Mask troubles.......

[tbzep]

Since you are looking at different masks, I have a very expensive Atomic Frameless 2 that I never wear. I've used a friend's expensive Atomic Venom and didn't have good results with it either. I have a Dive Gear eXpress Ultra View Framless that cost me $25 and is awesome (for me). I use it when I'm not in the full face mask. It's a whopping $29 now and gets rave reviews on the forum.
DGX Ultra View Frameless Mask

 

[The Chairman]

I went on a liveaboard with a brand new mask. Mind you, it was an exact replacement for one I had dove for a few years with various success. This one was so bad, I aborted my first dive. I knew it was the temples, but I didn't want to dive with my fingers holding the skirt for the whole week. So, I asked the crew for some hose, and they came up with 1/2" hose and two zip ties. I positioned 3/4" long pieces to be between the mask strap and the skirt and zip tied them to the strap. Walla. Sure, it was a bit finicky, but I had such an enjoyable week that I dove that mask like that for about a year.

 

[Neilwood]

I went on a liveaboard with a brand new mask. Mind you, it was an exact replacement for one I had dove for a few years with various success. This one was so bad, I aborted my first dive. I knew it was the temples, but I didn't want to dive with my fingers holding the skirt for the whole week. So, I asked the crew for some hose, and they came up with 1/2" hose and two zip ties. I positioned 3/4" long pieces to be between the mask strap and the skirt and zip tied them to the strap. Walla. Sure, it was a bit finicky, but I had such an enjoyable week that I dove that mask like that for about a year.

A neat fix - just enough pressure from the hose to squeeze the sides of the mask in I guess and cheap enough to make it worth trying instead of a new mask.

Will remember that for future.

 

[msinc]

Thanks for the replies folks, as always and info is greatly appreciated. Funny you mention the hose pieces...I was thinking last night about a way to put a little pressure in the skirt right at the temple area {if that proves to be the culprit}. Still haven't had a chance to check things out yet, dive keeps getting postponed, but if two pieces of hose does the trick I will dive that way.
tbzep, yeah, sometimes the "best" and the most expensive are two different things.....I don't care what it costs and I don't care what it looks like, if I find a mask that don't leak it could be hot pink I will wear it.

 

[Marie13]

@msinc

What shape is your face? I'm asking because I've read several places that frameless masks are often not a good fit for those with wider faces. That is most definitely true in my case.

 

[Marie13]

Oh, and something else I forgot...

Wash your mask with baby shampoo after every diving day. I had a Cressi panoramic mask that had been working pretty well, but then it started flooding. I then had the idea to wash it and that did the trick for a while. Maybe skin like and such can prevent a good seal sometimes? Don't know, but it was something easy enough to do.

 

[msinc]

Oh, and something else I forgot...

Wash your mask with baby shampoo after every diving day. I had a Cressi panoramic mask that had been working pretty well, but then it started flooding. I then had the idea to wash it and that did the trick for a while. Maybe skin like and such can prevent a good seal sometimes? Don't know, but it was something easy enough to do.

There very well may be something to this...I didn't correlate it though to the times it leaked or not, I wasn't really keyed in on watching what happened. I have, at different times washed the entire mask. That soft silicon that Atomic uses kind of "grabs" dust and such and it takes quite a cleaning to get it all off....before I dive I will clean it real good all over. If you really want to see that silicon get all messed up just try wiping the lens with soft tissue...it will look like it snowed on the frame!! Got a lot of things to test on the next dive, but that's okay.....the more the better and the more I might learn. Thanks for the reply and info!!!

@msinc

What shape is your face? I'm asking because I've read several places that frameless masks are often not a good fit for those with wider faces. That is most definitely true in my case.

I don't think it is too wide, I don't really know though. Both of the masks I have feel fantastic when I wear them. I say I don't think, but maybe I just have a narrow eye set...whenever I look thru binoculars I have to just about close them all the way down. The only way I will probably ever know is to try some of the masks that are working for others with a wider face. Even if it's not wide, if one of those masks solves the problem then I am done looking. I feel like when I find one I should order a whole case of them....you almost have to be in the "mask of the month" club to keep up with manufacturers, they come out with the latest and greatest too often and drop what they had. Thanks again.

