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Scuba Forum / General / January 2004HydroOptix mask tryout
Well, someone has to do it. I got one of the (in)famous bug-masks and hauled it down to Cayman Brac to see what I thought. I had some difficulties. First, it leaked quite badly, both around the seal (despite using "mask seal" goop later, in desperation) and also through the purge valves. The seal may simply be a function of the fact I'm 6'2" and 240lbs, perhaps not the ideal for this mask. Perhaps the upcoming 3.5d will fit me better. I'm confused by the leakage through the purge valves, but I'm sure that's what was happening. Every once in a while when I looked downward a veritable flood would rush into the mask and cut off the instant I tilted my head up. I also had fogging problems despite using the Sea Drops. I experimented with different amounts and cleaning, but still had fogging problems. Also, when the water entered the mask it had a bad habit of sticking in drops to the inside of the lens after purging, making the view rather "spotty." This might have been the #1 most annoying problem. Finally, the mask always had some water in it, despite all efforts, and when I turned my head downward to look at something, it ran into the bubble of each lens and formed an annoying "mini-magnifying glass." Right behind the drops/spots for #1 aggravation. By the end of the trip I was using the mask for one thing only--wall dives. Here I could take advantage of the mask's field of view while maintaining myself in a semi-vertical position, which helped a lot with the leaking problems and kept the water down in the sumps. So, at this point I'm uncertain of the future of the mask in my diving. For some good news, the fact is that yes, it works as advertised--the huge improvement in peripheral vision is amazing and enjoyable, making navigation in particular much easier, and the times I spent hanging off a wall enjoying the huge wide angle view were more than worth the hassles. Turning away from the wall and looking into the Big Blue was also an experience, and I was able to spot many pelagics I'm quite sure I would have otherwise missed. Regarding the contacts, I had no problems, despite the fact I normally wear glasses. I am mildly nearsighted and ended up using +3.0 disposables. My astigmatism was not corrected but I did not notice any severe negative effects. Despite completely flooding and clearing the mask numerous times, the contacts stayed put. I must point out that while he was pleasant enough, the "DEC-Pro" optometrist they sent me to was amazingly clueless and had not even seen the mask before I came in with it. He also knew nothing about scuba. Hmm. I'm off to the Brac again in late Feb and will give the mask another try at that time. It has potential, and it's easy enough to pop out the contacts and switch back to my good ol' Seavision if I get fed up. --Toren > Well, someone has to do it. I got one of the (in)famous bug-masks and > hauled it down to Cayman Brac to see what I thought. Never heard of them. Even before my lasik, I used a standard mask and wore contacts. > I had some difficulties. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > 240lbs, perhaps not the ideal for this mask. Perhaps the upcoming > 3.5d will fit me better. Did you try the mask on before purchasing it?? Check it for seal and everything??? > I'm confused by the leakage through the purge valves, but I'm sure > that's what was happening. Every once in a while when I looked > downward a veritable flood would rush into the mask and cut off the > instant I tilted my head up. Sounds like a defective purge valve or perhaps some dirt or something got caught in it. > I also had fogging problems despite using the Sea Drops. I > experimented with different amounts and cleaning, but still had > fogging problems. I use Sea Drops and have had good luck with them. > Also, when the water entered the mask it had a bad habit of sticking > in drops to the inside of the lens after purging, making the view > rather "spotty." This might have been the #1 most annoying problem. Did you take something like toothpaste and scrub the inside lens of the mask before using it??? That will oftentimes eliminate that problem. > By the end of the trip I was using the mask for one thing only--wall > dives. Here I could take advantage of the mask's field of view while > maintaining myself in a semi-vertical position, which helped a lot > with the leaking problems and kept the water down in the sumps. It just sounds like a bad fit. I would check the purge valve for defects or something foreign in there holding it open. I don't know if you have facial hair (mustache) that could be causing the seal failure or not. > I'm off to the Brac again in late Feb and will give the mask another > try at that time. It has potential, and it's easy enough to pop out > the contacts and switch back to my good ol' Seavision if I get fed up. So where did you stay on Brac this past time and where will you stay in Feb??? I was there earlier this year at the Divi Tiara. Had a great time.  SignatureGun Control works!!! 