Snorkeling is a great activity that promises the experience of a lifetime. Snorkeling allows you to see aquatic wildlife living beneath the waters. Unfortunately, not all of us are gifted with 20-20 vision.
Divers who are ordinarily long or short-sighted will find that the underwater world can seem a bit blurry with a regular snorkel mask. However, with a prescription snorkel mask, you can get clear vision when diving.
Many companies are offering different options for people who want corrective lenses as per their prescriptions. Other manufacturers provide the option of buying pre-made corrected lenses that fit into the mask.
Knowing which option is right for you might seem overwhelming at first, that’s why we’ve created a prescription snorkel mask buying guide below to make to the process a lot easier for you.
Masks with Drop-in Lens
There are masks in the market that allow for their lenses to be removed and replaced with drop-in corrective lenses.
This happens to be the most popular option because it’s highly affordable and is ideal for snorkelers who don’t require strong lenses. They are also easy to install and anyone who knows what their prescription is can buy drop-in lenses and do it themselves.
They are usually available from about -1.5 to -8.0 by increments of 0.5. One thing to note before buying a drop-in lens is that the lens correction is not focused on where your eyes are. Therefore, the correction is not very accurate and can be an inconvenience to people with narrow or wide eyes.
Masks with Bonded Corrective Lens
With this option, a pre-made corrective lens is created to fit your description. It is then fitted inside the snorkel mask. You have the choice of either buying a mask from the company providing the service or sending in your own mask.
The company will grind a lens according to your prescription and cut it to the shape of your mask lens. They’ll then use a special glue to bond it to the inside of your mask.
The downside with this option is that the mask will be heavier since another lens will be added inside the existing lens.
Custom Prescription Lens
This choice involves replacing the entire existing lens mask with a custom lens grounded to your prescription. Custom prescription lenses are preferred to the bonded prescription lens as they are much lighter because they don’t involve bonding two sets of lenses.
But perhaps the greatest upside to this option is people who require strong prescriptions will get a more refined product.
Look for Fitting, not Features
A prescription snorkel mask is a game-changer because visually-challenged people don’t have to squint every time just to see around comfortably when under deep water. The process of choosing which one fits your face best can, however, be strenuous.
You might have to do a lot of elimination before getting a quality prescription snorkel mask. Even then, you might find that the mask you have is not well suited to your liking once you get inside the water. Being cautious with your selection will prove worthwhile. It will quite literally make a world of difference to your snorkeling experience.
