Tinaciouslee

Remember when I said I shopped for simple snorkel gears to prepare for our Davao trip? Total lie, I actually picked up a couple of full-face snorkel masks at Decathlon PH. And these masks, there’s nothing simple about them at all. They’re definitely not your ordinary swimming goggles.

I am petrified of deep waters. My husband is a confident swimmer while I’m an anxious floater. This is ironic considering my love for the beach.

During our last beach trip, I learned how to surface snorkel.  I mean, sort of. Wasn’t really good at it but it’s a start. I was hoping that the Tribord Easy Breath Full-Face snorkeling mask would help build my confidence so I’d become more comfortable in deeper water. And you know what? It did!

What is it: Tribord EasyBreath Full-Face Snorkeling Mask

Meet the Tribord Easy Breath Full-Face snorkeling mask! This mask allows users to breathe underwater while surface snorkeling. How awesome is this?

I found out about this product while casually surfing the net. This happened about four days before our Davao trip. If there’s one thing you need to know about me, I can be pretty persistent and obsessive when I want something. I pored over reviews, compared rates, and learned how to use the mask in like an hour. I convinced myself that the masks will be critical to the success of the trip. I needed to get my hands on these.

I could’ve ordered the masks at Lazada but from my experience, delivery could take two weeks. I need this shit before the trip and I’ve only three days to spare. Also, I wanted the original snorkel mask, no copycat nonsense, the one by Tribord. Luckily, Decathlon just arrived in the PH and the brand has an online store.

Even better, the delivery service (Ninja Van) is extremely fast (still based on experience) and offers cash on delivery. So I was able to order the masks online easily enough. The only downside is that you have to create an account via the Decathlon website to finalize the order. You can’t seal the deal as a guest, which I thought was ridiculous but did it anyway. I received the package the day before the trip, how awesome was that?

Packaging

So the parcel arrived in a sizable brown box. I got a pink one for moi and a blue one for the hubs. Each mask is packed neatly in its own mesh bag but I noticed that the products were not bubble-wrapped. I thought was a little careless. The box is quite big so there’s a lot of free space. There was enough room for the masks to move around, which means they could’ve sustained scratches during shipping. I wish Decathlon would pack their products well to protect them from damages while in transit.

Performance

To know your size, get a measuring tape. Measure the space between the spot where the nose bridge starts and the chin. My size is S/M while the hubs is M/L.

It works, by the way! The mask provided a clear view of the surroundings. It didn’t distort my perspective at all! Breathing while snorkeling was easy although it can get a little stuffy at some point. We noticed, though, that using the mask for some time left us huffing and puffing after snorkeling. Like we just ran a marathon or something, hahaha! The key is to relax and breathe normally while surface snorkeling so the lungs won’t work too hard.

As long as the antenna thing isn’t submerged in water, you can breathe underwater. If the antenna thing is submerged in water, the little ball inside it seals the opening so air supply will be cut off. That’s a good feature because I can only imagine the panic that will set in if the mask fills with water! The mask is not meant to be used in deeper waters for snorkeling. It is only meant for surface snorkeling.

The mask gave me the confidence to surface snorkel in deeper waters too, about 10 to 15 feet in depth. Usually, I refuse to venture to water deeper than 5 feet. Although I was able to snorkel in deeper waters, my husband had to hold my hand while doing it. Otherwise, I freak the fuck out man. This, even when I’m wearing a freaking life vest.

I dunno man, the sensation of my feet floating into nothingness scares me to the core. If I can’t feel the ground while swimming, I freak out, that’s just how it is. Bless my husband for patiently holding my hand and steering this deadweight to the best spots while I happily look at fishies. This dude.

The mouthpiece gets a little hazy when in use but the mask doesn’t fog up at all. I thought that was awesome because my old snorkeling gears kept fogging up, it was annoying!

Quality

I was expecting a little flimsiness because the masks were pretty affordable at PhP 1,200 a pop. I was pleasantly surprised, the masks looked and felt durable. Each one has a nice heft to it. They’re not a pain to use, but there’s substantial weight to them that gives the impression of durability.

My husband’s mask was a perfect fit. The silicone flap creates a tight seal that prevents water from seeping inside the mask. Mine’s a great fit although the seal on the upper part of the mask isn’t as tight so water seeps in a little. That’s okay because the water drains to the bottom of the mask, seen below:

My only gripe is the elastic band that secures the mask on the head when worn. The sewn areas are prone to tearing. You have to be careful when wearing or removing the mask. I was careful with mine but the elastic band of my hub’s mask had signs of tearing.

The antenna tube-thing can be bought separately BTW. In case you lose it, you can order another antenna for PhP300+++ I think.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the Tribord Easy Breath Full-Face snorkeling mask lives up to its promise. It is a well-designed product and the performance blew me away. I’m so impressed with this product that I’m planning to buy another one for my baby brother for our upcoming Caramoan adventure next summer! I cannot recommend this enough, especially for peeps like me who are not confident swimmers!