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Scuba Diving Masks
A scuba diving mask (not swimming goggles) is an essential piece of equipment for any diver. Masks are usually sold as being one size fits all faces. All masks differ in size depending on brand and style within the brand and thus some will achieve a better fit on your face than others. The main variable in this sizing is your head size and face shape. As this is so individual to every person we cannot offer any guaranteed sizing advise. However, in the mask descriptions we have tried to indicate if each mask is more suited to petite, small, medium or large faces. But there are no easy rules to follow. Sometimes a mask that seems more suited to a small face works well on a big face. Generally, the more expensive masks have better quality mask skirts and better quality skirts seal on a wider range of face sizes.
The best thing to do is try the mask on your face and check how well it seals. For details about How to Quickly Check a Scuba Mask for Fit please read our Buyers Guide: Buying a Great Dive Mask.
Prescription/Corrective Lens Diving Masks: Eager to try scuba diving, but feel worried about the practicality of it because of your eyesight? If you wear glasses and need some assistance seeing clearly when diving or snorkelling, The Scuba Doctor is Australia's largest supplier of Prescription Lens Masks.
Technical Tip
Why Black Skirt Diving and Snorkelling Masks Are Better
Clear skirts on diving and snorkelling masks are popular because they minimise the claustrophobic feeling some people get when they wear a mask. Nevertheless, clear skirts actually interfere with vision. Extraneous light entering through the clear skirt makes it more difficult for the eye to focus and causes reflections that obscure vision. Demonstrate this by looking out a window from a lighted room at twilight. You will see better by cupping your hands around your eyes as you press your face to the window. For these reasons, knowledgeable divers and snorkellers seeking the best possible vision prefer masks with black skirts.
Note: Diving/snorkelling masks are very different to Swimming Goggles. See Goggles vs Masks.
Goggles vs Masks
We need to get some clarification here — there is no such thing as a diving or snorkelling goggle. Goggles are used for skiing, swimming and sometimes flying and they are also used as safety eye wear in various work applications. They are not used for scuba diving, freediving, spearfishing or snorkelling — masks are.
The dictionary defines goggles as, "Large spectacles equipped with special lenses having protective rims to prevent injury to the eyes from water, strong wind, flying objects, blinding light and even flying objects." Though water is mentioned, the goggles meant by that definition are Swimming Goggles.
The swim goggle is designed to seal against the inner or outer areas of the eye sockets only, whereas diving and snorkelling masks include the wearer's nose. A swimmer may use a mask, but a diver or snorkeller may not use swim goggles. Though it may sound unfair, there is a very good reason for this distinction.
When dealing with snorkelling, skin diving or scuba diving, Boyle's law of physics regarding pressure affects on air spaces is in play. We won't confuse you with the mathematics and physics behind it, but would rather explain it with what actually happens if swim goggles are used for these applications.
When we talk about pressure, in reality we are talking about weight. When you apply pressure to an object you are applying weight. If the object that the pressure is being applied to is compressible, it will compress. This is true of air when water pressure is applied to it. Water is 800 times denser than air and when we go underwater in this denser environment, the weight of the water is going to affect the air spaces in both the goggles and the mask. The deeper we go, the more weight (pressure) the water will place on these air spaces.
The effect is that the goggles and masks are pushed tighter to the face. This phenomenon is called a 'squeeze' which can run anywhere to mild discomfort to outright pain. An analogy would be the difference between a gentle hug and a bear hug.
Now we've said this pressure affects both, but we haven't really given any concrete reason as to why goggles are not to be used when snorkelling. Or have we?
Before you stick your nose up in the air and pooh-pooh at what has already been said, we do want to point out that the reason was indirectly alluded to in the third paragraph of this article. We could let you sniff around for it, or call out the bloodhounds to find the relationship but we will, instead, point your nose in the right direction.
It is the fact that masks both enclose the nose whereas the goggles do not. Having the nose enclosed allows skin divers the ability to add air into the mask to equalise this pressure. Adding air by simply exhaling a bit through your nose will alleviate the discomfort.
Now we must admit that the squeeze will only affect skin divers (also called breath hold divers, apnea divers, or freedivers) and not those who choose to remain solely at the surface (snorkellers). The reason for this instance is based again on the nose being enclosed with the mask.
Snorkellers, use a snorkel. This allows them to breathe while having their face submerged. It also keeps them from having to constantly lift their face out of the water to get another breath of air. Having the nose enclosed is a great reminder to inhale through the mouth rather than the nose.
Now go out and impress all of your friends with this new-found knowledge and help spread the word far and wide. Shout it from the mountaintops and from sea to shining sea. GOGGLES ARE FOR SWIMMING (wait for echo) NOT FOR DIVING OR SNORKELLING!
For a large range of Goggles and Masks for various applications and conditions from the The Scuba Doctor Dive Shop, please visit:
![Halcyon Infinity 30lb System [SS Small Backplate]](/diveshop/images/halcyon/Halcyon-Evolve-Wing.jpg "Halcyon Infinity 30lb System [SS Small Backplate]")
