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Snorkeling Mask

A snorkeling mask serves a very important purpose; it allows you to see under water! If you have ever opened your eyes underwater in the pool, you may have noticed a few things. First you could probably feel the irritation of chlorine in the water. But second, and more important, you would have seen the way everything under the water was distorted, like you were looking through a giant fish eye lens.

This distortion is due to the high refraction rate of light in water. Air refracts light, that’s why the horizon slowly fades to blue as you look off into the distance. But water refracts light much more than air, so much so that it becomes difficult to see anything at all! This is where a snorkeling mask comes in.

The snorkeling mask keeps a small bubble of air around your face, and what’s more, the outer lens of the mask is curved. This will compensate for some of the refraction that water is causing the light waves to undergo. While you will still feel like you’re looking at the world through a funny lens, a good snorkeling mask will help offset the bug eyed feeling you get from looking through water unaided.

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