Cressi Minima mask on sale / and review

    I saw Pantoja was using the Cressi Minima mask after his old good luck beater mask finally had it. I always thought something has to be wrong with these tiny masks otherwise everyone would be using them because of the low volume. It does appear to be more fragile than a normal mask because of the little plastic material in the middle. I'll post a report on it once I use it.



    Actually the weak part of it is the strap , mine broke kind of easy . now I put a regular one to it and it's just fine. sure , the new strap had to be adapted but it's something you do with a pair of scissors.

    weel I always thought the smaller the better for freedive, that's why i got me one the first time , and it works perfect. still all masks don't fit everyone. I've had about 8 masks in the last 3 years an always ended up using my old lucky one. but aside from it I'll stay with this one.

    I tried this mask about 10-15 times long time ago. when i was doing lots of freediving. And for me was a very comfortable mask:). I never tried it in spearfishing. It does the job for compensate easier for sure. But it narrows your vision a lot . Some dont care about it. But i know some like to be able to have a wider view:D. I guess personal preferences. But i can see why Pantoja likes it. Comfortable/light/really low volume. And the most important thing. he still land the fish:D. IMO Pantoja, it is an awesome choice if like you say it fits you good.Not everyone will fill comfortable with it.

    I was concerned with the wide angle viewing myself. That's what I was doing Sergio when I was passing my hand to the side of my head. Being such a small mask with the lenses close to the eyes and hardly any frame I was surprised that the wide angle view wasn't any better than with a normal mask. But at least it's not worse or not notably worse. I used to worry a lot about wide angle view but now I realize it was mostly due to my concern with sharks because of inexperience.


    Lunker and monster, I'll make a call now to see if I can up my order.

    You are completely right Pargo. I have caught my share of sharks myself. And even if i feel comfortable in the water. Is always good to be ready if the man in the gray suit shows. I remember laying in the botton once. and waititng for a damn dog snapper to show his face. then i look to the side to a damn shadow i notice. and there it was about 5 feet from me cruising very slow. Reef Shark. For that only reason is what i like a little bigger mask. But trust me is like you say there is not to much difference in wide angle. But that little xtra is all good for me. But that does not take away from that mask. Is still one good mask. I think there is one just a little bigger than that one. just barely. I will see if i can find it and post it. It's is mark for freediving but damn that is what we do while we nail the fish:D

    My dear Brother Andrea Tomba, got a Tiger shark on his toes for a while until he felt the chills and turned back fast..those are some stealth mofos.. you gotta turn your head every once and while...

    I'm a Speardiver, not a freediver

    That reminds me of the story from Kill shot and Roberot Reyes, who is in this forum too. About the big tiger that gave them a glance at death by teeth:0 http://www.spearboard.com/showthread.php?t=21397&highlight=roberto+reyes That is why beign ready is always good. I guess they never tought of getting this involved with a striped shark.

    I got the masks in my hand and I did some empirical testing.


    1. Volume: Same as my omer Abyss mask which at first glance would appear to have much more volume. The test was done by filling the omer mask with as much water as it could hold observing which areas the water occupied. Then pouring the water into the Minima mask. The Minima mask contained all the water from the Abyss mask without spillage. The water occupied the same general areas, nose pocket and lense pockets. Conclusion; the easier compensation due to less internal volume is BS. At least it's not more.


    2. Field of view: This was tricky to test but I figured out a way by positioning my face with the mask at a consistent point and position (on the door frame) and counting visible bathroom tiles which I additionally marked with tape. Peripheral view is what I was concerned with. Sideways view was identical to the Abyss mask. Downward view (towards the feet) was significantly less. Conclusion; The smaller frame and consequently smaller lenses diminish downward field of view. At least it's the same sideways, downwards may not make a big difference in the real world.


    3. Fit, comfort and weight: The fit was good on my face, same or slightly better than the abyss. I put the mask on and shook my head from side to side. The Abyss mask produced considerably more torque or tendency to shift out of position than the Minima which really stayed put. I confirmed this by weighing the masks. The Abyss weighed 200g and the Minima weighed 100g. Conclusion: The lower profile is advantageous in terms of the tendency of the mask to shift on the face.


    Note. Pantoja's assertion about the strap was correct. It has little stretch and as such probably likely to break. Replacing is a little tricky as this mask uses a strap that is not conventional, it is noticable thinner. This means the the conventional strap would have to be cut down. I don't anticipate this to be difficult to do. Also the original strap is not so bad that it can't be used.


    Overall conclusion: The only significant disadvantage is the diminished downward view. The lightness of the mask however is a stronger factor which merits giving the mask a further try in the water.

    All masks do not fit everyone, but this mask is known to have the best fitting. It pushes against your face, and has your eyes right against the lens, so while you think you're gona have low visiblility, it's actually pretty good.
    I used to have an eagle eye that fit me like a glove, but I lost it in a tandem kayak acciedent with some ass, and the mask has been taken off the market.


    I think I'm gonna buy another of these

    I was diving today and used a rash guard top for the first time since the winter. I found it necessary to tighten up the belt by one hole while I was in the in the water. I couldn't see the buckle no matter how much I bent and had to do it by feel. I don't recall adjusting the belt with larger masks but I also don't recall it ever being a problem like today. I must conclude that the smaller field of view is a factor to be considered, in this case it was indeed an inconvenience. So, I stand corrected and may go back to a larger field of view mask. Note that the problem wasn't with the width of field but down.

    Switching in itself isn't a big deal, I can just use my other mask. I'll keep going with the Cressi mask for while longer to see if I notice any other problem other than seeing the belt. I really enjoy the lightness of it.

    I gave up the Cressi Minima and went back to my omer abyss mask. I didn't like the reduced downwards field of view. One thing I really liked about the Minima that I hope to find in another mask is how light it was and how turning my head from side to side I felt no weight on my face. The next mask I'll be trying is the ultra low volume Aqua Lung Technisub Micromask.

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