7 Best Full-Face Snorkel Masks in 2024

Snorkeling is nothing less than an underwater adventure. But breathing through the snorkel mouthpiece can be uncomfortable at best and difficult at worst. It’s counter-intuitive to breathe through your mouth but not through your nose. Luckily, there’s an alternative: the best full-face snorkel masks.

Whether you’re an avid snorkeler looking to upgrade, or interested in a way to make snorkeling more accessible to you, we’ve compiled a list of the top options around.

Our Top Picks: Best Full-Face Snorkel Masks

Here are our favorite full-face snorkel masks:

• Best Overall: HEAD Sea Vu Snorkeling Mask. All the features you want in a full-face snorkel mask, with the added benefit of certified CO2 build-up prevention!
• Best Eco-Friendly: ZIPOUTE Snorkel Mask. This mask’s medical-grade materials are responsibly sourced and non-toxic, making this the most eco-friendly full-face mask around.
• Best Budget: Greatever G2 Snorkel Mask. With a dual-chamber design that prevents fogging, rounded lens that doesn’t distort your vision, and over 25 different colors to choose from, this mask is an absolute steal.
• Best for Kids: Greatever for Kids Snorkel Mask. This durable, adjustable mask is the perfect size for kids under 12. It features a GoPro mount so they can record their adventures!
• Best for Beards: Greatever G1 Snorkel Mask. While no mask will guarantee a seal with facial hair, the G1 boasts five different bearded reviewers praising its compatibility.
• Best for GoPros: Wildhorn Seaview Snorkel Mask. Unlike other masks that only include the hardware for attaching a GoPro, the Wildhorn features an integrated mount that’s more secure and easier to use.
• Best Prescription: Ocean Reef Aria Snorkel Mask. For those with glasses who don’t want to wear contacts in the water, look no further than the Aria, which is compatible with Ocean Reef’s Optical Lens Support system that integrates your prescription into your mask!

When it comes to the overall best full-face snorkel mask for adults, the HEAD Sea Vu wins hands-down. This sleek snorkeling mask uses a dry-top valve to prevent flooding should it accidentally go underwater or get hit by a wave. The skirt is transparent gray silicone, which is comfortable to wear, better for your peripheral vision, and impervious to chlorine, saltwater, and age-associated cracking. Shatter-proof polycarbonate makes the lens durable and crystal-clear for the best possible visibility. Anti-fogging technology means heavy breathing won’t fog up the lens and obstruct your vision.

As if that wasn’t enough, HEAD is the only snorkel mask manufacturer to develop a CO2 build-up test. The Sea Vu is one of the only masks on the market to pass the test for regular and heavy breathing.

While most snorkeling masks, full-face or not, boast similar materials and construction, ZIPOUTE stands above the rest. They use medical-grade polyurethane, polycarbonate, and silicone. All of which is responsibly sourced and non-toxic. These top-of-the-line materials come together to bring you 180 degrees of crystal-clear, fog-free views, and an anti-leak system to prevent flooding. There’s even a drain valve on the side should you disturb the seal and allow water into the mask.

A quality full-face snorkel mask doesn’t have to break the bank. This wallet-friendly option comes from the well-respected aquatic gear manufacturer, Greatever. It has all the features you need in a snorkel mask. The dual-chamber design means no fog clouding your vision. The rounded lens made with high-definition PU resin means no distortion. Greatever’s innovative gravity-assisted dry top system means water won’t flood down the breathing valve should it accidentally go underwater. Plus, there are over 25 different colors to choose from!

Greatever makes our list again with their incredibly budget-friendly children’s mask. Kids are constantly growing, so finding an inexpensive mask option that doesn’t sacrifice quality is necessary. Though there is only one size available (extra small), the straps are adjustable. The flexible silicone skirt ensures a secure seal to prevent any leakage. The mask comes with all the other great features of a Greatever, including anti-fog technology, a unique dry top system to prevent flooding, and an action camera mount so your kids can record their exploration!

