Updating Our Lights On Our Full Face Mask

[@peakbagger7682]

Thanks for the great informational video. I looked Comfort Zone up on the Internet and bought two of these Comfort Zone Little Power House lights for my Kirby Morgan MOD I FFM. The website doesn't have an instant order section. When I emailed them, I got a guy named Mark in South Carolina who told me to call him. I got the two lights and chargers quickly with US Priority Mail. These lights are small and very powerful. I like the double oring seal.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Peakbagger, Mark is the owner. Super nice guy, he will help you in any way possible. Make sure you tell him Bryan from Lake Hickory Scuba sent you.

[@SeattleRingHunter]

Really like your touch swivel mounts makes very good since to be able to divert them when close to other divers!

[@joshmandeville3835]

Does drilling through the frame void the warranty? I bought the Space Extender and would like to do a light setup similar to yours for my photography (would be nice to have lights mounted for my own aid) I looked all through the manual and the website but cant seem to find any info. Perhaps I missed it.

[@joshmandeville3835]

@Jon Campo yeah I was able to get in touch with them and I now have 2 lights mounted similar to the video. It's fantastic for working my camera and just general sightseeing. Love this mask.

[@billfleming6535]

Hello... what is the make/model of the camera that you have mounted to your full face mask in this video? Thanks!

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

That was an Intova. They are no longer available. We now recommend the Sealife Micro 3.0. lakehickoryscuba.com/products/micro_3_0_64gb_16mp_4k_camera

[@GiltronTheOne]

Where did you get the brackets to hold the light on and what are they called

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello GiltronTheOne, we sell them here at Lake Hickory Scuba. Here is the link for you. lakehickoryscuba.com/products/czs_lil_power_house_mask_clip

[@DeepThought893]

Hello, I have a hood which is the correct size for my head which has the smooth skin on the inside and outside at the face opeing. I am getting a seal but around the temples it's only about 1/4" overlap with the mask skirt. And in order to achive that overlap I need to pull the neoprine out over my temples a bit. The way you had your hood on there seems to be a greater overlap that 1/4". But all the hoods I looked at seem to have the same cut. How do you achive a better overlap between the hood and the mask skirt?

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Great question @DeepThought893, the only answer I have for you, is to find a different hood. Finding the right hood for Full Face Mask can be difficult. The one that I personally use is from Comfort Zone Scuba. comfortzonescuba.com/the-tcz-full-face-maskffm-hood/

[@DeepThought893]

Thank you for your reply @LakeHickoryScuba . Comfort Zone Scuba is available in USA, I live in Southern Europe and getting shipped one from USA would be troublesome particularly if it doesn’t fit. So I’m now trying to ask questions as to determine the features that work. What I noticed from the way you’re wearing your hood is that at the temples it slightly stands out and isn’t flush with your skin. Do you perhaps deliberately wear a slightly larger hood? I’ve been going by the head circumference specified by the manufacturer. As these hoods are primarily made for cold water I need to order them from Northern Europe like Sweden, UK, etc… I have the Poseidon black lined 5mm hood. It’s a great hood, it does the job but only just and I want to have a greater margin of seal overlap. Hence I’m wondering if you use an oversized hood.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

@@DeepThought893 Other than custom made hoods I’ve purchased when purchasing a new custom Drysuits, I have never once used a size chart for a hood. If you have a local shop near you, go by there and ask to try several on. Make sure you take your Full Face Mask with you. This way you can find one that works best for you. If this is not an option, then you can still use your current hood as you would with a traditional mask. Once you have your Full Face Mask on, pull the hood out from underneath it to get a seal with the skirt to your skin, then allow the hood to sit on top of the the mask skirt. Hope this helps.

[@DeepThought893]

@@LakeHickoryScuba Hi I think I solved the problem. I had to have a hood otherwise I would need to shave off my beard and that ran the hazard of divorce. From your past videos you know what I mean ;-). In any case I have tried two hoods. One from Waterproof h2 5/10 mm sandwich, it must be the sandwich flavour hood as that is the only one with the bare neoprene around the face. And also Northern Diver supervent skin-skin. Both of these hoods are made for a FFM. It is important to get the hood that fits even if it feels a little tight on land. Both hoods work fine but I personally prefer the Waterproof hood because it is just a much nicer hood. It is much more stretchy and comfortable and the face seal is made of 3 mm neoprene while the rest is made from 10-5mm. It just feels much more comfortable. The kicker is that it is more than double the price of the Northern Diver which is made of a much tougher neoprene and the face seal is around 6 mm. The extra 3 mm make a big difference to the way the mask sits. Now please allow me to ask you one more question. It is about the equalisation nose pads. My instructor adjusted them so that either it takes more effort to blow through the nose or the pads touch my upper lip. What is the best location?

