A Homemade Prescription Diving Mask

By Gary Szele
Published on July 1, 1982
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PHOTO: GARY SZELE
I took my "el-cheapo" diving mask to Bermuda and saw that the island's underwater wonders were everything my friends had promised.

This homemade prescription diving mask glue-it-yourself project is perfect for the short-sighted and short-funded snorkler.

A Homemade Prescription Diving Mask

I’d never even dreamed that I might someday have a chance to visit Bermuda . . . until some friends of mine came up with a low-cost vacation package to that balmy paradise. As my buddies expounded on the sun- and surf-kissed beaches, the shimmering blue ocean, and the magnificent coral reefs and fascinating underwater world that lie open to snorkelers, I found the lure of the adventure irresistible.

However, there was one hitch: I need either eyeglasses or contact lenses to enjoy any scenery . . . whether it’s above or below water. I wondered, then, what would happen if I went snorkeling, wearing my contact lenses, and accidentally jarred my diving mask or was broad-sided by a wave. Likely, I’d wind up saying goodbye to a couple hundred bucks’ worth of plastic. On the other hand, though, if I wore my glasses, the earpieces would protrude from the sides of my mask, preventing a tight seal . . . and who wants to snorkel with a face full of water?

I briefly considered having some lenses custom-ground to my prescription and fitted into a face mask . . . until I found out what that luxury would cost. At that point I was almost resigned to spending my Bermuda vacation topside . . . but then I recalled that a draftsman in my office, Bob Heims, is an eyeglass wearer with years of underwater exploring experience. So I asked my coworker how he’d managed to view the deep with his less-than-perfect sight.

Bob simply told me to bring in my diving mask, an old pair of glasses, a small brass screw (with a nut and a matching flexible washer), some epoxy glue, and a piece of sandpaper. I gathered up the requested materials at home . . . including a pair of plastic-framed spectacles that I no longer wore, but whose prescription still permitted me to see relatively well.

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