Forgive my ignorance, we love to snorkel but I thought all goggles purged water by pushing in above the nose? Now I see a lot of goggles available with or without a purge valve? Can someone explain?
C.

Goggles cover only the eyes.
A mask covers the eyes and the nose.
A purge mask has a small valve located near the nose.
When you need to clear water from the mask you hold the mask tight to your face with light pressure and exhale through your nose.
The water exits through the purge valve and you never break the seal of the mask to your face.
One downside is the potential of mask fogging.
Another downside is valve failure.
If that happens you have a hole in your mask; not good!

Sorry - should have called it a mask. Not going to be a good day. Anyway, my 12 year old mask did not have this purge valve - but maybe it is better? Any advice anyone? I have to order via mail order so I am running blind on this one...
Thanks
C.

Carl, as you know I'm fairly new to diving. But I do have an opinion about the purge valve. I don't like them. Just gets in the way of equalizing for me.

Chip loves his. He also has very deep smile lines and almost any mask is going to slowly leak on his face. He can clear the mask simply by blowing some air out his nose. (This is where the fogging up comes in). Overall though, it makes dives much easier for him.

btw - I don't think this is normal but after three trips it may already be time to replace Chip's mask or maybe just the valve. The valve went leaky on our last week.

bill could be all the insect repellent that he used.. even on his face that stuff rots plastic.... be sure not to handle your reg and hoses while it is on your hands....

the best way in my opinion to purge, is pushing the mask on the top to purge and exhaling through the nose.,. the purge valve in the mask is just another thing to go wrong.......

Thanks Freddie, will tell him that. The local dive shop said that given the depth of the lines he is very likely to have leakage. He's tried several masks and found one that's not bad but still has slow leakage.

I know several guys that use vaseline..,{although I am not sure that is a good idea since it is a petroleum product, but then again so is the mask skirt......} to seal the mask on their face.. especially if they have a mustache. maybe that would help Chip.

or he just has to stop smiling while underwater and I know he can't do that

I'll tell him.