3 million Holocaust victims can’t be wrong. >> Well, someone has to do it. I got one of the (in)famous bug-masks and >> hauled it down to Cayman Brac to see what I thought. > >Never heard of them. Even before my lasik, I used a standard mask and >wore contacts. Google Hydrooptix and you'll get their site. >> I had some difficulties. >> [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >Did you try the mask on before purchasing it?? Check it for seal and >everything??? Not possible, as no one was carrying it at the time. Took a chance...sometimes I do. Where would you all be without us loony "early adopters"...? ;-) >> I'm confused by the leakage through the purge valves, but I'm sure >> that's what was happening. Every once in a while when I looked [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >Sounds like a defective purge valve or perhaps some dirt or something >got caught in it. I've examined them closely and remain baffled as to where the problem is. They LOOK fine and fuction flawlessly in tests. It may be related to the large mask volume at depth. >> I also had fogging problems despite using the Sea Drops. I >> experimented with different amounts and cleaning, but still had >> fogging problems. > >I use Sea Drops and have had good luck with them. So have I. Use them on my Seavision without problems. >> Also, when the water entered the mask it had a bad habit of sticking >> in drops to the inside of the lens after purging, making the view >> rather "spotty." This might have been the #1 most annoying problem. > >Did you take something like toothpaste and scrub the inside lens of the >mask before using it??? That will oftentimes eliminate that problem. They specifically say NOT to use toothpaste. The mask was cleaned per their instructions. Later, I tried polishing it using a superfine optical acrylic polish and this did seem to help a bit. >> By the end of the trip I was using the mask for one thing only--wall >> dives. Here I could take advantage of the mask's field of view while [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >you have facial hair (mustache) that could be causing the seal failure >or not. Yeah, I think it's just not designed for my face shape. Pity. I have a moustache but I always trim it down about 1/4" below my nose before my dive trips. >> I'm off to the Brac again in late Feb and will give the mask another >> try at that time. It has potential, and it's easy enough to pop out >> the contacts and switch back to my good ol' Seavision if I get fed up. > >So where did you stay on Brac this past time and where will you stay in >Feb??? I was there earlier this year at the Divi Tiara. Had a great time. I stay at the Cayman Breakers out on the east end. Newish condos, very nice, very private, good deal. http://www.caymancondosonline.com/ I used to stay at the Divi but it's turned into such a dump I can't hack it any more. I just rent a car, get tanks from Reef Divers and shore dive 90% of the time. Plenty of unmoored and totally pristine sites out there! Guns cause crime like cameras cause pornography. Dive safe; --Toren >>>Well, someone has to do it. I got one of the (in)famous bug-masks and >>>hauled it down to Cayman Brac to see what I thought. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Google Hydrooptix and you'll get their site. Have to admit, I have never seen any masks quite like that before. >>>I had some difficulties. >>> [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > chance...sometimes I do. Where would you all be without us loony > "early adopters"...? ;-) Those things look pretty pricey to me. I just have to wonder if your lack of a good fit is a product defect or some anomoly. >>>I'm confused by the leakage through the purge valves, but I'm sure >>>that's what was happening. Every once in a while when I looked [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > is. They LOOK fine and fuction flawlessly in tests. It may be > related to the large mask volume at depth. I was looking at the website and they mentioned you need contacts to correct your underwater vision. I found that kind of odd but it has to do with the optical characteristics of the mask. Seems they also have a pretty high volume in them which would make them more bouyant. Aside from the constant flooding, did you notice any bouyancy issues??? >>>I also had fogging problems despite using the Sea Drops. I >>>experimented with different amounts and cleaning, but still had [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > So have I. Use them on my Seavision without problems. Interesting. Why they wouldn't work on those, but did work on your other mask. I used to use the 500PSI but really didn't like it as well as the Sea Drops.