Snorkel masks are necessary if you want to take part in the fast-growing pastime of snorkeling. Snorkeling is an activity you can do on a beach resort, in a local lake, or even in a community swimming pool. One of the most important accessories that you will need when snorkeling is a snorkel mask. We’ll help you choose the best snorkel mask in this article.
There are many different kinds of snorkel masks that have different levels of fit, design, and lenses for sight underwater. We are going to recommend to you a few different brands that we think provide excellent quality snorkel masks.
Table of Contents
How We Decide Which Brand You Should Get
Different brands have different specialties. Some brands of snorkel masks may be great for viewing an underwater landscape, while other brands may have snorkel masks that are better used for longer snorkeling sessions.
Whichever your preference, we break down each brand by reviewing a standard of how we critique snorkel mask brands.
We recommend the best snorkel masks based on the following criteria:
- Mask skirt and frame
- Mask lenses
- Snorkel features
- Affordability
Best Snorkel Masks
Cressi Scuba Diving Snorkeling Mask
[amazon box=”B00LNOCC1W” ]
Cressi is an excellent brand that prides itself on developing high-quality snorkeling material. The Cressi Scuba Diving Snorkeling Mask is currently one of the best snorkel masks on the market. It is well designed and features a variety of different colors to fit your personal style.
Mask Skirt and Frame
The Cressi Scuba Diving Snorkeling Mask is a 100% liquid silicone mask that is designed to fit to your face well. The mask features a frameless mask that places the lens closer to your eyes. The frame is also low profile. This mask can fold and is small enough to fit in a traveling bag.
Mask Lens
The Cressi Scuba Diving Snorkeling Mask features a single lens design that has a tempered glass lens for additional durability.
Cressi lenses are of excellent quality and allow for excellent underwater vision. Because of the binocular effect of these lenses, we think they are an excellent choice for folks who are interested in underwater photography.
The field of vision afforded by the frameless frame design pairs well with the single lens.
Snorkel Features
The Cressi mask comes with a snorkel that has an easy clear purge valve. The purge valve is of excellent quality and it is created from a corrugated smooth bore. This mask would be an excellent choice for folks who are learning how to snorkel because the purge valve makes snorkeling slightly easier.
In addition to the purge valve, the snorkel is also designed in a dry top style. The dry top style helps keep water out when the diver is underwater. In addition to keeping water out, there is also a special valve that helps keep water sealed in when submerged.
Affordability
The Cressi Scuba Diving Snorkeling Mask is pretty affordable. We think for the quality of the mask and snorkel that you receive, that this is an excellent price for a snorkeling mask. Cressi typically has affordable masks, so this is in line with their brand.
Review
When we take into consideration the frameless, single lens, silicone build of the Cressi Scuba Diving Snorkeling Mask, it easy to rate it highly. Add in the additional snorkel features, and you possibly have one of the best scuba masks on the market. Add in the affordability of this mask, and it is easy to recommend.
| Pros | Cons |
| Great value and great mask | The flexible part of the snorkel is a bit too short mentioned a review |
WildHorn Outfitters Seaview 180 Degree GoPro Compatible Snorkel Mask
[amazon box=”B07F1ZLXT6″ ]
WildHorn Outfitters is an outdoor product company that specializes in designing state of the art diving equipment. Their products are easy to use, and very durable. The WildHorn Outfitters Seaview represents one of the best snorkeling masks on the market currently.
Mask Skirt and Frame
The WildHorn Outfitters Seaview is a high-quality silicone mask.
The mask skirt is flexible and is meant to fit a variety of different faces. The mask frame is designed so that a GoPro camera can be installed on the GoPro mount. This is an excellent option for folks who plan to take underwater videos and want an affordable mask that can hold a camera to do so.
The design of the WildHorn Outfitters Seaview frame allows for optimal snorkel length, assisting the diver by providing a large amount of airflow.
Mask Lens
The WildHorn Outfitters Seaview has a panoramic lens that gives one of the largest field of views we have seen on the market. With the full face design, you can view almost everything around you.
Add this feature in with the fact that you can attach a GoPro camera, and you have a full face mask lens that is one of the most unique on the market.
Snorkel Features
The WildHorn Outfitters Seaview features a breathing chamber instead of the traditional mouth snorkel.
These breathing chambers allow for excellent air flow, and are much easier to use than traditional mouth snorkels. The breathing chamber mixed with the dry snorkel technology means you can breathe naturally through your nose and mouth.
The dry snorkel also helps prevent water from entering the mask through the snorkel tube. If for some reason water does get inside of your mask, you can rise back to the surface and drain the mask through a one-way mask.
Affordability
The WildHorn Outfitters Seaview can be purchased on Amazon and ranges in price depending on the size you select.
For all of the features that this mask comes with, we think this price point is an absolute steal for folks who are interested in snorkeling.
Review
We think WildHorn Outfitters sells the best snorkeling gear on the market. The Seaview is no exception as it is insanely affordable, and comes with a number of features that make snorkeling very easy.