[@JoeLLacelle]

Hi Ryan I like the set up on your personal idm. Can ya send me the info on those lights as well as those swivel mouts. See if I can't find them up here in Canada. I'm also looking for your video your talking about in this one. I can't seem ta find it.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Joel, the lights that I use are the Lil Powerhouse from Comfort Zone Scuba. They come with a charger and swivel mount.

[@mikeb2581]

I really like your swivel mounts used for your lights and understand they come with the lights. I am wanting to use a similar setup for my Paralenz camera. Do you have any suggestions or sell any swivel mounts that I could use to mount the Paralenz the same way you mounted your lights on the side of the Extender?

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Mike Barker. I will actually be speaking with Paralenz next week at DEMA. I will ask them what they recommend.

[@seansteyer8851]

This is old, so I don't know if you'll see it. Where did you get those rotating light mounts?

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello @seansteyer8851. We sell those lights. Here is a link for you. lakehickoryscuba.com/products/czs_little_powerhouse_w_batt_clip_charger

[@seansteyer8851]

@@LakeHickoryScuba Thanks for getting back to me, what kind of little rotating mount is that? I can't find those anywhere.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

@@seansteyer8851 The mounts come with the lights, and we sell the mounts separately as well. Here is the link for the link. lakehickoryscuba.com/products/czs_lil_power_house_mask_clip

[@seansteyer8851]

@@LakeHickoryScuba Man, thanks for the fast response! I ordered a couple of the mounts, I want to see if they work with some of my existing lights, and if not then I'll order some from you. Thanks again! Safe diving!

[@SeattleRingHunter]

Are you able to comment on what communications system Ocean Reef GSM G vs OTS Buddy Phone is more widely used in the public and professional search and recovery industry?

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Not sure I can as a whole, but I most definitely can here in our area. It’s a 50/50 split. Most of the teams here in our area, that are volunteer, use the Ocean Reef GSM’s, with a few Buddy Phone’s mixed in. The bigger paid teams however, tend to use the Buddy Phone system from OTS. I speculate this is primarily because OTS promotes more towards the Professional side and Public Safety side more so than Ocean Reef. With paid teams, comes more money, thus the OTS system is usually chosen as a higher priced item. I have used and still use both on multiple teams, but have always favored Ocean Reef, simply for comfort for me on fit, and the fact I have primarily sold them more than OTS. The good news is, they are both compatible with each other, and both will communicate with each other. This works out great for calls when multiple teams get called out on mutual aid situations.

[@SeattleRingHunter]

Thank you for your detailed response and your last statement that both are compatible cross brand on the coms is very encouraging news! I now suspect as in radio communications a standard specification was developed earlier on from the military need then trickled in to public safety and industrial use and the manufactures build there transceivers to the specification. Super cool!

[@unclemilton815]

Mate, great informtion. Do you sell the torch and the mounting system?

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

We do. They retail for $69.00

[@finale5170]

Can you send a couple down to Australia? Cant find them anywhere

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

We sure can. Also check out our video on the Orca Torch D560, kzbin.info/www/bejne/jaSvoo2LmNxofbc, it is basically the same light, and readily available on Amazon. It too comes with the same mounting system.

[@djjoshua007]

just asking, why don't you just get the led kit for the ocean reef. I have it and its very nice

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Great question. Some of our divers do use the Visor Lights from Ocean Reef. For me personally, I like the versatility of adding specific lights for specific task. Plus, now I have a redundant back up light in the event one fails. These are a little easier on the pocket, especially in the event I have to change a battery.

[@SeattleRingHunter]

Regarding specifically the Ocean Reef Neptune G.divers IDM do you have a specific cleaning procedure to commission the mask prior to fist time use as we do with traditional dive mask. I suspect the manufacturing process for a full face mask uses some of the same release agents on the plastic and needs to cleaned away prior to first use to prevent a horrible fogging situation. So many methods to clean found on the UTube.... I would never use a lighter and am a bit concerned with toothpaste being a bit abrasive. Sure it depends a lot on the the of lens, tempered glass vs a type of polycarbonate plastic. Your thoughts, my OR G.divers mask arrives this week and I fully trust you have quite a bit of experience regarding this brand and model of FFM...

