OCEAN REEF NEPTUNE III

ISTHEOCEANREEFNEPTUNEIIIFULLFACEMASKFORYOU?

TEXTBYDUNCANPATTENDEN

Let’s explore this question by comparing a few common situations we have all experienced as recreational SCUBA divers

DOES YOUR MASK OFTEN FOG UP?

Toothpaste, Clean Green, and commercially available de-foggers clutter dive shop front desks Glass is glass, why does it always fog up? I asked the experts in Italy, and the answer, surprisingly, was that it is the polymers in the silicon itself The Ocean Reef IDM (Integrated Dive Mask) does not fog up due to the air circulation system inside the full-face mask No product treatment needed!

STRUGGLES WITH A LEAKY MASK!

We all know that any facial hair, moustaches, smile lines, or hoodies may cause your SCUBA mask to leak. The new IDM is an ambient pressure mask. In other words, same pressure inside as outside. If the inside pressure drops, the mask compensates and prevents any water from entering the mask.

Jaw Fatigue

Try biting down on a silicon mouthpiece for 45 minutes to hold it in place and you will feel the muscle strain and jaw fatigue We have tried various methods to alleviate this problem such as moulded mouth pieces, 2 stage swivels etc, but at the end of the day we have all been trained to ignore this discomfort Instead of a mouth piece to bite down on, the Ocean Reef IDM has an orinasal pocket which gently sits over the nose and mouth, eliminating jaw fatigue and allowing natural breathing nd

LOSE YOUR MASK OR REGULATOR DURING A DIVE?

At some point we’ve all had our second stage accidently knocked out our mouth by surge, kelp, or an over-excited dive buddy With the new Neptune III IDM there is no risk of unintentionally losing the regulator, even if unconscious. The new quick release system makes the mask very easy to remove with just one hand, and with proper training, the six strap harness system is very secure, making donning and doffing, in and out the water very easy

FEEL THE CHILL?

Diving Cape Town’s Atlantic side exposes us to 10 to 12 degrees Celsius water Brrrr! This is yet another thing we’ve had to accept as SCUBA divers With the Ocean Reef IDM, the silicon face seal ensures that the eyes, nose, and lips are protected from the chill

DO YOU USE PRESCRIPTION LENSES?

Like many divers my age, I’ve battled to read my camera settings and dive computer Ocean Reef has a lens frame specifically designed to fit inside the IDM We can now fit either custom prescription lenses or off the shelf lenses. The most popular is the +1.5 and +2 reading lenses, and prices are very reasonable. An added feature is that the Ocean Reef lens frame also comes with left and right pop-on arms and a floaty strap, allowing you to pop the lens out the IDM and use them as normal spectacles.

DO YOU EXPERIENCE A DRY THROAT AFTER A DIVE?

Breathing quality air only has at most 35 ppm of water in it, making it very dry This is up to a thousand times less than normal air Add to this, that as the air expands from the cylinder, it cools down dramatically! The natural way that we are meant to deal with this, is to breathe through our nose and allow the air to be warmed-up and hydrated before passing down into our lungs With the new Neptune III IDM, you can easily and comfortably breathe through your nose as nature intended

ARE YOU GETTING THE BEST FIELD OF VISION WITH YOUR DIVE MASK?

Vision is always a factor when choosing a mask The new Neptune III IDM 180-degree vision is the best on the market, giving you a feeling of openness and plenty of light. The polycarbonate visor has a siloxane resin coat on both sides, maximising the scratch and chemical resistance.

Communication With Your Dive Buddy

People go into nature to get away from the noise and fuss we experience every day, and not much can beat the tranquillity of a good dive Although this piece is often the highlight of the dive, communication is essential for safety Our SCUBA courses teach us hand signals for basic communication but it doesn’t cover every scenario A good example would be losing your buddy in poor visibility With the Ocean Reef GSM Mercury comms, you can communicate within 250 metres to re-group or ascend to the surface Ocean Reef offers hard-wire and wireless (through water) communication systems, as well as training to get the most out of your equipment There are also surface units that allow boats to communicate with the divers below As an example, boats might call their divers up if the weather is turning bad quickly, and they need to get the divers out the water

HANDS-FREE NIGHT DIVING

The Vesper (no, not the scooter) is a 75-lumen, USB-charging light which clips inside any Ocean Reef Full Face mask Waving your hand in front of your lens turns the light on or off Now in low light you can easily see your camera settings or dive computer The Vesper also clips into a special holder to become a head torch

In my next article, I’ll be covering practical training with the Ocean Reef Neptune III IDM I’d love to hear your thoughts What question would you most like to have answered about the Neptune III IDM and the Underwater Communication Systems? You can email me at duncan@orca-industries.co.za and I will answer as many questions as I can in the next edition.