My daughter and me are looking at buying our first mask and snorkel. I am a small to medium size in most things and my daughter is 14, nearly 15 a size ladies 8-10 as background information. So what make, model should I buy ? I know I should try before buying really. How much should i spend ? Thanks in advance. Mark.
I didn't pick my mask due to it's make and model. I found that going to my local dive store and trying different masks worked best. Get one that feels good and fits well. I spent £30 on my first mask but go with what feels good.
fit and comfort, you do need to try stuff on. Snorkle a cheep one if you can cope blast clearing it then you dont even need to get a purge valve. The chances are apart from when you are snorkelling or on a PADI course it will just stay in your kit box.
Mask fit is the hardest thing to get right with gear...I have 4 and all leak to some extent despite seeming to fit well when trying them on (even going the extra mile and trying them on with my regs in mouth in shop). I hope that your face is more mask friendly than mine Closest fit and least leaky for me was the Oceanic Ion I bought as part of a fins/snorkle and mask set for about 80 quid from the divingshop.com including postage - however this was a fluke and there is no guarantee of it fitting you so try plenty of masks on first.
I have a beard and I find my Cressi nearly always leaks a little, but it's not a massive issue unless I don't put it on properly. There seems to be a bit of a fad for small masks, but in my ignorance I went for Cressi Big Eyes and they really do offer much more field of vision (especially down) than some other masks I've borrowed, so I'd recommend something big personally (not necessarily Cressi - Fit is the number 1 deciding factor), although I'm sure there'll be a spate of posts explaining why this is a really BAD idea! M
I found a Beaver discovery fitted me best, and as an added bonus they make semi prescription lenses for them. tony
