Full face snorkel mask and low air ?

[snork7]

Hi everyone, I have a question about full face snorkel masks. Is it normal to have lower air than a traditional snorkel mask in mouthpiece ? I feel like I'm having a harder time getting enough air. I tried it outside of the water and it's the same thing. I don't think it's a feeling of suffocation as I feel very comfortable in the water. I'm having to take more breaks due to exhaustion with this mask.

I love the free mounts feeling, but the air feels thicker and less. Maybe the piece I got is faulty?

Thoughts? Thanks!

 

[dcvf2]

Hi
the best answer is there => Experts Raise Questions About Safety Of Full-Face Snorkel Masks – DeeperBlue.com

 

[Patoux01]

Answer that, when you see what people DIVE with, is rubbish imo, and pushed by a guy that can't stand that his wife wasn't as good as she said she was and/or had a medical issue...

 

[fmerkel]

This is absolutely true and would be for any device of this sort: Deadspace is any 'tube' that you breathe through that is not involved in actual gas exchange. This includes your own mouth, trachea, and bronchial tubes. Anything additional just increases the problem.The larger the deadspace, the bigger the problem.

[Due to the large dead airspace in the mask and tube, there is concern that there could be a build-up of carbon dioxide in the mask]
You absolutely will have to take larger breaths (NOT more smaller breaths), to overcome the deadspace.

There may be concerns about higher breathing resistance also, but without personal experience I can't comment.

 

[snork7]

I see, it makes sense. I'm going to take both the traditional mask and full face. I won't be using the full face for longer times in the water. It's really hard to dive down with too with all the pressure on the face. Thanks for replying everyone.

 

[ScubaBobCancun]

Hi everyone, I have a question about full face snorkel masks. Is it normal to have lower air than a traditional snorkel mask in mouthpiece ? I feel like I'm having a harder time getting enough air. I tried it outside of the water and it's the same thing. I don't think it's a feeling of suffocation as I feel very comfortable in the water. I'm having to take more breaks due to exhaustion with this mask.

I love the free mounts feeling, but the air feels thicker and less. Maybe the piece I got is faulty?

Thoughts? Thanks!

You should NOT have problems breathing either above or in water with a full face snorkel mask IF you have a good mask. While some of the inferior, imitation masks look the same as better quality masks (such as the Ocean Reef ARIA or its sister product licensed to HEAD), many do not allow air to enter the breathing tube through all three channels of the tube and only allow air to come in through the center tube thus restricting the amount of air you get to breathe. If you are having a problem then I would take the mask back and get a better quality mask. I have used ARIA masks for an hour or more non-stop (chasing whale sharks or just snorkeling around a reef) and never have had a breathing problem. Hope this helps.

 

[snork7]

That does help. I am using HEAD brand mask right now and feel it's hard to get enough air. I'll try to find Aria brand mask and try it. You're lucky to have swam with whale sharks! I'll be doing that next year hopefully. Thank you!