> >>>Also, when the water entered the mask it had a bad habit of sticking >>>in drops to the inside of the lens after purging, making the view [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > their instructions. Later, I tried polishing it using a superfine > optical acrylic polish and this did seem to help a bit. Seems these masks are a bit maintenance intensive to me. Or at least from your description, some more bugs need to be worked out. >>It just sounds like a bad fit. I would check the purge valve for >>defects or something foreign in there holding it open. I don't know if [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > I have a moustache but I always trim it down about 1/4" below my nose > before my dive trips. As do I. May be just the facial fit. Or something else. I was just taking a couple of wild guesses. >>>I'm off to the Brac again in late Feb and will give the mask another >>>try at that time. It has potential, and it's easy enough to pop out [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > shore dive 90% of the time. Plenty of unmoored and totally pristine > sites out there! Divi got hit hard with a hurricane recently. Can't remember whether it was this year or last. Totalled the bar on the beach. While the accomodations were moderate....I am not that picky. As long as its clean and reasonably well taken care of, I can manage. I don't have to have a mint on my pillow each evening. I found the dive staff there GREAT. I guess you were on the end close to the bluffs???? On the Wednesday we were there, we did two dives in the morning, but the afternoon dive was called. The wind was blowing East to West and had things stirred up on both sides of the island. So some folks just rented a car and did some exploring. I tagged along with them and we went into the caves aways and looked at some of the blowholes. Drove by the "egg house". > Guns cause crime like cameras cause pornography. OK..."Guns cause crime like a knife and fork cause obesity". SignatureGun Control works!!! 3 million Holocaust victims can’t be wrong. > > I used to stay at the Divi but it's turned into such a dump I can't > > hack it any more. I just rent a car, get tanks from Reef Divers and [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Divi got hit hard with a hurricane recently. Can't remember whether it > was this year or last. It was September 2002: TS Isadore and H Lily a week later. I was there during Lily. Damage from both Isadore and Lily was minimal. > Totalled the bar on the beach. No, it wasn't. I couldn't tell anything was wrong with it after Isadore, but the decision had already been made to claim it a total loss. After Lily, the NW corner post wobbled a little, but in the past, they would have just spent 20 minutes to re-nail it. The SW roof had also lost some palm fronds, but I think they had been missing for a few years (I'll have to check my photo collection), and the roof was years overdue in needing to be redone. This was a nebulous insurance claim. Let's not forget that that bar was a temporary structure built 14 years earlier (after Hurricane Gilbert in 1988) with no foundation, and it should never have lasted anywhere near as long as it did. For 5++ years, it has been a run-down shack that frequently had water damage in rainstorms and the like...Isadore and Lily were "nothing special" - merely the excuse to make the claim. For everything else, my summary damage assessment was that 75% of the damage were blown-down trees that did not damage any buildings, other than to take out screens in Timeshare units 621 & 623. There was also cosmetic water damage to several hotel rooms. These required repainting. Bed mattresses that were damaged were due to inadequate "due care" pre-storm preparations (eg, a sheet of plastic over each bed). The timeshares got water into their kitchens and electrical systems, and wind damaged ceiling fans but this was all due to inadequate "due care" in pre-storm preparations: can you believe that instead of closing down the units, they opened some of them up, so that the wind/sand/rain could blow in (and hopefully through)? Any damage caused by such actions is clearly self-inflicted. The water that was driven into the dining rooms got in not becuase the duct tape over the seams was inadquate, but because they were not boarded over with plywood. Again - no "Due Care" in trying to protect the property from harm. The tennis court lost two lightposts, one in each storm. The ones that didn't fall down didn't have extensive rust in their bases...draw your own conclusions. FWIW, anyone interested in how the Divi Timeshare rennovations are going should consider subscribing to the following Yahoo group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DiviTiara-CaymanBrac/ Also, if you're a Tiara Timeshare owner, if you can privately email me (note my address spoofing) your name & email address, I'll forward it to the moderator of this group to send you an invitation: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/D-TOG/ -hh >>>I used to stay at the Divi but it's turned into such a dump I can't >>>hack it any more. I just rent a car, get tanks from Reef Divers and [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > frequently had water damage in rainstorms and the like...Isadore and > Lily were "nothing special" - merely the excuse to make the claim. Interesting. I was only relating what we were told. Can't remember whether it was Max that told us or other staff. > For everything else, my summary damage assessment was that 75% of the > damage were blown-down trees that did not damage any buildings, other > than to take out screens in Timeshare units 621 & 623. I did a little walking around while there, but did not do any close inspections on the facility. > The