Mask

Model: Tri-Quest 3

Manufacture: TUSA

Website: https://tusa.com

Cost: $90

Purchase Advice: Unfortunately, you will buy many masks. This is not a dreaded “Double Buy” situation but likely a “Quadruple+ Buy” situation. I’ve struggled to find a perfect mask that is comfortable, seals perfectly and provides maximum viewing area. The entire reason I do diving is to see stuff underwater, so maximizing the operability and user experience on this piece of equipment for me is really important. It maybe the most important piece of equipment you purchase, because without a mask there’s really no reason to even be breathing underwater. Also remember that you may want a different mask depending on the level of ambient light in the water column. If it’s a super sunny day and you are doing a relatively shallow dive, you might want a mask with a black silicone skirt and a reflective coating on the lens, like scuba sunglasses. On the other hand, if it’s an overcast day, you might want a mask with a clear silicone skirt and clear lens to let in as much light as possible during the dive.

My suggestion for your first mask is to get a black silicone skirt and clear lens. Black silicone is softer providing better seal flexibility than clear silicone and gives your eyes a little shade like the brim of a ball cap. To purchase the mask, go to a scuba shop where someone will help you fit the mask to your face shape. If that shop has a pool and will allow you to try on different masks in the water; do it! Don’t do what I did and buy a mask online because someone on Youtube told you it was amazing. If you do buy online make sure you can return it for at least store credit for your next mask miss-adventure. This is definitely a piece of equipment to buy at your local scuba shop.

Typically when discussing masks you also discuss snorkels; I do not use a snorkel as a standard piece of equipment on every dive. I have found flexible roll up snorkel that I can put in a pocket and deploy in an emergency and I take that on every dive. I think snorkels are a supplemental safety item that does not need to be strapped to your head for every dive, but reviewed as part of your dive plan and added to your equipment load out depending on the type of dive site and the sea state conditions. My regulator never leaves my hand or my mouth until I’m safely on the boat. If a speeding boat approaches your direction you can quickly submerge, if you get hit with a wave you can still breath and if there is an emergency you are not limited to assisting only at the surface. When climbing the ladder back on to the boat if you slip and fall back into the sea you can still breath. So the only reason I would need to use a snorkel at surface during a dive is if I run out of air at the surface and there are large waves on the surface. By following you dive plan and returning to surface with 500psi safety margin, you should not need a snorkel, it is far safer to continue to breath off your air source. The two situations where I would take a snorkel with me is if I was shore diving and wanted to use the snorkel to surface swim to a buoy to save my air for the dive or I’m doing a deep water dive far away from land with currents that could result in getting swept away from the boat. In that case you might want to conserve air at the surface until you are found and use the snorkel to ease surface breathing floating around in large waves. In summary, I almost never use a snorkel diving. I use a snorkel when I plan to go snorkeling.