With a full panorama lens, you have a large field of view to view sea life, and possibly the seafloor.
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy breathing through mouth and nose | Hard to use in the rough seas |
Tribord Easybreath Full Face Snorkeling Mask
[amazon box=”B07RN36TTJ” ]
SUBEA is a company that specializes in selling snorkeling masks. The Tribord Easybreath snorkeling mask is a high-quality mask that is meant to make snorkeling easy for beginners.
Mask Skirt and Frame
The Tribord Easybreath has a large full-face frame. Much like the Seaview, this frame allows for a large field of vision. The mask is made partially out of silicone, so it can flex and fit to different face sizes easily.
In addition to the large frame, this snorkeling mask is also hypoallergenic. You don’t have to worry about face rashes, or skin irritation when you use the SUBEA Tribord Easybreath Full Face Snorkeling Mask.
Mask Lens
The mask lens has a 180-degree field of vision and is made out of a shatterproof polycarbonate. These lenses are meant to withstand pressure for additional safety. The mask lens is also anti-fog making it much easier to view in colder climates, where your breath may fog up the lens.
Snorkel Features
The Tribord Easybreath snorkeling mask features a waterproof dry top system that limits the water entry through the top of the snorkel. This makes surface snorkeling almost natural, as the possibility of water entering through the top of the mask is greatly limited.
In addition to the dry top system, this mask also has water drainage. Water drainage is carried out by the purge valve that is located at the bottom of the mask. This purge valve is activated by moving your head to the surface.
Affordability
The Tribord Easybreath can be purchased in a wide range of prices depending on the retailer. We think that this mask is on the higher end for full-face snorkeling masks. If you are someone who needs a hypoallergenic mask, then we think this mask will definitely be for you.
Review
When we take a look at the other masks we have reviewed, it is hard to place this mask above those in terms of quality, affordability, and design.
While the Tribord Easybreath is hypoallergenic, has a purge valve, and a full face lens, it costs more than the best snorkeling mask on the market, the WildHorn Outfitters Seaview.
| Pros | Cons |
| Does a PERFECT job sealing out water | Difficult to dive down with a giant air pocket |
Decide On The Best Snorkel Mask
Mask Skirt and Frame
When we look at the best snorkel mask brands we have to consider the mask skirt and frame. Most of the best brands will use silicone instead of plastic to form the mask skirt and frame. Silicone skirts are a lot more flexible than plastic skirts. This means silicone skirts will actually form to your face better than plastic skirts.
Silicone masks also help create a comfortable, watertight seal that prevents water from creeping up into the mask. Some brands sell snorkeling masks with plastic skirts. These skirts are not worth your money because they could end up causing face rashes, are uncomfortable, and lead to a high level of leakage.
Another factor that we want potential buyers to be aware of is the difference between frameless and framed masks. Frameless masks have lenses that sit closer to your eyes. These masks offer a wide field of vision. Alternatively, the framed masks sit tighter on your face and can feel more secure.
Mask Lens
Good mask lenses should optimize your field of view. Horizontal field of view and vertical field of view are necessary aspects that make a mask worth it.
There are three different forms of lenses that you can usually get with a snorkel mask. The first form of lens is a single lens mask. Single-lens masks have only one lens and usually provide a more spacious feel because of the absence of a nose bridge. While single lens masks have excellent binocular vision, they also tend to be heavier than double lens masks.
On the other hand, there are some brands of snorkel masks that have double lens masks. With double lens masks, the lens is set closer to your eyes.
This can effectively increase your field of view. These masks also allow for easy clearing because double lens masks are also lower volume. A great benefit of these types of masks is that you can add a prescription to them. This will allow you to see better underwater.
The third form of mask lenses you can purchase is a multi-lens mask. Multi-lens masks can either be single or double lens masks that have side windows to increase peripheral vision. These masks have an open design that assists folks who get claustrophobic. Sometimes these masks can cost small visual distortions.
Snorkel Features
There are a number of snorkel features that can possibly come with a snorkeling mask. We think the best snorkeling masks will have some form of snorkel. These snorkels may come with additional attachments that make snorkeling underwater easier.
A potential attachment a snorkel mask may have is a purge valve. Purge valves make clearing water from the mask an easier process. We take into consideration purge valves because beginners may find these accessories helpful features on their masks.
Affordability
Another factor we consider is the affordability of the brand of snorkel mask that you are buying. If a mask has high quality and has a low price, we consider that brand to be affordable.
However, if the brand is high quality and has a steep price, then we will consider that in terms of whether or not the mask is affordable.
We Showed You How to Pick the Best Snorkel Mask Brand
You now see the best snorkeling masks that three of the top snorkeling mask companies sell.
We based our critique of these brands based on the mask skirt and frame, mask lens, snorkel features, and affordability. At the end of the day, the WildHorn Outfitters Seaview has the best design, additional features, and was one of the most affordable snorkeling masks on the market.
