Full face masks – dive comfortably

Full Face masks for diving
One of the many perks we had at Zen Resort in Bali was the chance to try a Full Face masks. This is the kind of things I had only seen in documentaries, since this is the only way for anyone to do voice recording underwater. I also remember seeing these in a dive shop in Hong Kong for a completely absurd price once.
We had taken the day off for relaxing by the pool but this one of those offers you can’t refuse, so we headed to another pool where the equipment had been assembled and prepared. I guess everyone was as anxious and curious as me to just put the mask on our faces and give it a shot, but we had to hold our excitement since there was a presentation by Rene Huisman, who’s the director of their diving operations and also a representative for Ocean Reef , the company that designed and manufactures these “FFMs”, as they are called on the market, though they are called Integrated Diving mask (IDM) by the company.
They are not as intuitive as one might think and, though it seems easy after you learn, there’s a proper technique for putting them on and taking them off: you must start by the straps in the middle, then the ones on top and then finally the bottom and only then are you supposed to have the final adjustments done. It’s a rather quick endeavor, but it takes some practice.
The mask is really well designed and does not require any anti-fog at any time, since cool air flows through its front every time you breathe. It also has a few knobs:
1) one for breathing external air without consuming gas from the tank
2) one for adjusting how much air flows from the regulator. You have to balance air consumption and breathing comfort here
3) one on the bottom of the mask for allowing you to be upside down without allowing the regulator to free-flow – this is because the regulator will attempt to keep constant air pressure inside the mask, but since there’s an opening on its bottom to allow any water inside to flow out, being upside down will make air escape through this opening…so you basically have to close it.
We had to grasp the basic functioning of the mask and tried it on the ground and asked some questions before we actually went to the pool. Obviously, the pool part was much more fun! The Full face mask is much more comfortable to wear than a regular mask, you can breathe through your nose and speak if you want to (though you have to be really close to listen to anything) so it barely feels like you’re diving.
The resort is promoting FFMs as they allow you to breathe more “naturally and normally” through your nose. Their point is that diving is comparable to meditation and yoga – you are in a quiet environment, breathing slowly, in a somewhat contemplative state doing gentle exercise. That can definitely be true in the dives in Puri Jati (where they are located) since the water is warm and shallow, the dives are super quiet, though full of critters. About the breathing, well, I must say that if you have been using regular masks all your life, it takes you a while to even consider not breathing through your mouth!
So the overall experience was really fun and I think we might have bought them there and then if they had any in stock – and if they weren’t so expensive! A “sports version” will set you back 600 USD + 40 USD for the “outside air knob”. The more sophisticated version costs 900 USD and the instructor version costs 1400 USD. I wouldn’t buy the sports version as it seemed easier to break/scratch. If you don’t already have your own equipment, it’s not that bad, since the mask comes with a regulator, but my equipment set-up would have to be significantly altered to accommodate a FFM, so…for the time being I would have to keep dreaming.
All in all, I think a regular mask is safer, since you are supposed to bring one on dives as a spare, which is either 1) risky, since you may forget it or 2) annoying to have a mask in your bcd/pocket. Also, in an emergency situation, I think FFMs wouldn’t be as safe as regular ones. Finally, I think they will definitely INCREASE your air consumption, because since the FFMs can’t be flooded, they tend to waste a bit of air to keep its inner pressure.
I think the divers who will get the most of FFMs are 1) real beginners, people who go for discovery dives and the like, since they are fool-proof; 2) people who dive in cold waters since the body parts that suffer in cold water tend to be the hands and face; 3) rescue divers who need to communicate to ground teams and amongst themselves (note that the communicator is sold separately for around 1000 USD).
Other important points are:
1) If you happen to vomit inside the mask, the dive is over and you should go back. Actually, I think you might be in somewhat of an emergency if that happens
2) A few emergency scenarios are not pretty or get much more complicated with this mask. Think of buddy breathing. Think of passing your regulator through a crevice or a window for your buddy. Think of an out of air scenario
3) These FFMs don’t work with rebreathers. There are specific ones for them, but they are so ridiculously expensive that only commercial and military divers have access to them.
4) If you can’t equalize without pinching your nose, there are 2 plugs on the mask that have to be finely adjusted to help you with blocking your nose for blowing and equalizing – I don’t think they are 100% guaranteed to work. I can equalize without my hands, but it takes a bit longer. If you are going to do a more challenging dive with negative entry and quick descent, I can definitely see a problem there.
All in all, we had a great time trying Full Face Masks! It should be fun to have some – and I bet we will if prices come down. The one for snorkeling costs only 39 USD  and they are SO MUCH FUN.
I definitely recommend giving these a try and I bet a lot of people will love them for all sorts of reasons.