MASK
THE SCUBAPRO TRINIDAD 3 is a single-lens mask of relatively low volume. It’s part of the maker’s frameless range, which allows for a reduction in weight.
The silicone skirt features a feather-edge double seal, and there’s a nose-pocket for equalisation. The strap is a little unusual in that the swivel and buckle adjustment are part of it, not of the mask body. There’s a reason for this – we’ll get to that.
In Use
The Trinidad has a moderately wide field of view to the sides, resulting in fair peripheral vision. Downward vision is very good, so it’s easy to see BC chest-straps or drysuit direct-feed connectors.
Ideally, you can release these by touch alone, but in reality it’s nice to be able to see them, so the Trinidad does well in this respect.
For a single-lens mask, the Trinidad is compact, with the glass set close to the face. One of my camera-housings is set up with a magnifying eyepiece that requires you to get your eye very close to it so that you can see the whole of the focusing screen.
I was impressed by the full-frame view I obtained with this mask. The opaque skirt eliminates reflections and side-lights interfering with your view of your viewfinder as well.
If you’re on the other side of the camera, the glass won’t throw a greenish tint on your face the way some cheap masks do, making it good for modelling.
The skirt is soft and was very comfortable on the three dives a day I made, which were about an hour each. Due to poor shaving scheduling, the Trinidad had to seal over five weeks’ beard growth, but it never once needed clearing.
When I did deliberately flood it, I found it easy to clear hands-free. My ears were sticking a bit and I had to block my nose to equalise, which I don’t normally have to do.
Even with gloves on it’s easy to pinch your nose or, as I prefer to do, block your nostrils from underneath.
The strap has buckles you push up on to slacken it – again, easily done with 5mm gloves. To tighten, you just pull the strap-end.
The buckles are incorporated into the straps and not the mask itself because, with a simple press, the entire strap assembly can be removed from the Trinidad body. While this makes changing over a broken strap a cinch, provided you have a spare to hand, the main reason for this is to allow you to add the optional Scubapro comfort-strap.
I reviewed this when I tested the Scubapro Zoom EVO (May) and found myself unexpectedly impressed.
Conclusion
I liked the Scubapro Trinidad 3 a lot. Perhaps the best compliment is that I was quite unaware of it while I was under water (and not in conscious testing mode).
The only provisos are that if you want eyesight correction, custom lenses will need to be bonded in and, as it’s a low-volume mask, you’ll need to be sure that it will still fit well if you have a largish nose. Recommended.
Specs
TESTER: Steve Warren
PRICE: £39 including box. Comfort strap £16.50
LENS: Mono
WEIGHT: 306g
COLOURS: Pink, purple, yellow, blue, black
CONTACT: scubapro.com
DIVER GUIDE: 9/10
