Full face masks – Recommendations

Full-face masks have become more and more popular for snorkelling trips, and for good reason. Their design and construction make it much easier to breathe freely, without having to bother with mouthpieces and click systems, as you would otherwise have to with traditional combo diving kits with snorkel and diving mask. This makes it much easier to enjoy and explore life below the water's surface, especially for kids.

The most classic full-face mask covers the entire face, so it fits much tighter and more stable to the face than a traditional diving mask. Therefore, it is much more resilient in terms of breaking loose and leaking. This is not least due to the fact that the mask itself has several straps that connect the bottom of the mask with the upper one, on both sides behind the head, which provides a more secure fit.

In addition to this, the full-face mask is a closed system where you can breathe freely through both your nose and mouth without experiencing fogging of the glass. It also means that you can talk while snorkelling, and do not get sore jaws or mouth fatigue from a mouthpiece. At the same time, the mask also has a one-way valve with a top-dry system that prevents water from entering the mask itself. In addition, the design of the full-face mask provides a somewhat wider view than normal diving masks. 

A hybrid between the full-face mask and a diving mask with snorkel is a snorkelling mask. They have the same design as the full-face mask, but do not cover the mouth. This has the advantage that you can draw new air in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. This ensures that you do not breathe in the exhaled air, which contains more carbon dioxide. If you do not ventilate the air well enough in a snorkel, you will inhale too much carbon dioxide, which can have a sedative effect and cause discomfort.

It is possible to turn your snorkelling mask into a normal diving mask, but as a starting point they are mostly made for snorkelling and not diving.