Cressi sub Horizon Mask Review

Cressi sub Horizon Mask

It used to be there were two approaches to the “wide view” mask. First, there are those masks that add side windows. This is fairly effective in spite of the fact there is some minor distortion out of the side windows. Second, there are the “low volume” masks that minimize the amount of air volume in the mask and keep the glass lenses as close to the eyes as possible. This affords the widest view possible. Many mask designs have tried hybrids or combinations of these layouts to varying degrees of success.

Cressi-sub introduced a whole new approach to the wide view mask a couple years ago with the Big Eyes mask. The mask was a tremendous success with their masks flying off the shelves. Cressi-sub’s new approach was to not just widen the view horizontally with an ultra-low volume mask but to widen the view vertically as well. With Big Eyes, the lenses dropped much further down the face and angled or “raked” downward, making visibility to the lower body much better. Much vision is angled downward during a dive and the downward angle allowed the lenses to be drawn even closer to the eyes for a minimal volume mask.

Cressi-sub recently introduced a new mask that has gone even further, improving on the very popular Big Eyes mask. The new Horizon mask integrates the advantages of side windows into a low-volume volume mask with the unique wide horizontal view identical to the lenses on the Big Eyes mask. What results with the Horizon is a mask that takes advantages from all three design features to make a mask that has some of the widest view on the market today.

The side view windows are molded as part of the frame, very clear and scratch resistant. While there still is distortion, it gives the edge of increased field of view in areas where there used to be none. The slightly parabolic effect of the side view lenses actually seems to counteract some of the distortion and further adds to vision range both up and down in the furthest corners of the mask. Another benefit of side lenses is that not only does the wearer see out, it lets light in. This makes for a more pleasing appearance underwater, important for the underwater model in photography.

Because of the more specialized design of this mask, it is slightly less of a universal fit for all divers. No one mask will fit all divers but this mask, with its drop-down design, will probably fit fewer. The only way to know is to try one on.

The soft, comfortable silicone skirt sealed well on my face but because of the drop-down design, if I was not careful the edge would roll up under my skin when I put it on. Once firmly seated, it sealed well and did not leak.

The degree of vision in the water was phenomenal. I, of course, enjoyed the horizontal wide view, but the fact that I could see the dive gear attached to my chest was quite useful. So much of our dive gear is attached to the chest and waist area. We access it mostly by feel, which, as you can imagine, is not the best in a stressful situation. I suppose it could be said that this mask will improve your safety as a diver. The increase in effective vision space also helped my underwater photography, not so much in that I could just see more but it made it easier for me to see my camera controls, holding the camera at my chest while keeping my subject in view in front of me. I can’t help but think that underwater hunters would also not benefit from this increase in vision.

The Horizon mask comes in a dozen color variations including a black silicone skirt version. For more information, visit a Cressi-sub dealer near you. For your nearest dealer, call 800-338-9143. You can also visit Cressi-sub’s website at http://www.cressisubusa.com.

Dale Sheckler is Editor and Publisher of California Diving News, Producer of the annual SCUBA Show expo (each June in Long Beach, CA), and co-author of the book newly released A Diver's Guide to Southern California's Best Beach Dives, 3rd Edition.