mask and fin ideas

[joewr]

Barbara and I love our Apollo Bio-Fins. Our Quatros are now out to pasture, grazing on sea grass or sea grapes. They were great, but the Apollos seem to us to be a step ahead. They are more comfortable, lighter and really do save on energy.

I, too, have an ESA (which, by the way, means "animal food" in Japanese!) and I love(d) it. Then a careless diver descended on me and kicked me in the mask. It has never been the same. It leaks, but not reproducibly. I love the six windows--especially useful when doing uw photograpy. What I do not know is how sturdy they are--Rick M., what is wrong with yours--do other folks you know have a pb with them. I do not anyone else who has an ESA.

Barbara has the Cresi and it is okay. I think it looks absolutely wicked--like Ming the Merciless!

Joewr

 

[hover]

Joewr, thank you for the input and the warning about the ESA's durability. Its nice to get soo many replies to my posting in such a short period of time. I posted on another bb at the same time and have received only 2 replies so far. This is where the action is.
Dive on!!

 

[Aegir]

Scubapro twinjets and oceanic shadow mask (frameless).

 

[Rick Murchison]

We had two. My bride was never really fond of hers - couldn't get a good fit no matter what we tried. But I loved mine. As I said, my only gripe is the poor durability - the common failure mode begins with the tiny little locking flanges on the main lens retainers, which get brittle and fail one at the time - I kept mine going for an extra year by using my wife's mask as a parts locker. Eventually, when they wouldn't stay in at all and leaked pretty badly, I started patching, then eventually replaced the retainers with silicone caulk... looked like a refugee from a Rube Goldberg convention but I could still use the ESA. When it started springing leaks around the side and bottom panes as well I gave up and set it aside. I'm hoping that in the five or six years since we got these two Mares has changed to some more durable components, but I haven't felt like forking over the big bucks yet in case they haven't.
Rick

 

[joewr]

Rick,

Thanks. What you describe is probably what I am suffering from. I guess, at this stage of technical development, the multi-pane (pain?) mask is not ready for prime time! I guess I will revert to my old min vol. mask and forgo the pleasures of seeing side and bottom view with only the flick of an eyelid--will also forgo the leaks---.

Joewr

 

[hover]

WOW!!! This board is great!!! Thanx for all of the replies and keep em comin!! Ive dropped ESA from my list.Hope the future will see an advancement in its durability. I like the concept.

 

[haggis]

I've got the quattros and, while they're a great fin as far as propulsion etc goes, sometimes I feel I'd like something a little stiffer.

Suppose it horses for courses

Linda