Tuesday 6 October 2015

FogCity Mask Inserts

Fogcity fog Resistant Lens  Mask Inserts

I have high hopes for this product. I use a mask in the pool and it’s on and off all the time. Because of this it fogs up all the time. Would Fogcity fog resistant mask inserts be just the job to sort this out??
They come in 3 styles.
1.       2 lens mask small
2.       2 lens mask large
3.       3 single lens mask






Firstly divers can really forget about the 2 window small inserts as I think they would be more use in large style swimming goggles or a very small dive mask. These inserts are designed to be cut so if you have a twin lens mask go for the large size and cut them down.
I fitting the inserts is fairly easy and intuitive experience. Each pack contains an instruction pamphlet.
I found the most difficult part of the process was removing small trapped air bubbles between the glass and insert. With a bit of work you can get rid of them though. In total it was a quick job and I placed the inserts into 2 masks and I was ready to go in less than 10 minutes.
I decided to conduct the test in a pool under my usual photo shoot conditions. Initially I thought things were going to work well but this was not the case and my experience was that my mask was as fogged up as ever. Whether it was the constant on/off and the inside of the mask getting wet that was responsible for the fogging or a warm swimming pool,  I do not know but the test mask did fog up and I soon switched to a spare mask without the inserts and continued the shoot with much less fogging.
I followed the instructions to the letter but I found that in my test the product unfortunately failed to deliver the desired results. Performance in colder sea conditions may vary but after the results in the pool I resisted the urge to test these inserts in my dive mask in the sea. As the Fogcity marketing material states “you don’t want to miss a single moment of your ultimate dive” I didn’t and left the inserts out.
This is my report on my personal experience with the product. As stated above the testing was limited as I could not afford to carry on with a fogged up mask. The idea of the product is excellent but my limited testing showed that the product failed to live up to expectations, which is a shame.

Mike Clark
PS

My friends in Suunto Diving UK​ who market this product have been in touch. While that they agree that the performance of these inserts in a pool environment is not good, they state that performance in salt or fresh water provide better results. I will en-devour to test this and see for myself, next time im out and not completing  a dive where a foggy mask would cause problems. more will follow on this thread.

Monday 5 October 2015







Nice Teeth. Seal pup turned rottweiler. this seal pup was gently inspecting the front of my dome port. thank goodness they are gentle and good natured when in the water. Seeing these teeth it makes me realise just how gentle these seals are being with the clumsy diver. For the avoidance of doubt i have never felt threatened or know of anybody who has been threatened by these fantastic animals underwater. if you are thinking of going to see them make sure you do. its great With Farne diving Services and Lee Hall

Mike Clark




Nice spread in Sport Diver this month-about a recent trip to the Isle of Skye. With Dive and Sea the Hebrides.
Mike Clark

BASKING SHARK ENCOUNTER



BASKING SHARK ENCOUNTER

Hi All,
This image is enjoying some success at the moment. it was published in the Times last Wednesday Unfortunately they got my name wrong (Mark Clarke??) but hey.
This was one of my favorite images from my day trip up the Sound of Mull with Basking Shark Scotland, to have my close encounter with these magnificent sharks. This one was pictured just off the north coast of Mull which you can just see in the background. the boat is 9.5 metres long and the shark i estimate at a 6 metre long Female. needless to say im saving up now to return next year for hopefully more encounters.
Mike Clark

Seal Diving in Farne Islands

Hi All,
its been a while since i have posted and this is mainly due to me chucking all my quick news onto Facebook. Please do keep an eye on my page there mikes Facebook Page

Anyway just returned from a day out at The Farne Islands over the border in England. i was seeing my friend Lee Hall of Farne Diving Services and i got the chance to dive with the amazing grey Seals here. the vis was challenging but i got some nice shots.
Cheers Lee
Mike Clark