US safety regulators have issued a warning to snorkellers concerning tens of thousands of full-face snorkel masks sold online, following reports of breathing problems and potential drowning risks.
On 5 March the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warned snorkellers to stop using OUSPT full-face masks immediately because of the risk of serious injury or death from drowning.
According to the agency the masks can cause laboured breathing, which might lead to loss of consciousness or fluid build-up in the lungs – conditions that could result in drowning. The CPSC also said that the design could lead to increased carbon dioxide levels and worsen breathing difficulties.
The warning applies to about 84,000 units of the masks that were sold on Amazon between March 2019 and February 2026, according to the agency. Made in China, they are identifiable by the OUSPT marking on the snorkel tube.
Breathing difficulties
The agency stated that it had received five consumer reports in which users experienced breathing difficulties, felt light-headed or lost consciousness while using the mask. The CPSC also noted a lawsuit alleging that the product had caused a death through drowning.
The seller, Field Life of China, had failed to respond to the agency’s requests for information or to conduct a recall, the CPSC said. The resulting public warning advises owners of the masks to dispose of them safely, and not to sell or give them away.
Snorkellers who had experienced incidents or injuries involving the product were encouraged to report them through the US government’s product-safety reporting system.
There have been few previous recalls or safety notices involving full-face snorkel masks. Some scientific studies have examined their design, and research published in 2023 in the journal Diving & Hyperbaric Medicine found that during simulated use some could allow rebreathing of exhaled air, increasing CO2 and reducing oxygen levels compared with conventional snorkels.
A separate two-year snorkel safety study commissioned by the Hawaii Department of Health concluded that many snorkelling deaths in the state had been linked to rapid onset pulmonary oedema, the condition in which fluid fills the lungs, and that while this was often triggered by breathing resistance, it did not necessarily relate to any specific type of snorkel.
