How to Choose a Dive Mask: Fit, Brands, Prescription Lenses

A dive mask is the most personal piece of dive gear you'll own. So "which brand is best?" has no single answer. The right mask isn't the most famous one; it's the one that seals on your face and stays comfortable all dive. Here's how to choose a dive mask, based on PADI's guidance and the brands' own product pages, with a section for divers who wear glasses and a table of the masks we carry, with the prices on our site.

What every scuba mask needs

Some people call it diving goggles, but PADI is clear: swimmers wear goggles, and scuba divers use masks made for going deep underwater. A scuba mask needs at least two things:

• a tempered glass lens strong enough for diving
• a silicone skirt that encloses your nose, so you can equalize the mask on descent and pinch your nose to clear your ears

Swim goggles, or a mask that leaves your nose out, won't do for scuba.

1. Fit first, colour last

PADI is clear that fit and comfort beat everything else. Find the mask that fits, then pick the colour.

Mask fit checklist

• Loop the strap in front of the mask, out of the way, and hold the mask gently against your face.
• Inhale gently through your nose. If the mask stays put with no air leaking in, and you don't have to keep sucking, it should seal for you.
• Check that the skirt rests evenly against your face all the way around.
• Adjust the strap, put it on properly and judge the comfort.
• If you can, try it with a snorkel or regulator in your mouth. The fit shouldn't change much.
• Try pinching your nose.

PADI notes that moustaches and beards make a good seal a little harder to find, but still possible. If you have one, try several models.

2. Low-volume vs high-volume (wide-view) masks

Volume is the air space inside the mask. According to PADI, high-volume masks feel open and extend peripheral vision but take a little more effort to clear; low-volume masks sit closer to your face and clear quickly.

GULL publishes volumes for its masks (measured with GULL's own method, so compare within the brand):

• GULL MANTIS LVR, 110cc. GULL says the lens angle and shape extend your downward view to chest level, where most diving tasks happen. Watch our review.
• GULL VADER fanette, 125cc.
• GULL VADER, 140cc. A single lens with no centre frame, which GULL says lets the fields of view of both eyes overlap for a wide, bright view. Watch our review.
• GULL LUVOS, 170cc. GULL describes it as the widest-view single-lens mask in its range: 105° vertical, 118° horizontal. Watch our review.

Among GULL's standard masks, two sit at the ends of that range. GULL ANELIA, 100cc and 170 g, is what GULL calls the lightest, lowest-volume mask in its line, trusted by freediving professionals. GULL ABEAM, 226cc, is GULL's back-to-basics mask with one wide lens.

GULL MANTIS FULL FACE, 500cc, is a different kind of mask: GULL's pro full-face mask for scuba, from the MANTIS family, with a 5-way strap and an optional air valve (sold separately) that lets you breathe outside air at the surface without taking the mask off. GULL says diving professionals favour it and leisure scuba divers choose it for extra confidence; it doesn't say it is made for beginners, so if you're new, ask us first.

If you're still getting comfortable with mask clearing, a low-volume mask makes life easier. If you love an open view, try a wide-view mask, but fit still comes first.

3. Frameless vs framed masks

Frameless masks bond the lens straight to the silicone, with no rigid frame around it.

• Apeks VX1: Apeks says the frameless build makes it lightweight and low volume, easy to clear and equalise, with a Pure Clear lens and quick-release buckles you can adjust in thick gloves. Designed and produced in Italy. Watch our review.
• Dive Rite ES155: a frameless silicone design with a single tempered, ultra-clear glass lens. Dive Rite notes that having no frame over the nose widens your view. Double-seal skirt, hard protective case included. Watch our review.

Framed masks hold the lens in a rigid frame, and some add side windows so you see more around you.

• SCUBAPRO Crystal Vu: a large tempered single lens plus side windows for a panoramic view, with a double-sealing skirt. SCUBAPRO lists it as framed. Watch our review.
• GULL's classic masks in a stainless steel frame: ABYSS has a round lens and a corrugated nose for easy equalizing, AQUA PRO a large lens and a soft foam pad under the nose, and BASARA a heavy-duty frame with a silicone or black rubber skirt.

Neither style wins every time. Choose the one that fits you and gives the view you like.