 

[msinc]

Okay, had a nice and fact finding dive this evening{finally}......learned a few things too. It seems like the Atomic Venom mask is very picky about how the strap is positioned and how much tension it has. The mask moves around too much on my face when I have the strap adjusted barely tight {ut what seems like it should be right}. This mask will leak a little, but not too terrible as it moves. If I tighten it then it leaks worse.
I was unable to ascertain exactly where the leak was coming in from, but I can say for absolute certain that the very least little bit of positive pressure and the excess air exits at my temples. Seems like it would make sense that if very extremely slight positive pressure leaks very tiny bubbles out of my temple area that it could also be the "path of least resistance" for a leak, but I honestly could not tell. However, if I took my hands and held pressure on my temples it would still leak a little somewhere, so I think the temple thing is maybe still inconclusive.
I definitely had less leak issues when there was no snorkel hanging on the strap, so I need to find out which "folding" snorkel is the best or the one most divers use. Also, my last dive with a hood leaked bad, this time with the hood and no snorkel didn't hardly leak, if at all.
I carefully washed both masks and used my defog spray {5-to-1 water/No More Tears baby shampoo} on the skirt. I also shaved close and this seemed to help a lot. Last dive I had about a two day stubble.
I intend to try the other masks suggested, but I am going to go for it with the masks I have for this weekends dive which will be deeper and longer. I will try some of the different tests and post the results either Sunday night when I get home or Monday. Thanks again for all the help, replies and info, it is very greatly appreciated. I have passed a lot of this info on to several "also new" divers at our local dive shop and it has for sure solved several problems for two other divers.

 

[msinc]

If it still leaks try this. Descend to 10', if it leaks remove your reg mouthpiece and see if the leak stops.

The leak stopped, but it seemed as much because I wasn't moving {breathing thru the reg} as just the reg maybe changing the shape of my face in the mask. Again, the Venom slides around on my face what seems like too much and seeps when it is moving...if I tighten the straps to stop the movement then it distorts and leaks worse.

It does not matter where the water is coming in; it only matters where the air is coming out. Usually, somewhere at the top.
If the air is not leaking out its pressure won't let the water come in.

The air definitely leaks out right at my temples for absolute certain...I could very easily feel it with the slightest bit of positive pressure in the mask. In fact, while diving and breathing on the reg the pressure in my mask is pretty much constantly changing from pos to neg as I breath.

Do you have any wrinkles? If you do, grease them with silicon or use a rubber headband on your forehead under the mask skirt. I forgot what these are called, BangWrangler or something. Better still, keep looking for your perfect mask.

I did spray defog {baby shampoo and water mix} all over the skirt and it seemed like it helped, but it also seemed like it made the Venom mask move more.

If it still leaks try this. Descend to 10', if it leaks remove your reg mouthpiece and see if the leak stops.

It did stop, but again, it seemed like the act of not moving because I wasn't breathing did as much to stop the leak as removing the reg and getting it out of the picture.

I don't know...it seems like, among other things, the two biggest things I have learned in regards to mask leaks is this...one, you cant pick your mask, it picks you {fit}, and two, you need a mask that doesn't move around on your face while you dive.

 

[Neilwood]

The leak stopped, but it seemed as much because I wasn't moving {breathing thru the reg} as just the reg maybe changing the shape of my face in the mask. Again, the Venom slides around on my face what seems like too much and seeps when it is moving...if I tighten the straps to stop the movement then it distorts and leaks worse.

The air definitely leaks out right at my temples for absolute certain...I could very easily feel it with the slightest bit of positive pressure in the mask. In fact, while diving and breathing on the reg the pressure in my mask is pretty much constantly changing from pos to neg as I breath.

I did spray defog {baby shampoo and water mix} all over the skirt and it seemed like it helped, but it also seemed like it made the Venom mask move more.

It did stop, but again, it seemed like the act of not moving because I wasn't breathing did as much to stop the leak as removing the reg and getting it out of the picture.

I don't know...it seems like, among other things, the two biggest things I have learned in regards to mask leaks is this...one, you cant pick your mask, it picks you {fit}, and two, you need a mask that doesn't move around on your face while you dive.

This is probably the truest statement regarding masks I have heard - finding one that fits and seals well is definitely a matter of trial and error. Anything other than the "ideal" face shape and it is a lottery - problem is no one tells you what the ideal face shape is!