A Short History of Scuba Masks

Since the human eye is not designed to see in water,making this type of mask harder to equalize or clear.
anyone who enters the sub-aquatic realm must wearThe solution was provided by the first low-profile
a facemask in order to see; the reason for this isscuba masks; whereas masks before this had been
that the optical density of water is completelyworn over the eyes and nose, low-profile masks
different to air for which the eye is designed.featured a nose pocket below the lens that allowed
Allowing for an air gap between the eye and thethe glass to be closer to the eyes, reducing the
water overcomes this limitation - we can focusvolume of air contained within the mask,.
underwater and vision is restored.Another difference in scuba mask design is in the
A scuba mask is a relatively simple device, consistingmaterial of the skirt; originally this was made from
of a glass lens, a rubber skirt that seals against theneoprene, but silicone has been used since the 1980s;
face and a strap to fasten it. The original face masksit is more comfortable for the diver due to its
were often crudely fashioned at home from a piecegreater flexibility and longer lasting because it is less
of circular glass and bicycle inner tube, but by thesusceptible to damage from sunlight.
end of the 1950s mask design was beginning toModern scuba masks generally consist of a
evolve from this circular design to an oval, allowinglightweight plastic frame, glass lenses and a silicone
for a wider field of view.rubber skirt. It is interesting to note that although
A further development in the 1960s occurred whensilicone can be translucent, the skirt on modern scuba
two panes of glass were added to the sides ofmasks is often coloured black, just as with the
scuba masks, further increasing peripheral vision butoriginal neoprene masks.
with the side effect of increasing internal volume,