Deep Blue Gear - Vista Vue Full Face Snorkeling Mask

doesn't fit most of the faces and has bad isolation on chin.

Excellent

the best mask

Happy with the color

So far I really like this mask. I ordered it while in Hawaii for several weeks on vacation because I just cannot find a snorkeling mask that works for me. They either fog up or do not fit me correctly. Plus I am somewhat of a snorkeling novice so I end up trying to breath in water every now and then. I had red reviews of other masks and the Ninja masks are available for rent at many locations but two of the main cons of those masks were that they were hot and the wearer felt like they could not get a complete breath because they were breathing in exhaled air. A blogger review led me to this mask and since it was also cheaper than the other masks I decided to try it out. The main feature that I hoped would be good is that the air is inhaled from the snorkel and exhaled through vents in the temple area of the mask.With a trip to Hanauma Bay coming up I ordered this and had it shipped to our rental condo -- which is when I first encountered the extra charge Hawaii residents pay for expedited shipping even with Prime. But it came and was simple to assemble. I just put the snorkel on the mask although that required a but of strength to get it to snap into place.I tested it locally in the Ko Olina lagoons and everything was fine with the fit except that I got a small amount of water from under my chin. I do have a beard and shaved it down but not completely (looked like stubble) so I do not know if this was from the beard or if it did not quite fit my face shape at the chin. But what little water did get in took a while to accumulate and all I had to do was cover the temple vents and blow out and this forced the water from the mask.While testing it my daughter said that she basically could not hear me unless our heads were almost touching. She did hear the air bubbles as I exhaled, as did I, but this did not bother either of us. But the best part was that the mask did not fog at all and I felt like I could breathe normally.My testing was mainly a casual snorkeling pace and diving only a few feet down to the bottom of the lagoon. I always felt that I had good air to breathe and I finally felt comfortable snorkeling because I didn't have to worry about my mask. I wanted to try a few laps at a brisk pace but after about a 1/2 of the way across one of of the lagoons I just didn't feel like it (out of laziness on vacation). So at the time of the test I did not know how it was for swimming laps (I'm a runner not a swimmer.)The mask was bulky and felt a little heavy when putting it on but in the water I did not notice this at all.At Hanauma Bay I was able to snorkel for the entire morning. I outlasted my wife (who is a much better snorkeler than I am) and my daughter, who had her first real snorkeling at the lagoons and at Hanauma Bay (with a mask and snorkel.) I have to say that after Hanauma Bay I felt like this was a worthwhile purchase. I did dive down here but only in the shallower beginning area of the bay (maybe 100 yards out max) and I did feel some pressure on the mask but for my casual snorkeling this was not an issue. I honestly felt like snorkeling more than I would have since I just spend the money a few days earlier to buy the mask--but did not have any issues with breathing and did not get tired (at a casual pace).Because my daughter did not enjoy the traditional mask/snorkel I had her try my Vista Vue mask but it did not fit so I ordered her one in the small/medium size (she is 9 years old.) This fit her well and she used it on the Big Island in the lagoon at the Hilton Waikoloa Hotel.Overall, for myself and my daughter this is a good mask to use. No issues with fogging or breathing. The view is good and although there is some distortion from the side of the mask I did not notice it when snorkeling. I did get freaked out the first time I went under water because I was so used to breathing normally. A ball at the top of the snorkel keeps water out when you dive so my next breath I was trying to breathe in and nothing was happening. As soon as I realized what I was doing I was OK from then on.Note that we did not try the masks while doing laps or over exertion. Also it is a bit bulky so I wrapped both masks in towels and took them home in a carry-on suitcase as I did not want to find out how durable they were against normal baggage handling.