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

So one of the biggest benefits with a Full Face Mask (all manufactures, not just Ocean Reef), there is really never a concern with the mask fogging up. The reason is because you always have a constant flow of fresh dry air with every inhale, so the mask actually will stay fog free. The only exception is, if the mask is not properly sealed, then a small amount of moisture can creep in and cause a temperature change, thus causing the mask to fog. From the factory, your Full Face Mask should be good to go, with no need to clean it before hand. Now as far as cleaning procedures after a diver, I will be making a video on that very soon so stay tuned. In a nut shell, I remove the communication unit (GSM), and the Surface Air Valve, then use just a tiny bit of gear wash (any brand) or baby shampoo, mixed in water, to flush out the mask. Afterwards, I run fresh water through it to clean out the suds. Then I simply hang it up to dry.

[@SeattleRingHunter]

If you get some time can you do a simple video on your GoPro rigging on the top of your FFM. I have seen others that have moved the underwater headphone to the side off the GoPro to capture audio while under water. Not sure you even find that necessary for your Public Safety dive to record verbal notes during your dive missions or not. I suspect paid professionals may just choose to have a audio recording device on the surface to capture all coms and later edit them in to any captured video...

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

I will definitely make a video on that, and will try my best to get it done this week or next week. Thankfully the audio you hear in our videos is actually pretty clear without any post recording editing. We use the Intova brand cameras and GoPro brand as well, and both do a great job at picking up audio.

[@SeattleRingHunter]

LakeHickoryScuba I learned the Intova company based here is Seattle actually has stopped making their line of digital cameras. Major brands like GoPro likely beat then up in the market place where it made no since to continued the camera line.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

We heard the same thing. Thankfully Intova still supports the dealers, for now at least, but we have been toying with the idea of buying from another camera manufacture, just haven't made the jump yet.

[@5thWheelCafe-3851MO]

Was the GoPro mount to the extender made? If so could you link it. Have been looking for one a while now. Great videos. My 13 year old JR Advanced ow enjoys them.

[@apitz4umh]

Good info bro.. 👍

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thanks

[@georgeg8130]

Hi, is any trick to get it working right? Me and my buddy got that GSM communication unit , but all we can hear is the beep when somebody pressing the bottom. We could never understand any words we were saying. I also have one unit on the boat with the same result.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello George, we teach a class here at Lake Hickory Scuba demonstrating the proper set up and use for the GSM. A lot of divers fail to set up the microphone correctly.

[@georgeg8130]

@@LakeHickoryScuba We did set up microphone per Ocean Reef video, membrane towards the mask. Is there anything else we need to do with a microphone?

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Was the GSM’s purchased new. If so they should be covered under warranty. You should be able to run them by any Ocean Reef Dealer, and they should be able to replace or service them for you. It is very difficult to diagnose the issue over KZbin.

[@georgeg8130]

@@LakeHickoryScuba It's 3 brand new units and for sure 3 units can not be defective. It's either have this low quality of communication or we are not using it right. We are not using it in the pool, i should probably try to go there. We are trying to use it near wreck at 80 ft depth, may be metal wreck messing it up.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

You definitely need to be trained by an Ocean Reef Instructor on the proper use of the GSM then.

[@paraphenaliac4657]

Very interesting video great mask how much did your mask cost you?

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

My cost on the mask is lower in nature because I am a dealer for Ocean Reef, but the retail cost on the G-Divers featured in this video is $682. The additional accessories like the communication unit (GSM) and the Extender Frame adds to that cost.

[@paraphenaliac4657]

LakeHickoryScuba thank you very much Do you have a video on how you attached your camera and coms system? I have my own camera to attach but I really want to know what kind of coms system that is and how much it will cost me.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

My personal mask, featured in the video has several accessories. The GSM (comm unit) retails at $563, the lights are $69 per light, the Extender Frame is $100, Quick Detach hose system, $100, and the Surface Air Valve is $50. The camera I use is 1 of 3 Intova models, depending on the day, averaging $250-$350 in retail. Grand Total, I have a little over $1983 in retail cost on my setup. I also use a surface unit, which retails around $1590, and a smaller surface comm that retails $730.

[@paraphenaliac4657]

LakeHickoryScuba do you use this for surface supplied diving? I want to scuba dive with this mask should I still buy the mask, lights, extender, and coms system or just use regular gear

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

We rarely use surface supplied air. In regards to what you should dive, I encourage all divers to become proficient with normal gear first before trying distinctive equipment such as a Full Face Mask. But at the same time, you should use what you feel the most comfortable with.

[@SeattleRingHunter]

Again maybe you not even using GoPro under water. Maybe its a Sea Life product? I have been fooling around with the Paralenz action dive camera for my underwater capture but its has its limitations and trade offs. May reconsider my underwater camera selection soon...