4. Lenses and skirt colour

Lenses. Tempered glass is the baseline, and several brands offer more, for example:

• GULL's UV420 CUT AR amber lens in VADER, VADER fanette and MANTIS LVR: GULL says it blocks UV and high-energy visible light up to 420 nm, the amber tint adds contrast, and the anti-reflective (AR) coating passes about 95% of light versus about 92% for conventional lenses (GULL's figures).
• GULL LUVOS's clear UV380 CUT AR IR lens: AR-coated on both sides, passing about 98% of light according to GULL.

Skirt colour. PADI says clear skirts let in more light and feel open, which beginners often like. Dark skirts cut glare, so underwater photographers often prefer them.

5. Prescription dive masks: short or long sight

If you normally wear glasses, PADI suggests prescription lenses or optical inserts, and notes that some masks are designed specifically to fit prescription lenses. The key word is "some", so check model by model.

What the brands say about the masks we carry:

• GULL ready-made lenses for short sight: made for MANTIS LVR and MANTIS LV and sold per lens, so each eye can have its own correction. GULL's ready-made lenses for MANTIS are also sold per lens, and GULL says they fit MANTIS 5.
• GULL order-made prescription lenses: GULL says they are available for a wide range of its masks and shows VADER and MANTIS LV as examples. They can correct short or long sight. You need a prescription from an ophthalmologist or optician, and GULL says an order can't be cancelled or changed once received, and finished lenses can't be exchanged. For a model the page doesn't name, such as VADER fanette or LUVOS, ask us first.
• GULL lenses for LANZE and MANTIS FULL FACE: GULL lists optical and made-to-order lenses for LANZE and MANTIS FULL FACE.
• Not prescription-compatible: SCUBAPRO says Crystal Vu and Crystal Vu Plus don't take prescription lenses.
• No word from the brand yet: for Apeks VX1 and VX2, Dive Rite ES155 and the Aqualung masks we carry, the brand information we have says nothing about prescription lenses. Some have swappable lenses (VX2, Reveal Ultrafit, Look), but the brands don't say these are prescription lenses, so don't count on it.

Whatever the model, message us on LINE before you order and tell us your prescription.

6. Dive masks for smaller faces

If most masks feel big on you, or leave a gap at the cheeks, look at models made for smaller faces.

• GULL VADER fanette: GULL says divers with smaller faces may find the standard VADER slightly large, so fanette is smaller overall, with a skirt that extends beyond the cheekbones and a shape designed to keep its seal when your face moves, such as when you smile underwater. Watch our review.
• GULL MANTIS LVR: GULL says it is smaller overall than the MANTIS LV.
• GULL COCO: a single-lens mask GULL designed for women who skin dive and scuba dive, with a leakless skirt that keeps its seal when your face moves and a curled lip that leaves fewer marks.
• Aqualung Linea: Aqualung's women's mask, designed with input from female divers. Compact and low volume.

Labels like "women's" or "small fit" are only a starting point. A man with a small face may fit these, and some women fit standard masks. Let the fit checklist in step 1 decide.

7. Preparing a new mask, preventing fog and aftercare

PADI explains that most new lenses need a scrub before use to remove manufacturing residue, and that methods vary by shop and manufacturer.

• Check your mask's instructions first, especially with coated lenses. GULL says to clean its lenses with a neutral detergent and your fingertip, warning that a sponge may damage the coating.
• Before every dive, PADI recommends a defog solution on the lens.
• After the dive, rinse in fresh water and store cool, dry and out of the sun. PADI warns to keep clear silicone away from neoprene, which can discolour it.

Which dive mask brand is best? Our masks, uses and prices

No brand is best for every face. This table sums up what each brand says its mask does, so you can pick which ones to try. Prices are the prices on our site on 16 October 2026. Volumes are GULL's, for comparing within GULL.

