Based in 1999, Fourth Ingredient has grown from a minute diving attire manufacturer to a imaginative and prescient-pushed dive change leader. Their outstanding lineup of dive important technical clothing, employ of ecologically sustainable supplies and practices, and relentless dedication to effective and customer carrier maintain catapulted Fourth Ingredient merchandise to be a have to-maintain for diverse divers.
Apart from their award-successful line of drysuits and thermal irascible layer systems, Fourth Ingredient affords an intensive line of masks, fins, snorkels, and wetsuits for technical, recreational, and freedivers, in addition as swimming and other water sports actions.
The Fourth Ingredient Navigator Sequence of masks is a big instance of this dedication to effective and order-train innovation. Offered in two lens kinds, the Navigator Enhance and Navigator Readability, these framed masks are additionally obtainable in usual and wide widths to optimize match and comfort.
Initial Impressions
Packaged in a 100% plastic-free, low-volume shell, the Navigator conceal makes an instant certain impact. The low-profile case with a fragile cloth drawstring physique takes up minimal room in a diver’s jog procure while providing very fine protection to the lens. The conceal’s construction is unprecedented, with a first-rate quality price and a sturdy strap and adjustable buckle map. Whereas higher than a freediving conceal, the instant impact is that the Navigator Disguise is somewhat low volume while presenting a huge visible enviornment.
Aspects
Dive masks, particularly Technical masks, have to own about a train ingredients to be highly efficient. A wide, delicate silicone skirt that makes an efficient seal, along with a more narrow internal skirt that enhances the water-tightness and match are important.
The sturdy strap and buckle map makes this conceal straightforward to alter, even carrying gloves and over a hood. The cam action holds the conceal in station as soon as adjusted and the divided strap is stretchy enough to now now not feel esteem one’s head is being squeezed.
A wide visible enviornment is important in a Technical dive conceal, allowing the diver to employ their peripheral imaginative and prescient, and allow a most amount of gentle into the conceal in darkish stipulations. Coupled with a dismal silicone skirt and dismal physique, the diver gets a clear stare image without distracting flares and reflections.
Rounded edges and minimal protrusions assemble the Navigator Disguise streamlined and minimizes doable line traps or snag aspects.
The Navigator Readability conceal comes with exceptionally clear tempered-glass lenses designed to give most visibility to photographers, evening divers, and technical divers without a loss of precise coloration fidelity.
The Navigator Enhance conceal is supplied with an ultraviolet protection coating and a Excessive Power Visible (HEV) radiation filter. The coatings are designed to guard a diver’s eyes from irascible radiation while bettering precise colors underwater and pondering most viewed gentle transmission.
On The Dive
After prepping the masks with an correct cleansing the utilization of a non-abrasive dishwashing liquid and an intensive rinse, we headed off to the native lake for some below dock and destroy diving. Many divers peaceable employ toothpaste and/or a lighter to burn off the film left by many manufacturing processes, but now now not desirous to rupture the coatings, we determined to stick with an intensive scrub and the employ of anti-fog drops, which labored dazzling for our take a look at.
For the reason that water temps had been very warm, we wore a skinny 3mm hood and gloves, but the ease of donning and adjusting the conceal may perchance also simply peaceable proceed with thicker gloves and hood. The one-hand adjustment of the buckles by simply pinching the prime and backside buttons on the facet buckles made it a snap to web the conceal seated very without misfortune.
We had been straight thankful for the wide and peaceable silicone seal, which managed to total what most masks can’t, namely retaining leaks to a minimum when the diver has facial hair.
The somewhat low volume of the conceal and suited finger pockets on the nostril portion allowed straightforward equalization and the width of the visible enviornment was as soon as straight appreciated.
We maintain over 30 masks for diversified kinds of diving; from low-volume minimalist masks for freediving to masks with every bell and whistle imaginable…and the easy, sturdy, chuffed invent of the Navigator Disguise straight stood out. No longer looking ahead to any fundamental incompatibility between these and other excessive-cease technical diving masks, we had been straight impressed by the very fine gentle transmittal. The lake we had been diving in was as soon as extraordinarily silty as a result of latest rains, and as a result of cloudy stipulations, the sunshine transmission was as soon as markedly lowered as we descended.
We dived the Navigator Readability conceal first and performed a dock inspection and word for a native marina. When 25-35 feet (7-10 meters) from the fringe of the docks, with total overhead veil and decidedly darkish stipulations, we found the readability of the conceal and the sunshine transmission to be unprecedented. Two hours of diving below the marina found us having to interrupt out our lights because the sun grew to became low on the horizon, but the conceal stayed chuffed and our imaginative and prescient was as soon as as correct as may perchance perchance be anticipated in those stipulations.
The next morning, we got down to the deepest share of the lake, diving into a sunken houseboat to envision for snagged fishing gear and anchors. The stipulations had improved enough that visibility was as soon as an average of 15 feet (5 meters) but for the reason that day was as soon as overcast, the sunshine dropped off snappily as we descended to 70 feet FFW (feet of fresh water).
Carrying the Navigator Enhance conceal, we straight observed the change in the “tint” of every thing. The a limited magenta coloration of the coatings translated visually to enhanced “pop” of colors, particularly the browns and greens of the aquatic vegetation and it was as soon as a lot esteem carrying polarized sun shades without the shade.
The perimeters of underwater objects had been “crisper” and our traces had been very viewed as we prepared to penetrate about a feet into the principle cabin of the boat. There was as soon as remarkably limited backscatter from the lights and while it is a long way a in actuality subjective ingredient, we had been clear that we had been getting the highest amount of gentle transmittal and precise coloration rendition attainable.
Post Dive Recommendations
Whereas no portion of equipment can assemble you a higher diver, the precise tools can assemble you a higher-prepared diver. The Navigator Masks, each in the Enhanced and Readability lenses, are very fine effective masks that improved the diving trip. They’re chuffed and sturdy, and they maintain the added bonus of supporting a firm with a solid ecological mission and conservation mindset.
The Navigator Readability conceal is extraordinarily edifying to scuba instructors…your college students can explore your eyes, which is a in actuality predominant share of underwater communication and being ready to say stress and comfort levels.
Closing Recommendations
Dive masks maintain reach a prolonged diagram from the former fishbowls we had support in the 1970s. Match, materials effective, safety, and maintain maintain all improved and the Navigator Masks from Fourth Ingredient would be a dazzling addition to any diver’s kit. They’re eminently correct for Technical and Leisure SCUBA diving and, while now now not particularly “low-volume”, may perchance also simply even be very without misfortune frail by recreational free divers and spearos.
Aspects
- A dive conceal with very fine visible enviornment
- At ease silicone skirt, completely recyclable
- Molded, completely recyclable silicone conceal strap
- Tempered glass lens with two lens probability
- Accessible as a Traditional and Wide Match dive conceal
Sign
- Navigator Readability or Enhance – $104 USD / €89.95 EUR / £74.95 GBP
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Navigator Disguise — Enhance — Fourth Ingredient
$104 USD / €89.95 EUR / £74.95 GBP
With an very fine visible enviornment, the Navigator’s framed twin lens makes it fine for any dive, with optimisation relying in your dive trip. The Navigator’s completely recyclable, big-delicate silicone skirt is designed to minimizes stress, making longer and deeper dives more chuffed. The Navigator dive conceal is supplied in two utterly different skirt fittings to head well with the most vary of face shapes.