Prescription Masks: Explained

Did you know that over half of all Americans need some sort of vision correction? This is why we offer prescription masks to help you see crystal clear underwater. This way, no one misses out on any snorkeling or diving adventures.

We know all of our different mask options and prescriptions can be confusing. First, let's go over what your prescription means. Looking at your prescription, you'll likely see two rows labelled right and left or OD and OS. OD represents your right eye, and OS represents your left eye. For assistance calculating which of our stock lenses would most closely match your correction, you can use our Optical Lens Calculator. This calculator determines your spherical equivalent. This equivalent takes into account your distance correction (often labeled sphere or SPH), as well as any astigmatism value (labeled cylinder or CYL) you may have, to determine which lenses would work best for you.

Once you’ve got your recommended values, it’s time to choose a mask. Several different options are available, and all of them are listed below.

Maui - Prescription Diving/Snorkeling Mask

The Maui mask is a modern design that works well for both diving and snorkeling. With its low volume, lightweight frame and a variety of colors, this mask is the most popular prescription mask we offer. The Maui mask offers stock lenses in half dioptres between -10 to +4.5.

Spirit 2 - Prescription Diving/Snorkeling Mask

The Spirit 2 is a classic design that works well for both diving and snorkeling. The frame is not as low volume as the Maui mask, making it sit further away and add some bulkiness to the face. The Spirit 2 mask offers stock lenses in half dioptres between -10 to +4.5.

Super Vue 2 - Prescription Diving/Snorkeling Mask

The Super Vue 2 is designed for customers who may have had trouble fitting into traditional masks due to larger faces, noses, or prominent brow bones. This mask can be used for both diving and snorkeling, and has a lens range from -1.0 to -5.5.

Maui Junior - Kid’s Prescription Diving/Snorkeling Mask

For kid’s and petite adults, we offer the Maui Jr. Diving/Snorkeling Mask. This mask is a good option for children aged 5-10 or if you are a smaller adult who traditionally wears kid’s glasses frames or hats, or have had trouble with adult masks being too large. This mask offers stock lenses in half dioptres between -10 to +4.5.

Maui Executive Bifocal Diving/Snorkeling Mask

The Maui Executive Bifocal Diving/Snorkeling Mask offers no vision correction in the top two thirds of the lens, and the bottom one third has your bifocal correction. This mask is designed for reading gauges at your hip, and can be used for other bifocal correction, such as camera operation. Bifocal values are available in half dioptres from +1.0 to +4.0.

Custom Maui Prescription Diving/Snorkeling Mask

The Custom Maui Prescription Snorkeling/Diving Mask is the option for those who’s lenses wouldn’t work well with our stock distance prescription lenses, or if you require bifocal and distance correction in the same mask. This mask is the same as the Maui listed first in this article, but the lenses are created exactly to match your prescription. This mask is non-returnable because it is made exactly to match a specific prescription and also takes more time to create. If this mask is needed, our calculator will recommend "custom".

We hope this has been a helpful guide to determining how to read your prescription, and which mask would work best for you. Have questions or comments? Contact us!