timeshares got water into their kitchens and electrical systems, and > wind damaged ceiling fans but this was all due to inadequate "due care" > in pre-storm preparations: can you believe that instead of closing down > the units, they opened some of them up, so that the wind/sand/rain could > blow in (and hopefully through)? Any damage caused by such actions is > clearly self-inflicted. Reminds me of a similar story of our Town vehicle maintenance garage. In 1985, we suffered a tremendous flood in this area. Our vehicle maintenance garage was located in a lower part of town, but they had plenty of warning. One of the police cars was there for maintenance (oil change or whatever). Anyhow, the rocket scientists there decided to CHAIN the car to a support beam inside the garage "so it wouldn't float away". They could have very easily driven the car to higher ground. The car was totalled as well as all the radios and electronics. Guess they went to the same school of storm preparation. > The tennis court lost two lightposts, one in each storm. The ones that > didn't fall down didn't have extensive rust in their bases...draw your > own conclusions. I noticed the lightposts were still down when I visited. > FWIW, anyone interested in how the Divi Timeshare rennovations are going > should consider subscribing to the following Yahoo group: [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > (note my address spoofing) your name & email address, I'll forward it to > the moderator of this group to send you an invitation: I still liked the dive staff and dive conditions while there. SignatureGun Control works!!! 3 million Holocaust victims can’t be wrong. > >>Totalled the bar on the beach. > > [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > Interesting. I was only relating what we were told. Can't remember > whether it was Max that told us or other staff. A few days after Lily, my wife & I were sitting under what was left of the Grape Tree next to the bar, and one of the dive staff walked by and exclaimed "Oh, no, the bar is totalled!" I looked over at him and said: "_Where?_" He stepped over to the one corner and shook the post (the structure wiggled ~6 inches). I replied: "Uh, huh - - it did that last year." He shrugged and gave a sheepish grin. I rolled my eyes and replied: "Yeah, yeah, okay ... its "totalled". > > For everything else, my summary damage assessment was that 75% of the > > damage were blown-down trees that did not damage any buildings, other > > than to take out screens in Timeshare units 621 & 623. > > I did a little walking around while there, but did not do any close > inspections on the facility. The above units were repaired after Isadore and put back into service; we occupied our unit for a few days before we were then moved back into the hotel to ride out Lily. After Lily passed and the units dried out, we were told that our unit was again ready for occupation, but we were down to only 2 days left, so we chose to decline because we didn't feel like relocating a 4th time. The units continued to be occupied until September 2003. Yup, two storms a year earlier knocked 'em right out of commission. :-) FWIW, the real poop scuttlebutt is that the units were down because the Cayman Hotel board was threatening to revoke Divi Hotel's operating licence. Once again, issues must be elevated to crisis before management wakes up. > I still liked the dive staff and dive conditions while there. I do too. I just find it beyond irritating that that Divi Hotels cannot fulfil their contractural obligations on the Hotel Services side. I'd not recommend buying one of their timeshares - anywhere - to anyone. BTW, the dive operation is reportedly getting a Nitrox station and one new diveboat, but I don't think I'll be posting any reports on them until the timeshares are re-inhabitable. -hh >>Interesting. I was only relating what we were told. Can't remember >>whether it was Max that told us or other staff. [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > I rolled my eyes and replied: "Yeah, yeah, okay ... its "totalled". Sounds like they are cutting corners. Save a few bucks?? Pad someone's pocket??? I dunno. >>>For everything else, my summary damage assessment was that 75% of the >>>damage were blown-down trees that did not damage any buildings, other [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > was again ready for occupation, but we were down to only 2 days left, so > we chose to decline because we didn't feel like relocating a 4th time. Look on the bright side. Had you stayed in your original units, you could have put your gear on and done a penatration dive in your own room. :) > The units continued to be occupied until September 2003. Yup, two > storms a year earlier knocked 'em right out of commission. :-) FWIW, > the real poop scuttlebutt is that the units were down because the Cayman > Hotel board was threatening to revoke Divi Hotel's operating licence. > > Once again, issues must be elevated to crisis before management wakes up. Thats a shame. > >>I still liked the dive staff and dive conditions while there. > > I do too. I just find it beyond irritating that that Divi Hotels cannot > fulfil their contractural obligations on the Hotel Services side. I'd > not recommend buying one of their timeshares - anywhere - to anyone. I am not into timeshares. I just have not found any one place that I would like to return to year after year. Some folks have. But not me. Perhaps one day I will, and then perhaps a timeshare will be the way to go. For now, I enjoy travelling around to different sites. > BTW, the dive operation is reportedly getting a Nitrox station and one > new diveboat, but I don't think I'll be posting any reports on them > until the timeshares are re-inhabitable. The dive operation had nitrox when I was there. The last day, I dove nitrox. It was pricey ($10 for an AL80), but I generally try to dive nitrox on the last day of diving before I fly out. SignatureGun Control works!!! 