#AskMark: Designing the Ideal Scuba Mask & Regulator Hose Performance Tips

#AskMark: If you were designing an ideal mask for recreational divers, what features would you put in it and why?

@ianjones5841

Ultimately, I want a big mask that I can keep clean and won’t break. Large glass lenses on the front to let plenty of light in are a must. I wouldn’t bother with tinted lenses because I’ve never been amazed by their effects, just plain glass.

And a strong frame that can be disassembled for deep cleaning the mask, that is a great feature in my opinion.

Simple buckles with a basic pivot ratchet design that attaches to the frame. I’d probably swap the silicone strap for a fabric strap, but I prefer simplicity in buckles. And a dual thickness silicone skirt. Something thick enough to maintain the shape of the mask and thin enough to mould to your face. But most importantly, it has to fit well.

Read Mark Evans review of the Seac Iena mask in our Scuba Diver ANZ Issue 88

#AskMark: Can a long hose affect the performance of a regulator?

@vincentjadoul3648

Yes, but not enough that you’ll notice it without a measuring gauge. Most divers won’t be able to notice the difference in performance even when breathing heavily through a 200cm hose due to modern first stage efficiency. The air inside your hose is usually kept at ~10bar, which is plenty of gas with a decent amount of volume inside the hose.

As soon as you inhale, your first stage opens a valve to replenish the pressure drop. And your first stage has all of the pressure in your cylinder to get the pressure inside the hose back to ~10bar. There may be a slight variation from a standard 75cm hose to a 200cm hose, but most divers wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

#AskMark: Over left or right shoulder for octopus regulator?

@haydnleaker9619

Regs on the right. If all of your breathing hoses are on your right side, then in an emergency, you can find any hose on your right and find a second stage on the end of it. The main downside to this is that when you donate an octo, the hose routes in an S-shape over your right shoulder. And if your hose isn’t long enough, it can pull the second stage from your buddy’s mouth when you’re face-to-face.

I prefer a longer hose with more slack for this reason, and when I was teaching, I used side-exhaust second stages because it doesn’t matter which side the hose routes in from. You can also reverse some second stage designs so the hose connects from the other side of the second stage. But I prefer a set-up so that all of the hoses on my right I can breathe from and all on the left are inflator hoses and the SPG hose.

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