Model	Strengths / who it suits	Price on our site
GULL VADER	Single lens, no centre frame, wide and bright view · 140cc	฿6,490
GULL VADER fanette	A smaller VADER for smaller faces · 125cc	฿6,490
GULL MANTIS LVR	Low volume, 110cc, downward view to chest level · GULL ready-made short-sight lenses	฿6,490
GULL MANTIS LV	Twin lens, 110cc, made by GULL for skin and scuba divers · GULL ready-made short-sight lenses	฿6,490
GULL MANTIS 5	Classic twin lens, 177cc, Super Clear glass · fits GULL's ready-made MANTIS lenses	฿1,290 (rubber) · ฿2,990 (silicone)
GULL MANTIS	The original MANTIS: simple twin lens, a shape GULL has made since 1972 · 202cc · GULL ready-made lenses	฿3,390
GULL LUVOS	The widest-view single-lens mask in GULL's range (according to GULL) · 170cc	฿7,690
GULL LUVOS G-Metal	LUVOS with an aluminium frame, limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide	฿19,900
GULL ANELIA	Twin lens, GULL's lightest and lowest-volume mask, trusted by freediving professionals (both according to GULL) · 100cc	฿3,300
GULL ABEAM	Back to basics, one wide lens, for divers who like it simple · 226cc	฿2,490
GULL ABYSS	Classic round lens in a stainless steel frame, corrugated nose GULL says makes equalizing easy	฿2,900
GULL AQUA PRO	Classic large lens, stainless steel frame, soft foam pad under the nose	฿1,900
GULL BASARA	Simple classic in a heavy-duty stainless steel frame · silicone or black rubber skirt	from ฿2,190
GULL LANZE	Twin lens, low volume, 115cc, a view GULL gives as 103° × 126° · interlocking frame · GULL optical and made-to-order lenses	฿3,690
GULL COCO	Single lens GULL designed for women · 140cc	฿3,490
GULL MANTIS FULL FACE	GULL's pro full-face mask for scuba · 500cc · 5-way strap, optional air valve sold separately	฿8,900
SCUBAPRO Crystal Vu	Large single lens with side windows, panoramic view · SCUBAPRO says no prescription lenses	฿3,290
SCUBAPRO Crystal Vu Plus	No-tint glass, clear skirt, with or without a purge valve · SCUBAPRO says no prescription lenses	฿4,390
Apeks VX1	Frameless, low volume; Apeks says it is easy to clear and equalise	฿5,590
Apeks VX2	Stainless-steel frame, swappable lenses, a field of vision 13% larger than VX1 (according to Apeks)	฿7,990
Dive Rite ES155	Frameless, single ultra-clear glass lens, double-seal skirt	฿3,390
Aqualung Sphera X	A freediving mask, low volume, with what Aqualung calls a panoramic view · Plexisol lens, not glass; for scuba, see the other masks here	฿2,890
Aqualung Reveal Ultrafit	The scuba mask Aqualung calls its most comfortable · made in 3 sizes	฿3,590
Aqualung Teknika	Built for technical diving, folds flat as a back-up mask · new divers looking for a first mask, ask us first	฿2,690
Aqualung Linea	Women's mask, low volume, lenses close to the face for more side view	฿3,190
Aqualung Look	Classic two-lens mask, 3 mm tempered glass, designed to fit a wide range of faces	฿2,090

Before you order a mask, always message us on LINE first. Tell us how you'll dive and whether you need prescription lenses. We ship within Thailand, free from ฿2,000; below that, a shipping fee applies. Details are on our shipping and returns page.

Bottom line

Start with fit. Then decide on volume, frame style and lens. If you're short- or long-sighted, check that the model takes prescription lenses. If you can, try several masks before you decide.

To see each model on a face, watch the reviews linked above. If you're new to diving, our beginner tips video is a good next step.

FAQ

Is it a dive mask or diving goggles?

A mask, or dive mask. PADI points out that divers use masks, while goggles are for swimmers.

Can I use swim goggles for scuba diving?

No. PADI says a scuba mask needs a silicone skirt that encloses your nose, so you can equalize the mask on descent and pinch your nose to clear your ears. Swim goggles can't do that.

Can I get a prescription dive mask if I'm short- or long-sighted?

Yes. PADI suggests prescription lenses or optical inserts, but not every mask takes them. Among our masks, GULL makes ready-made short-sight lenses for MANTIS LVR, MANTIS LV, MANTIS and MANTIS 5, and order-made lenses for short or long sight for a wide range of its masks; it also lists optical and made-to-order lenses for LANZE and MANTIS FULL FACE. SCUBAPRO says Crystal Vu and Crystal Vu Plus don't take prescription lenses. Message us on LINE before you order.

How much does a dive mask cost?

On our site on 16 October 2026, from ฿1,290 (GULL MANTIS 5 with a rubber skirt) to ฿19,900 (the limited GULL LUVOS G-Metal). Each model's price is in the table above; we confirm price and stock on LINE when you order.

Is a low-volume mask better for beginners?

Low-volume masks clear quickly, which helps while you're learning. Whatever the volume, the mask has to fit your face first.

What should I do with a new dive mask before diving?

Scrub the lens to remove manufacturing residue, following your mask's own instructions, then apply a defog solution before every dive (PADI).