looking at these I just want to shout “YOU’RE GONNA DIE”. I know it is unfair (possibly totally), but I just think they look like a $50 deathtrap.

 

[Sbiriguda]

A few brands have started included chin exhalation valves, revised snorkel shape, and equalization mechanisms (nose blockers & silicone nose cavities):

P.S. has anyone used one of these on a dive while at the surface?

While the other masks are relatively similar to the existing ones, the equalization mechanisms seem to be something new for this type of full face masks. I wonder if they are safe or they might imply additional risks. And also, I am not sure they can really be useful at all... Equalization AFAIK is necessary only as long as you leave the surface where you are doing snorkeling and you dive. Full face masks are not usable for freediving since they create a sort of "air bubble" that makes it impossible to dive. This type is not usable for scuba too, since regulators or other equivalent devices do not seem to be compatible with it.

PS
They look very large and cumbersome, no need to bring them while scuba diving. You already have the scuba mask, you just need a snorkel or roll-up foldable snorkel. It's true anyway that for recreational diving in simple and controlled environments (with buddy, in a group, with dive masters etc.) you could almost carry your kitchen sink with you and that would probably not prevent you from completing the dive anyway

 

[wnissen]

The Diver's Alert Network is holding a free "research update" on full-face snorkel designs tonight (December 16, 2021). Two experts have evaluated some of the designs and says that some design features may increase risk.

Research Update: Full Face Snorkel Masks

In the past five years, full face snorkel masks (FFSMs) have exploded in popularity. At first these products were made by a small number of reputable manufacturers, but there is now a broad spectrum of designs of varying quality and no regulation of testing or function. Despite their prevalence...

dan.org

 

[Rob9876]

In brief, at about the 39 minute mark, no clear "smoking gun", but cheap, no-name (not made by scuba manufacturers) FFMs may have poor gas flow requiring more effort to breathe, which could tax the lungs and possibly lead to respiratory distress.
(also see around the 27 minute mark).

Otherwise, better quality FFMs seem to work as advertised. Good news for those (like 2 in my family) with jaw issues that make normal snorkel use difficult.

 

[David Wilson]

Otherwise, better quality FFMs seem to work as advertised. Good news for those (like 2 in my family) with jaw issues that make normal snorkel use difficult.

That is indeed good news. I'm not a particular advocate of the new FFMs, but the people crying "that stuff will kill you" seem oblivious to the fact that any piece of diving equipment can be lethal too when misused. Decathlon, the original designers of the modern snorkel FFM, did thorough scientific testing with their prototype to prove its safety and all seemed to be well. Then the cheap FFMs appeared that were poorly designed and Decathlon changed their minds about the suitability of FFMs for snorkel diving and limited their model to surface use.

The overriding point about FFMs is that they address the problem of gagging and jaw-ache for those who can't put a mouthpiece in their mouth. I expect the "that stuff will kill you" brigade will just suggest finding a pastime other than snorkelling. That is no answer to people with special needs who deserve better from modern technology. Perhaps more snorkel masks enabling nose breathing but leaving the mouth outside the mask interior makes an appropriate compromise:

People forget, or just don't know, that most snorkel-masks around 50 years ago had no mouth coverage.