Tribord designed their Easybreath mask to overcome many of the shortcomings of traditional snorkels. The overall form of snorkeling tubes has changed very little since the days of breathing through hollow reeds, yet Tribord are revolutionising the past-time with this all-in-one system. The large window of the full-face masks offers an undisturbed 180˚ view and allows users to largely forget they are using a snorkel at all.
The snorkel appendage of this mask might look relatively short, but its important to bear in mind that conventional snorkel tubes run from the mouth upwards, while this version begins at the top of the head. As a result the end of the tube actually stands higher above the water than is the case with typical snorkels.
Sizing is an important factor for ensuring a perfect water-tight fit on a full-face snorkeling mask. The Easybreath mask is available in 2 different sizes with a children’s version in the works. The flexible silicone seal around the edge of the mask does give some leeway but it obviously isn’t compatible with beards.
An inner membrane forms a secondary seal around your mouth and nose as you breathe, and this coupled with a series of valves throughout the mask insures there’s no C02 recirculation in the mask, and that the window doesn’t mist up as you exhale.
The snorkel tube also features a valve which blocks intake when the tip is submerged to stop water entering the apparatus. This involves a free-floating segment which rises to seal the tube. However this system was only designed to stop water entering from occasional splashes from waves, and while the stopper purportedly works when fully submerged, the Easybreath mask isn’t intended for free-diving below 1m. This is largely due to uncomfortable pressure build up on the face which results from the snorkeling mask’s larger than average volume.
Read Jeff Goodman’s first hand review of the Easybreath snorkel here.
Tribord seem to be struggling to produce enough of their Easybreath snorkeling masks to meet demand for this revolutionary new design. Their primary retailer Decathlon lists the item as being sold out and mentions that they are awaiting new stock. As a result, Easybreath masks are currently being resold on Amazon.com for $220, a 4x markup on the RRP of £35, so please try and wait for new stock in March 2015 so these ‘people’ don’t win.
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