Tribord Easybreath Full Face Snorkeling Mask

Snorkeling Masks finally catch-up with the times.When I mention Jacques Cousteau to my children they look at me with abject ignorance as if I am referencing some ancient subordinate of Napoleon. However, they would be shocked and interested to learn that they equip themselves today with a snorkeling mask very similar to the one that Cousteau made famous during his television exploits over forty years ago – that is until now.Very few products from my youth remain untouched by innovation. Think records, telephones, television, cars, games – think Kodak, Bell, Polaroid, ITT. However the snorkel and mask have been the man made equivalent to the crocodile – unchanged and frozen in antiquity.Meet The Tribord EasybreathI’m a swimmer that prefers ocean swimming over pools for many positive reasons like the aesthetic beauty, the indescribable experience of swimming through schools of fish, and the tangible healthy sensation it leaves you with from drawing in the cleanest air available. However, of course there are negatives including waves splashing in your mouth when you come up for air, seasonal and unpleasant sea life like Man of Wars, and of course the constant although exaggerated risk of sharks.A snorkel and mask have been the solution for these last four years to keep the waves from my mouth. Also, as an asthmatic I struggled to get my breathing right due varying lung capacity issues that are alleviated with a snorkel.When the straps on my most recent mask broke I did my research online and saw this weird creation called the Tribord Easybreath. After doing some reading I was sufficiently intrigued to visit local shops to see who carried it, get their opinion and hopefully validation of the product as a viable alternative. The local dive shops in Lauderdale by the Sea are attended by graying surfers who greeting my question with confusion and then skepticism. One shop decided that my dripping bathing suit, bare chest, flip flops and tousled hair was not evidence of a run and swim on the beach but that I represented the product and was seeking to convince them to carry the Easybreath.With doubts in my mind I made it home, went back online and finding no local dealers bought it from Amazon and the weird StarLord (Guardians of the Galaxy) device showed up a quickly. Thank you Amazon Prime and instant gratification.Initial Analysis – Day OneIn reading the manual my first thoughts were that the manual contradicts the reviews about swimming. The manual for some reason does not recommend using the Easybreath for swimming as exercise which is my specific purpose.Further the care conditions are lengthy and indicative of a sensitive product loaded with escape clauses to avoid warranty returns.With skepticism building and thoughts about return policies I moved into the water and tried it on.Live Trial – Day OneIt fit perfectly and comfortably grasped the contours of my face. I slid into the slight waves with a freestyle stroke and immediately realized I had a real problem. I was going to inform my wife that I had fallen in love with another. The Tribord Easybreath and I glided through the water together as one and the experience was as if I had never swam before.I have swam in the Atlantic off the coast of Fort Lauderdale for four years but I was stunned by this new experience like someone moving from those ancient 4 inch black & white kitchen TVs to the new massive flat screens.The narrow confines of a traditional snorkel give you a very myopic binocular view of the world around you. The Easybreath opens up your view to a panorama from a snapshot. In the ocean this swimmer is almost always aware of the chance of a passing shark and this all-encompassing view preserves your entire peripheral experience even if you glance out of the water partially to ensure you don’t run into a wader or note your progress following the coast.I saw a barracuda to my right and fish all around me that previously I likely would have missed.Even though the product descriptions informs you not to go under water the broad view showed compelling shells that gave me no choice but to dive down a few feet and grab them. The snorkel just halted inflow and then when I resurfaced just continued to function as if I had not left off.I could not be more thrilled with this product. I was now amazed by the fact the local scuba shops treat this like a passing fad. This product is not evolutionary but revolutionary as it isn’t a better snorkel and mask but an entirely new experience in snorkeling and swimming. My experience this first day was that I swam my most enjoyable swim for approximately 1/3rd mile and I had absolutely no issues.I will further add a confession that I am really bad with straps. I don’t care if it is a bike helmet, snorkel or just regular swim goggles – I cannot get the straps adjusted right. This product eliminates the entire frustrating dilemma of wasting many minutes with the traditional straps and trying to get the mask to fit your head. I had to make a tiny adjustment in the back and I was off in seconds.When I did my initial research I saw a comment by a skeptic pointing out a picture with water inside of the mask. Yes – water on occasion does come in and immediately goes right back out again from the bottom as if it was never there. Marvel at the oddity of a salty experience without having to ingest the salt.Day TwoThe day two trial was what I really needed to give the mask a test. Unlike day 1 where the Atlantic was a glorious lake day two provided 2 to 3 feet waves and sufficient turbulence so I could understand how the product would work in less than ideal conditions. Ocean experiences with wave action are of course much more common and the prevailing experience that consumers would face while snorkeling.As I started I was again surprised and pleased at how there is no play and readjustment of the straps on the back of the head. This was such a repetitive occurrence with my other masks that I have to reiterate the significant difference that makes the overall experience superior. In an environment with constant wave action having straps that don’t falter for a moment translates to no choking on salt water, losing vision and no having to stop and readjust in order to continue.This second time I was curious to see if the lens would fog up. With traditional masks first time usage never has fogging and then some for the second time and third time they certainly will. I was pleased to see that again I had no fog on the lens – beautiful clear vision.Before I decide to swim I check the conditions as I have historically avoided swimming when wave action is more than a foot due to the hassle of mask instability. That narrows the window to swim significantly and therefore I was hoping the Easybreath would change things. Sure