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How to buy a mask


Choosing your Snorkeling Equipment - Mask

Having your own equipment in any endeavor has monumental advantages over borrowing or renting equipment with which you are unfamiliar.

Your mask is your window to the underwater world. Diving and snorkeling are “visual” sports. Having a good mask makes all the difference in the world--the underwater world, that is. There are several things to consider when selecting a mask. We will try to simplify our explanation of these on this page. The different components of the mask, which you should consider include:

The Skirt – This is the part that fits against your face. How well the mask seals out the water is mostly related to the skirt. Materials used include rubber, PVC, and silicone. The absolute best material for a diving mask is silicone. It maintains its suppleness for much longer than other materials. This is important because your face does not stay the same year after year. People go through cycles of weight loss and gain – changing the shape of their faces. Silicone is impervious to ozone, chlorine, and salt water. Cheaper grades, however, are known to cause rashes and irritation, so that’s why we guarantee silicone to be hypoallergenic. A snorkeling mask is also more likely to provide a good water seal year after year if it is made of a good quality silicone material. Rubber and PVC masks, although less expensive, will stiffen with time (2-3 years) and are susceptible to rotting and tearing. Silicone is also a clearer material than the others, which allows for more light to penetrate into your mask, providing you a more “open” feeling.

The Lens – There are only two materials used, plastic and tempered safety glass. Plastic should only be considered in a kids' mask for use in a backyard pool as a toy. Plastic is a good option when considering the care most children use with their toys. On the other hand, tempered safety glass is much like the glass used in automobile windshields. This grade of glass is designed to break in the pattern of dull square fragments, rather than long sharp slivers. If you wear contacts or glasses, you can get some of our masks with optical tempered lenses installed in place of the clear tempered safety glass. After all – snorkeling is a “visual” sport. You are there to enjoy what you see, so why not see as well as you do above water?

The Frame – This is the hard material which holds everything together. The buckles are usually incorporated into the frame. Most commonly this part is made of a composite plastic material. Plastic is lightweight and can be produced in colors – allowing the user to have choices to help him or her identify their mask from those of other snorkelers.

The Buckle – These secure the mask strap to your head. It is important to be able to loosen or tighten the head strap with ease, in order to arrive quickly at the most comfortable adjustment. Most of masks that SnorkelCity offers have the mechanism which make it possible for you to adjust the strap while the mask is on your face – even while you’re wearing gloves.

The Strap – The strap can make a big difference in how well it holds the mask to your head. Generally, the more strap there is, the more it holds the mask to your head. It is a good idea to carry an extra mask strap with you on your adventure for the unlikely event that you break yours. Without a strap, you can't snorkel. Many people like to purchase a replacement strap when they purchase their mask.