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Mares X-Vision Mid Diving Mask
by sympatic
Buying a scuba diving mask is something I would not trust to the internet as you really do need to try the mask on as everyone has different shaped faces and so not all masks are suitable for everyone and my head is, while I think as being normal, others would say I have petite features and that is why I bought this mask from a dive shop ... in Milton Keynes for when we went to Egypt to have a holiday and take the basic PADI course as well as doing some snorkelling. I'm glad I did as the advice we got was excellent and with the correct advice the end decision was narrowed down to only two sets that fit my face and the X Vision was the best of the lot. It is specifically designed for my kind of face structure and has proven to be a reliable fit that forms a perfect seal around my eyes and nose. The other good news was that it was the cheaper of the two retailing at £35. It comes in a number of colours however the shop only stocked black or blue so I opted for the latter as fortunately that was also the colour of my fins.
It is suplied with a plastic case to stop it getting scratched when not in use and this has a secure clip on it. For those who wear glasses you can have a prescription lens fitted to replace the angled lenses that come supplied however there is an additional cost to have this done.
I found this mask to be so comfortable to wear whether under water at 15m depth or at the surface snorkelling, it forms a tight but comfortable seal and while there is a mark where the mask has been after diving it soon fades and as long as you keep the straps adjusted comfortably then there are no issues with it.
In my training I found it really easy to clear water when it flooded, this is one of the skiils you practice however I have never had to do this exercise for real when not in a training environment. The range of vision is excellent with the angled lenses giving a much wider range of vision than a standard mask. The silicane rim is secure and very comfortable as well. There are buckles on teh straps that are easy to adjust when putting the mask on and it is also very easy to remove once out of the water.
Overall this is a great mask both for scuba diving or snorkelling and I wouldcertainly recommend it.
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Zoggs Roll Ups Arm Bands
by rji0907
My son was quite a late swimmer and hasn't been swimming unaided for that long as although he'd never had a bad experience in the water, he was quite nervous around water and never really felt comfortable and therefore it was difficult for us to get him out of his comfort zone and try to swim without using swimming aids.
I ... tried all manner of swimming aids to try and build his confidence in the water, from floats to jackets to arm bands. I thought a jacket would give him more freedom but it made him feel like he didn't have a swimming aid so it was arm bands that we ended up using to build his confidence up.
I purchased a set of Zoggs roll up arm bands from Tesco's. There was no particular reason why I purchased this set, I just happened to be in Tesco's at the time and they were reasonably priced so I purchased them. They are made from PVC and can be used on children up to 25kg and used from the age of 1.
The good thing about these armbands is that each band has two air chambers, each with their own separate air valve so you can really control the air levels within the arm bands. The problem with arm bands with only one valve is that straight away, my son could feel I had deflated them as it was deflating the whole band and he refused to get in the water. With having two valves, he didn't notice that I had deflated some of the air as they was still a large section of arm band that was completely inflated.
The arm bands are a bright red/orange colour so being a neutral colour, they are suitable for both boys and girls and they do roll up easily (hence the name!).
One problem I have had with previous arm bands is that when inflated, my son had struggled to get his arm through the miniscule hole that had been left. You don't get that problem with these. My son managed to get them on with ease, but yet they still felt tight enough that they wouldn't fall down his arm when in the water. They felt secure on him, but not too tight that he complained they were uncomfortable.
I would say that these arm bands did help my son learn to swim unaided. Each time we went swimming, I decreased one chamber in each arm until eventually it was pretty flat. By this point my son had noticed the decreased air levels but he didn't mind as the other chamber was still completely inflated, yet he felt more confident knowing he was managing to swim with one chamber in each arm deflated. It did take a while longer for me to be able to really decrease the other chamber in each arm but we got there eventually and now he swims quite well, completely unaided and I truly believe these arm bands played a part in that happening.
I like the fact that these arm bands weren't too expensive but were of a decent quality too. I didn't expect much for a fiver, but they never showed any signs of splitting or puncturing at all and I have now passed these onto a friend for her son to use now my son swims unaided.
Overall, these arm bands were fab and really helped me teach my son to swim unaided. They were strong, did the job well and I think having the two separate air valves in each arm really helps. They were a great aid in teaching my son to swim and therefore they come with a high recommendation from me.
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Mares Avanti Quattro Fins
by sympatic
These scuba diving fins were purchased for a two week holiday in Sharm El Sheikh which included a five day Padi training course to get my diving qualification, in addition we planned to do some snorkelling on the local reefs including one that was on the beach of our hotel complex so both my other half and I bought a set of fins each and ... as we were buying two pairs the shop knocked off £20 from the combined price so these ended up costing me £45 which is not a bad price. Mine are a small size which will fit up to a size 7. They are an open heel design so you also need to factor in the cost of a pair of boots as well otherwise they would not be very comfortable and would rub on your feet. Also given the hot sand and the fact that there are things on the ground that can cause you harm the boots are essential.
I found these to be really comfortable to wear, they were easily adjusted to tighten just by pulling the two straps at the back and they feature what Mares call the Adjustable Binding System (ABS) so once adjusted they remain locked into position and will not come off no matter how hard you fin, not a problem with me but my other half creates a lot of power so this system is good for him.
They are quite rigid in the structure and they certainly were very easy to fin with, both at the surface while snorkelling or under water, the deepest we went to was about 15m while doing our course and there was little current on any of our dives as the reefs were pretty sheltered. I found that I did not suffer from any cramp or soreness in my calfs and on a previous holiday I had suffered from this when snorkelling in the carribean and the instructor reckoned that was because the fins I had were wrong for me. These were so comfortable to wear and I also found after a little practice that I was able to change direction and control my popsition in the water easily and this is meant to be due to the ruberised edges of the fins but to be honest I have no idea why this is the case.
They do generate a decent amount of power when it is needed, again this is partly due to the design of the fins which have channels running down them that helps shift the water and provide forward propulsion. Since qualifying I have used them again on a holiday to Cuba when we did a couple of dives and they still worked perfectly, they are easy to remove when you need to exit the water and while they are a bit bulky I prefer to take these on holiday as I know I can trust them.
These fins are good quality and well made, after five days of diving in total they do have a couple of scuff marks but that is more to do with my own clumsyness in the water and I would certainly recommend them to others.
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