Recommend me Mask and Fins

Jumpy

Heya all,

Did a good bit of snorkelling when younger and a lot on holiday, but never owned my own gear.
Just tried out scuba there tonight and loved it, wouldnt mind getting a mask and fins of my own at the very least to start with.

Trouble is I dont know brands etc.

I tend to go for the good (and expensive ) stuff early to save having to replace the cheap stuff later.

So what are some of the top mask and fins for the purposes of scuba?

Looking forward to your replies.

Cheers

Jumpy.

Fratton Fred

Jumpy wrote: »

Heya all,

Did a good bit of snorkelling when younger and a lot on holiday, but never owned my own gear.
Just tried out scuba there tonight and loved it, wouldnt mind getting a mask and fins of my own at the very least to start with.

Trouble is I dont know brands etc.

I tend to go for the good (and expensive ) stuff early to save having to replace the cheap stuff later.

So what are some of the top mask and fins for the purposes of scuba?

Looking forward to your replies.

Cheers

Jumpy.

With regards brands, don't be too led by this as, for example, Scubapro would be considered a top brand, but their masks may not suit you. the golden rule with a mask is get one that you are comfortable with. Trying on is by far the best way to choose one. The first one i brought cost me about £60 and i couldn't get on with it, so I bought a much cheaper Tigullio Bright mask and I absolutely love it.

Again, with fins, these are pretty personal and imho, there is a degree of gadgetry involved in these. I use a pair of straight forward Mares Avanti fins and they suit me fine, but others might swear by a more modern split style or the such like.

to me, a snorkel is a snorkel and just get one that feels comfortable. the one I use came from Lidl as part of a set (the fins from which I use for snorkelling quite happily)

I think the best advice anyone can give you one here, especially with regards a mask, is get to a decent shop and have a chat with the staff there.

t1mm

Most people seem to swear by Mares Avanti fins - they're solid and relatively inexpensive compared to some of the split fin designs. If I had to buy fins tomorrow I would probably buy those and put some spring straps on them. If i was to buy a mask I'd probably buy a frameless one with a black silicone skirt - they tend not to grow discoloured and hard from the sun in my experience! As above though, choosing one that fits is the main thing.

Enjoy!

locum-motion

t1mm wrote: »

Most people seem to swear by Mares Avanti fins...

Wow!
That's some assertion. How do you know what 'Most people' swear by?

t1mm

Right, a large subset of the people I have dived with, and many of those diving in videos I have watched seem to be quite partial to them.

Happy?

whosedaddy?

t1mm wrote: »

Right, a large subset of the people I have dived with, and many of those diving in videos I have watched seem to be quite partial to them.

Happy?

And most of the mares fins are yellow right :-)

Depending on the type of diving videos you watch - there is a large proportion of divers that swear by black Jet Fins...

@OP
Apart from a good fit, also consider the stiffness of the fin blade.. too soft and you won't go anywhere fast, too hard and cramps might be on the menu...

Not sure I'd recommend a black silicon mask to a "beginner".. Discoloration isn't really an issue in my books. (15 year of backup ventura mask looks manky, but does an exellent job)
But then again, but the mask that fits your face.

Jumpy

Thanks all,

What about a mask with a purge valve?

locum-motion

Jumpy wrote: »

...What about a mask with a purge valve?

A completely unneccessary complication.

(If it even exists. I've certainly never seen nor heard of one)

Jumpy

http://www.amazon.com/AquaLung-Pacifica-Window-Black-Silicon/dp/B000LYAKLO

locum-motion

OK, it certainly exists, so!

Still, it's a completely unneccessary complication.

Benny-c

locum-motion wrote: »

OK, it certainly exists, so!

Still, it's a completely unneccessary complication.

+1

Benny

loctite

If I was to recommend any mask I would have to agree with T1mm. Go with a frameless one and a black skirt. I would highly recommend the Framelss II by Scubapro. Cheaper than the Frameless and just as good. However, you really need to try a mask on before you buy it. To check the seal, to check that it isn't digging into your forehead or nose. An uncomfortable mask can be a real dive ruiner. In my experience though, the Frameless II's fit is very good and fits a broad range of faces.