3 million Holocaust victims can’t be wrong. > > > I used to stay at the Divi but it's turned into such a dump I can't > > > hack it any more. I just rent a car, get tanks from Reef Divers and > > > shore dive 90% of the time. Plenty of unmoored and totally pristine > > > sites out there! That seems pretty hard to believe. Even with the lapses in possible repair work, unless the dive operation went through the floor, which I highly doubt , I can't imagine you are doing much wall diving from the shore. George > > Divi got hit hard with a hurricane recently. Can't remember whether it > > was this year or last. [quoted text clipped - 60 lines] > > -hh >> > > I used to stay at the Divi but it's turned into such a dump I can't >> > > hack it any more. I just rent a car, get tanks from Reef Divers and [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >George Why not? You may be in too poor of physical condition to swim 300 yards out to the wall, but not everyone is. Actually, I'm not completely sure I understand your response. What point are you trying to make? --Toren > Well, someone has to do it. I got one of the (in)famous bug-masks and > hauled it down to Cayman Brac to see what I thought. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > "mask seal" goop later, in desperation) and also through the purge > valves. if the valves are leaking, send the mask back for replacement. > I also had fogging problems despite using the Sea Drops. I > experimented with different amounts and cleaning, but still had > fogging problems. Hmmmm... > Also, when the water entered the mask it had a bad habit of sticking > in drops to the inside of the lens after purging, making the view > rather "spotty." Aha! The problem is too much rinsing after applying the de-fog fluid. If you have applied enough de-fog and have not rinsed it all off, the drops of water will not stick to the inside of the lens. Many kukes I see on dive boats apply de-fog to their masks, then put their mask in the water filled mask rinse bucket for the ride out to the dive site. 20-45 minutes later they fetch their mask from the bucket, don it and wonder why their mask fogs up. It is because the de-fog solution has dissolved while being submerged in the mask bucket. > By the end of the trip I was using the mask for one thing only--wall > dives. [snip] > For some good news, the fact is that yes, it works as > advertised--the huge improvement in peripheral vision is amazing and [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Regarding the contacts, I had no problems, despite the fact I normally > wear glasses. I like my HydroOptix mask for long CCR dives because I am not an expert contact lens wearer. After the dive, I remove the lenses and throw them away. >> Well, someone has to do it. I got one of the (in)famous bug-masks and >> hauled it down to Cayman Brac to see what I thought. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >if the valves are leaking, send the mask back for replacement. The problem is I can't see any problems or reproduce the failure at the surface. However, replacement valves are on the way. >> I also had fogging problems despite using the Sea Drops. I >> experimented with different amounts and cleaning, but still had [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] >don it and wonder why their mask fogs up. It is because the de-fog >solution has dissolved while being submerged in the mask bucket. While I have never had this problem before with other masks, in belated retrospect the constant flooding I experienced probably washed off the anti-fog. >> By the end of the trip I was using the mask for one thing only--wall >> dives. [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >contact lens wearer. After the dive, I remove the lenses and throw them >away. HydroOptix has been in contact with me over my difficulties and as well as a wealth of good suggestions, they are sending me several replacement parts "just in case there's a problem." Despite my difficulties I feel the mask has tremendous potential (when it's all working right, you just have to experience the effect to appreciate the difference it makes--utterly incredible) and the customer service from HydroOptix is a model for the industry. I'll be back in Cayman Brac for two weeks about the beginning of February and will give it another shot. Report to come... --Toren |
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