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 As champions set more amazing records and even average
freedivers reach depths unthinkable of just a few years
ago, freediving itself has become more technical and detail
oriented, because at these levels of performance, every
little thing makes a big difference. One such detail is
the relation between wearing a mask and equalization, two
seemingly separate subjects. There are two ways in which
wearing a mask can affect the diver's equalization:
• As we go deeper, the mask will squeeze against
the face and eyes, due to the compression of its internal
air volume. Having to exhale into the mask to "equalize"
it, the diver will be loosing air that he/she should instead
use to equalize the ears. For every blow of air that goes
into the mask rather than the ears, the diver can loose
anywhere from 5 to 10 meters of maximum depth. Even with
the newer, flexible-frame, extreme low-volume masks such
as the "Sphera" or "Minima", this is inevitable. So, if
you add the times you need to equalize your mask during
a dive, you can easily calculate the many meters you are
loosing on every dive! Think how much deeper you could
go, without even needing to increase your performance,
just by eliminating this problem.
• All divers agree that the best way to equalize
is by using a nose-clip instead of moving a hand up and
down to the face every time we need to equalize. The nose-clip
provides a much tighter and stronger seal around the nose,
allowing more air to be moved into the Eustachian tubes
and increasing its pressure. It also allows for much better
equalization patterns since the blows can me made immediately
instead of loosing time in the arm-raising maneuver, which
also consumes energy, breaks the diver's concentration
and decreases his hydrodynamics by increasing drag. All
this can be avoided by wearing a nose-clip, but this is
not possible when wearing a mask since the nose must be
left free to blow into the mask to equalize it.
The Apnea Goggles completely eliminate these problems
by allowing the diver to see underwater through goggles
that have been fitted with corrective lenses that work
when the goggles are FILLED with water. Thus, there is
no need to equalize the goggles since there is no air inside
them. Vision is not as clear and sharp as with a mask,
but for the purposes of deep diving, the goggles allow
the diver to clearly see the line, the bottom plate, other
divers, etc. In fact, the vision with the goggles is clear
enough to easily allow a diver to read his/her gauges underwater!
Some depth-perception problems will also occur as a result
of the distortion created by the lenses, but the diver
will soon get used to this and automatically compensate
for it after only 3-5 dives. We recommend that the goggles
always be used in combination with a good nose-clip so
as to keep the nose completely blocked during the whole
dive. This is the ideal combination to provide effective,
smooth and fast equalization and more than adequate vision
underwater. The goggles are a revolutionary product that
will be more important for deep divers than even a set
of high-performance fins or a smooth wetsuit, but be aware
that they are not intended for everyday, recreational use
or spearfishing. In those situations, a good low-volume
mask will still provide much better vision and comfort
than the goggles ever could. This is a product aimed at
those who want to become deeper freedivers, and their advantages
will be noticeable even in depths as shallow as 20 meters/66
feet.
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