Choose from a pastel pink or pastel blue color to suit your kiddo’s preference.

People with facial hair know first-hand that most full-face snorkel masks refuse to seal around their beards and mustaches. No mask on the market advertises compatibility with facial hair. However, there is one with multiple reviews from bearded patrons who found minimal leakage and the best experience: the Greatever G1. Yet another Greatever mask on our list, which just goes to show how great they are! According to one reviewer, the mask held a secure seal despite a few days of stubble growth. Another reports that, even with his “full” beard, there was only minimal leakage.

Wildhorn boasts that the Seaview is the original name when it comes to 180-degree viewing. In addition to the features you’ve come to expect, like silicone skirting and anti-fogging technology, the Seaview incorporates a one-way chin valve. The valve allows any leakage to quickly drain away without you having to surface and remove the mask. Wildhorn also outfitted this mask with the innovative Flowtech advanced breathing system. It uses dual chambers and four separate intake valves to ensure proper air circulation and minimal CO2 build-up.

But the reason the Seaview made our list is thanks to it’s integrated GoPro mount. While other masks offer attachable mounting hardware that allows you to secure your GoPro, the Seaview’s GoPro hardware integrates into the mask itself. This design makes attaching it much easier and offering a more secure hold.

Glasses can be a pain to wear on the best of days, but they can be completely prohibitive when it comes to snorkeling. Contacts are always an option, but not everyone is comfortable wearing lenses on their eyes. The solution? The Ocean Reef Aria. On the surface, this mask looks like most of the ones on our list. It features 180-degree crystal-clear views, silicone skirting for a secure seal, anti-fogging polycarbonate lens, and a dry top snorkel valve to prevent flooding.

But the Aria has a secret. It’s compatible with Ocean Reef’s Optical Lens Support System (sold separately). This system is, essentially, a special glasses frame that you insert your own prescription lenses into. You can wear the frame like you would normal glasses, but when you’re ready to snorkel, you insert the glasses frame into the snorkel mask. Thanks to ribbing on the inside, the frame secures the mask, keeping your lenses in place completely hands-free and impervious to the effects of gravity! The best part is that if your prescription changes, you need only change out the lenses.

What to Look for in the Best Full-Face Snorkel Masks

A full-face snorkel mask can help you overcome the body’s natural survival instinct of not breathing when underwater. Such an essential piece of equipment needs to have all the right features, so here are a few things to keep in mind as you decide which is best for you:

• Sizing: The right size mask can make the difference between a good seal and unwanted leaking, so be sure that the mask you’re interested in comes in the right size for your face.
• Adjustability: To that same end, things like adjustable straps can help customize the mask to your face for the best possible fit.
• Lens Shape & Material: The best full-face masks offer a 180-degree view, but not all lenses are created equal. Be sure that your mask’s lens is scratch-resistant, durable, shatter-proof, and anti-fog, so your breath doesn’t obscure your vision.
• Skirt Material: The skirt of a full-face mask is the lining around the entire thing that creates a water-tight seal. These can be rubber, silicone, or PVC. Silicone is usually the best choice because it won’t get tough over time, is resistant to chlorine and saltwater, and is the most comfortable.
• Skirt Color: This one might not seem important, but most full-face snorkel wearers will tell you that a clear skirt improves your peripheral vision and makes wearing the mask feel more natural.
• Valve: The valve is the part of the snorkel mask that sticks up out of the water. The best ones are water-tight, which means they automatically shut if you go underwater to prevent the mask from flooding.

Our Process

For this guide on full-face snorkel masks, our team spent 3 hours researching the most popular models from over 10 brands and manufacturers big and small. We then read about one hundred user reviews (both positive and negative) to discover what shoppers thought about each mask. After comparing this data, we narrowed our list down to the top 7 full-face snorkel masks on the market. You can count on this research to guide you to a mindful purchasing decision.

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