enough, the Easybreath had no issues: no water pouring in from the top, no mask thrown off from the impact of a strong wave, no fogginess. Another pleasant experience with a little bit of being tossed about by the waves. I went a ½ mile as I did not want to get out of the water. It was phenomenal.With the ocean swim season in Florida gradually winding down as calm seas become less common and the ocean more tumultuous I am realizing the stability of the Easybreath extends my ocean season and delays the onset of pool season. For me, a person with pulmonary (lung) issues that benefits greatly from the salt air, this is a very important benefit.Day Three is here and a calm day – unusual for November and although Easybreath can handle the washing machine action of the ocean I still prefer the calm swim experience. Today’s experience validated the evidence that this is a dependable product with consistent performance that I can rely on. If I could only say the same for the ocean that offers the exact opposite every darn day!Wow Factor – Remember the first time you saw an iPhone? Fax Machine? Minecraft? People are having a similar reaction when they see me using the Easybreath. They stop, point it out and if I am not swimming stop and ask me about it. It is definitely getting attention and has that wow factor that happens with revolutionary products.In conclusion, the Tribord Easybreath is a groundbreaking solution that mitigates the challenges of the open water experience by providing a reliable and easy to use product. Forget the pool – the open water beckons you and the Tribord Easybreath will make it an enjoyable and natural experience.Now – Tribord – how do we get rid of Man of Wars and Sharks? Is there an app for that?? :)Great job Tribord!!August www.tarbubbles.com

..why a perfect score, even if I am about to list cons below? Because, indeed it eliminates most of the hassles and panic of initial snorkeling. It blows those hassles out of the water, double-pun intended. Since the ocean is not our friend, and is an adventure to conquer, minimum hassles, especially with children, are life-saving. So if one is replacing their old snorkels, that required the purging process, to the new ones that have the valve, one might want to further consider the investment in this. I really find full-face mask to be a game-changer.What is it worth to start snorkeling IMMEDIATELY, without having to train a youngster to endure the discomfort of mask/snorkel? For me, the answer is worth-a-lot, and that's what i got with this. (however not tested in the ocean, and that's really what counts, if going on adventures.)Results of our pool-test:===================- The XS fit the face of our 7.5 yo just fine. Seal is thick and moldable around a face.- Marks on the face is a sign that the seal works. All masks must leave a mark. Child found it very comfortable and felt fine after the 20-minute-test, despite marks.- No leakage around the seal. The only spot that seemed to be at fit-risk is below the chin. He did lift the mask off his chin to remove water but I really don't know how it got there and it was minimal. He thinks because the snorkel got submerged ??? We only tested this item ONCE, so I'm happy to write further results after our impending ocean-test.- I would say, XS might still fit him even if he was just a little younger, (since heads don't grow as rapidly as a baby), and I definitely expect the size to fit him in the future- I got one too, since I would be my child's buddy, remaining at the surface, and not submerging at all. Got a different brand, Ladies size Med. Perfect seal. Great view, but labored breathing.- We didn't apply any de-fogger. No fogging up in eye chamber!It seems to have 2 chambers, so that the eyes area stays clear. The mouth area still deals with moisture in breath, but that didn't impeded our view at all.- No more biting down on a weird mouth piece and therefore our mouths weren't aching after our 20 minute test.- Aside from snorkeling, my 7 yo's swimming 'form' actually got better during this test, since he didn't have to worry about his breathing. Swimming strokes and kicking actually improved.- We're still going to learn how to use the conventional mask/snorkel, due to it's advantages, but that can now wait 'till later in lifeQuestionable / Cons (really dealing with the technology, not this brand, per se):==================================================- Definitely strained breathing at first. Which almost led me to discount this product. One can't feel like there's no air while battling the current, swells, and constant swimming/kicking for 30 minutes. HOEWEVER, I think I started getting used a better breathing technique and not swimming as fast. That's why this is best for KIDS and BEGINNERS and LIGHT swimming for exercise- Questionable weather the exchange between O2 and CO2 happens quick enough, in order to breath effectively or not healthful. That's one thing that is not in question with the conventional snorkels (-keep in mind, that's why snorkels aren't 10 feet long, the exchange needs to happen efficiently)- I'm in terrible shape, so I don't breath effectively. Therefore, that's something to consider, and my level of fitness might have to take it slower than a better breather- I really think that during some heavy breathing, at some point, one will have to stretch open the mask, to get a little relief of fresh air, but then continue onward and enjoy the adventure.- The view down below is great. However, while face is still submerged, it was tough seeing peripheral vision on top, in order to watch my child/buddy on the surface. Seems blocked by the mask frame. I would have to turn my body full in that direction to see, but since the mask is so comfortable, it's easy to do that. I just don't know yet if the waves over the tube will be a hindrance.- Cannot communicate/speak. And did I mention you cannot communicate/speak?! A child must stretch the bottom off his chin to speak. Which was fine if there is an issue to address, because the mask was still snug when he finished speaking. Too much of that is not preferable if snorkeling off a boat in the middle of the ocean with current and not touching the bottom. So just like diving, we started learning our communication signals, which he LOVED !! He will have to just enjoy the scenery and talk about it when it's over.- So I think remaining with the old conventional snorkel / mask would still addresses these things better: a) Necessary ease of airflow for heavy breathing c) O2/CO2 exchange c) Ease of surface communication when remove/reinserting mouth piece d) Better surface periphery view while face is still in water- And as with all mail-order purchases that i highly-rate, I wouldn't be as supportive of the product if the cost began to go up, instead of downThanks for reading. Hope it helps.