There a few things that need to be avoided when selecting a mask. Firstly the strap adjustment system, moreover where this adjusment system connects to the actual frame of the mask. Loads of masks, including the branded ones, have very fragile, moulded connections which could easily snap or be broken if dropped in a boat and more often than not they do break. That is why I'd recommend the frameless.

The second thing to look out for is that the frame which holds the lens up against the silicone skirt (on the front of the mask) are made from these moulded plastics and if are dropped or receive a bang can cause the lens to be dislodged from the silicone skirt and cause the mask to leak, which sometimes you only figure out when you are heading for the bottom. Again I would recommend the framless II. The whole mask frame is comprised of a rubber silicone frame. There are other cheaper alternatives, e.g. the Oceanic shadow, but personally I find the fit off, the skirt not as soft and I'm not a fan of the strap adjustment system.

Expect to pay @ 65 euro for the Scubapro framelss II.
@ 30 euro for the Oceanic Shadow.

With the fins you have two main divisions as identified in previous posts. Splits and Rigids. Depending on what you are going to be doing more of (snorkelling or Diving) I would let that dictate which type of fin to buy.

Personally I prefer rigids, and I have to agree with T1mm, the Mares Plana Avanti fins are IMO the best fins ever made. And I think T1mm posted that they would probably be the most popular and if sales are anything to go buy he is correct. Because they are (or at lease were) the biggest selling fin of all time. There are two types, the Quattro and the X3. X3 is ok but i prefer the quattro, bigger blade and more flexible than the X3 but more expensive.

However, I would not recommend these fins if you are going to be doing more snorkelling at first. They are very rigid (too rigid IMO) to snorkel with. If you are looking for a fin that you can use for both diving and snorkelling I'd go with a split.

It will be far more flexible on the surface for snorkelling thus not tiring you out as much and be ok for diving. Personally I find that the split fins require too much effort underwater to get moving. With the rigids, it is far easier to accellerate. IMO its like you have to give 2 or 3 kicks with the splits before you start to move at all, with the rigids, its instant.

If you did go with a quattro you could use it for snorkelling but I wouldn't, very hard work on the legs and lots of cramping. I bought cheaper pair of Mares shoe fins that I wear with neoprene socks for snorkelling. (Cost about 35 euro) Great accelleration and very little resitance because the blade is so flexible.

The same applies for fins as it does with mask, check the buckle systems on the fins, The less gimicky the better and again be confident that the buckle will stand up to the abuse. It is definitely one of the negatives of the Mares Quatro Fin, the buckle is sh*t. However, you can always modify the fin to a stainless steel spring strap or bungee cord.

Recommend Scubapro Twin Speeds @ 99 euro
Scubapro twin Jets @ 150 euro


my 2c...

foxboy

Jumpy wrote: »

Heya all,

Did a good bit of snorkelling when younger and a lot on holiday, but never owned my own gear.
Just tried out scuba there tonight and loved it, wouldnt mind getting a mask and fins of my own at the very least to start with.

Trouble is I dont know brands etc.

I tend to go for the good (and expensive ) stuff early to save having to replace the cheap stuff later.

So what are some of the top mask and fins for the purposes of scuba?

Looking forward to your replies.

Cheers

Jumpy.

I would see if I could borrow a few different brands from the people who are training you and see what works for you
as for a mask when trying it on don't use the strap to hold it on i.e.
put it on your face and breath in through your nose if it sticks to your face and you can't breath through your nose it fits

tvercetti

with regards to masks, is there any type of magnification in them as standard or is that unnecessary

t1mm

Its the water that gives the magnifying effect rather than the mask lenses. You can get prescription lenses if you wear glasses normally. Otherwise the masks are standard tempered glass.

tvercetti

t1mm wrote: »

Its the water that gives the magnifying effect rather than the mask lenses. You can get prescription lenses if you wear glasses normally. Otherwise the masks are standard tempered glass.

Cheers, if i'm buying besides how it fits, what should i be looking out for to avoid

t1mm

If you read the first page of this thread, loctite has provided a fairly thorough guide!

foxboy

tvercetti wrote: »

with regards to masks, is there any type of magnification in them as standard or is that unnecessary

There is a guy in Naas that will fit prescription lenses to your mask if you need them
I can pm you a number if you need it

tvercetti

foxboy wrote: »

There is a guy in Naas that will fit prescription lenses to your mask if you need them
I can pm you a number if you need it

No thanx, im good, was just wondering what was standard