How To Paint A Diving Mask

A diving mask, better put a dive mask is among the diving equipment used by underwater divers like snorkelers, free-divers, and scuba divers.

Regular swimmers also have dive masks that they make use of, the purpose of the dive mask is to enable the diver to see clearly underwater without the water.

Diving mask is also referred to as half mask or scuba mask, some divers make use of a full face mask or a diving helmet, these divers are surface supplied divers.

Unlike air, when the eye of humans is directly contacting water, the light that enters the eye is refracted by a completely different angle which does not allow the eye to focus on the retina.

The dive mask however rectifies this by covering the eye while providing an air space in front of it, this then allows the eye to function at a rate that is almost normal like when on land.

The eye cannot fully focus for people with focusing defects, this is because the shape of the air space in the mask affects it a little.

A diver can wear contact lenses or get a corrective lens to be fitted to the viewpoint of the inside surface of the mask this should allow for normal vision for such people.


How to Paint a Diving Mask: Acrylic Paints

To paint dive equipment is usually difficult to accomplish, this is because just any paints would not work on them and we need to get the right type of paint that would stick and won’t be harmful to sea life.

Using rubber paint would seem like the best option majority of them won’t stick on diving equipment like, dive mask, swim fins, wetsuits and so on.

One more thing to lookout for when looking for the right paint is for it not to be water-soluble, or else it would dissolve fast in water, the most recommended paint to use are the old standbys Acrylic Paint.

Why this works so it is a good option for painting your dive mask because it is just a form of plastic, it would stick as long as you spread it very well and flat, it is also conducive for the environment and doesn’t affect sea life, it would stick well on wetsuits as well.

Make sure after painting you let it dry well, and also whip and knock it around for a little while this would solidify the grip of the paint on your mask.

However I only advice you use this paint for your mask, wetsuit and swim fins, it probably would get wiped off from other equipment because of its plastic nature.


Paint a Dive Mask With Paint Markers

This is another option to use for painting your dive mask, it is guaranteed to stick on any diving equipment including your dive mask.

Paint markers are oil-based paints that would soak into any material it come in contact with, someone once suggested after making use of paint markers a mask that he would like to use a paint marker when building an equipment from scratch and he would use it as the only paint on the every part of the equipment, this is how effective paint markers are.


Using Permanent Markers

I know what comes to your mind when you see permanent markers, you wonder if it would work and if it is idea to use. 

Well I assure you they are ideal, safe and would absolutely get the job done.

Permanent markers as you know are wonderful for drawing patterns and very good for coloring, they are also safe and won’t harm the environment and sea life in anyway, but, they are not water-soluble.

Permanent markers write on practically anything including diving equipment.

It might take a little time to use it to paint from scratch to finish but once you’re done it sticks on and won’t wash or peel off from your dive mask ever again.

Divers are known to use permanent markers to write their names on their gear for easy identification and it never comes off.


Photo by: Chris Rogerson