Scuba diving beginner - mask/what to buy

[Andy T]

I am planning on taking a PADI open water certification during my vacation and thinking of buying my own Mask/snorkel.
What brands are recommended? Also, is there any other equipment that makes sense to buy ?

 

[Exterous]

I am planning on taking a PADI open water certification during my vacation and thinking of buying my own Mask/snorkel.
What brands are recommended? Also, is there any other equipment that makes sense to buy ?

I have a Cressi one and it works pretty well. I've heard good things about Dive Right but I'm not an expert diver. That said, fit will be more important than brand so hopefully your certification place will explain the different mask options and configurations to you and let you try several to find the best one for you. Otherwise a local dive shop might be a good place for some help. Other than that fins would probably be next. I didn't get a pair because I'm not willing to cart them around on our 1-2 week trips for my 1-2 dive days. The downside is that I have to put up with the often shitty, ill fitting ones supplied by the local dive shop. I'd hesitate to buy much more than that as it seems a lot of divers don't end up diving that much

Also - for some brands\models flaming or burning the mask can remove a film that may have been left behind during manufacturing. That film may increase the occurances of fogging.

 

[purbeast0]

I don't scuba but I have fins, a snorkel, and a mask to bring snorkeling when I go on vacation. As mentioned, fit is the most important thing rather than brand. That said, i got lucky I guess becaus I bought a Cresi one like 7 years ago from some dive website that ended up being great for me.

For fathers day this past year however my wife got me a prescription mask. I haven't used it yet but it appears to fit great just from trying it on in the house. But I haven't worn it for long periods of time or anything. While my vision isn't terrible and I have glasses I wear around the house when watching TV or at the computer, I can't wait to try snorkeling with the prescription goggles.

 

[Kazukian]

Brands aren't as important as fit, don't ever buy a mask without trying one first.

 

[Andy T]

What am I supposed to look for in a fit? I went to a dive shop and tried a bunch of different masks from a number of manufacturers. They all fit about the same. I am settling on the following mask:
http://www.leisurepro.com/p-udrmfv/aqua-lung-favola-mask
and snorkel:
http://www.leisurepro.com/p-udrsim3f/aqua-lung-impulse-3-flex-snorkel

 

[purbeast0]

What am I supposed to look for in a fit? I went to a dive shop and tried a bunch of different masks from a number of manufacturers. They all fit about the same. I am settling on the following mask:
http://www.leisurepro.com/p-udrmfv/aqua-lung-favola-mask
and snorkel:
http://www.leisurepro.com/p-udrsim3f/aqua-lung-impulse-3-flex-snorkel

If that is the case then you probably have a "normal" shaped head. One thing to always test for is when you have the mask on, suck with your nose to ensure that there is no leakage and that it "sticks" to your face as you are sucking in with your nose.

That mask you are getting looks very similar to the one I have an I haven't had any problems with it.

 

[Exterous]

Long term comfort is another thing to look for (remember ~40 min of pressurized wear 3x a day) but thats harder to figure out if they won't let you 'field test' a mask. Also move your head around while wearing it. I tried on one that when I turned my head and it would always let some water leak in around my nose.

 

[Spg1]

You might also want to consider that when you take a class the shop will usually give students a discount on gear. You should probably wait on buying gear until you either take the class or have finished the class to make sure you are actually going to enjoy it. I like to buy things once if possible. Otherwise you can look at used gear from people who seem to buy things a few times before they figure out what really works for them.

Have you thought about taking a class before vacation? I would rather be diving than doing class stuff on vacation. With a class at home you can spread it out over a month or so to let things soak in. A quick resort course will probably get you a cert and probably won't prepare you as much.

Either way good luck! Diving is great.

 

[Andy T]

Unfortunately, things are happening last minute and I didn't plan as well. I am heading on vacation on 9/5. So now I'm taking the eLearning part of the cert course to save time.