Beginning 2016 the Salvimar Noah was released as the Italian brand's specialist spearfishing and freediving mask.
Since then it has made a quite an impression in the freediving community due to it's exceptionally low volume, comfort and quality.
It has made the top freediving mask list on many freediving blogs including ours. And for good reason too.
It's a great mask whether you intend to use this mask for freediving in the ocean, pool or while spearfishing.
Today, our diveplan is to do a in-depth dive on the Salvimar Noah Mask, list all its pros and cons and show you why this mask has made our list of the best freediving mask available on the market.
About The Salvimar Noah
The Noah freediving mask is Salvimar's best selling freediving mask.
There's just something about Italian manufacturers. The design thinking, quality and attention to detail is clear to see in all Salvimar's equipment from their Spearguns to their Wetsuits and especially their masks.
The mask is available in a number of colors including;
The last mentioned color combination is beautiful but does stand out like a sore thumb in the water. Great if you want to impress the opposite sex but not so much if you want to get close to a fish that you intend to spear. This color is more suited to those only interested in Freediving and not those doing Spearfishing as well - which is probably the reason why it has the Fluyd branding on it.
The Beautiful Salvimar Noah in white & blue
Before even donning the mask you can tell that it will be extremely comfortable. The hypoallergenic silicone skirt is very soft and pliable.
The skirt is molded over and glued onto the frame and lenses. It is said that the frame is inserted by casting through a complex proprietary process.
The lenses are not two separate pieces but interconnected with a bridge. You can feel this bridge underneath the silicone with your fingers. On deep dives and high compression this bridge comfortably rests on your forehead just above the bridge of your nose.
The top and sides of the skirt has a textured matt finish to minimize reflections while the nose piece has a shiny reflective finish. The rubber material of the nose piece is very grippy and has a completely different feel than the other textured surfaces. The rubber used on the nose area will definitely help with grip when pinching your nose to equalize - with or without gloves.
The internal surfaces of the Noah mask has a smooth matt finish and we noticed no reflections from it while testing this mask out.
The high quality silicone is much softer than on some other freediving masks that we've tested. This also makes it one of the most comfortable masks we've recently tested.
The mask provides a good seal for most face types. The mask has an internal lip that runs around the inside of the mask. This lip does not just help with creating a watertight seal but also help to provide some structural rigidity when on deeper dives.
Below the nose the skirt is trimmed upwards so that those with gifted mouth-brows still get a good facial seal.
The design of the internal frame results in a mask with a very low internal volume - about 94ml plus minus a couple of milliliters depending on your unique face shape. This puts it slightly ahead of the Seac M70 and much better than the very popular Mares Viper mask.
The Noah mask has tempered glass lenses which are 3mm thick. The internal frame allows the lenses to be significantly closer to your eyes than it would be with a mask with an external frame. The field of view on the mask is very good and there are no noticeable blind spots
The most remarkable features of the Salvimar Noah Mask include:
The buckle holding the mask strap is attached directly to the skirt. The design seems solid and allows the buckle to rotate 360°. The design is less complex than other designs we've seen but still just as effective.
Two small push buttons on the buckle allow you to loosen the strap. Releasing the buttons immediately lock the strap in place again. To tighten the strap you simply pull on the free end, which gives a very satisfying "zip"sound. Both tightening and loosening the mask strap is simple to do even with gloves on.
The mask strap of the Noah can be finely adjusted to fit your head. The dual band allows you to insert your freediving snorkel into the back of the strap to secure it if you prefer.
What Others Are Saying
Whenever we review a freediving or spearfishing mask or any equipment for that matter we don't just tell you what we think of it. To give you a true impression of the Salvimar Noah we also asked everyone that we've come across and that have experience with it to tell us what they think of it.
Their opinions were in line with our own but it's always good to hear it from another source and get confirmation.
The major majority of the freedivers that have have used the Noah mask before was very impressed by it and rated it an 8/10 or above.
Most commented that the mask was very low volume and that they had to equalize the mask noticeably less than on previous low volume masks that they've owned.
Another thing that stood out for them was how comfortable the Noah mask is. Many actually said that this was the most comfortable mask that they have ever used before. When freedivers with a number of masks below the belt say this we definitely take note and listen.
A big advantage for many spearfishermen was the wide field of view that the mask offers.
Out of all the people we asked and reviews we found online not a single one mentioned reliability or durability issues. We haven't had ours long enough to comment but some of those we spoke with had theirs for a number of years and said it was still in perfect working condition. Not something that you can say of all the masks on the market.
We'll be sure to update this article in the future if there are problems with regard to its reliability. We're not really expecting anything since the overall feel and build quality seems to be of a very high quality.
Now the bad:
Yes, there are always some negative reviews and comments regarding any product and the Salvimar Noah is no different.
The most common compliant that we heard regarding this mask is that it it was not a good fit for them.
Interestingly even those that said the mask did not give them a watertight seal still commended the mask and gave it a good rating due to the low volume and other outstanding qualities.
Although most masks fit most faces there are always some people that might struggle with a fit on a specific brand. Freedivers know that this does not make it a bad mask.
Something that a couple of freedivers mentioned that was a bit of a disappointment was that it did not come in a hard case like most other masks in the same price class.
The Salvimar Noah mask comes in a cardboard box with a little plastic window. This protects the mask fine during shipping but it's definitely not something you can throw in your gear bag with the rest of your soaking wet gear at the end of a dive. The tempered glass lenses on the Noah is very resistant to scratches but a hard case does give you that bit extra peace of mind.
I'll be getting an aftermarket plastic hard case for ours.
Final Verdict
Is this the best freediving mask available on the market..? If it isn't then I don't know what it.
The Salvimar Noah has an overwhelming amount of the qualities that we look for in a great freediving mask. There is very little we can find fault with it except for the absence of a hard case.
It's extremely low volume and definitely also the most comfortable mask that we've used in a long time.
At the current price it offers great value for money - even without the plastic hard case.
If you are a deep freediver and spearo looking for a new mask then the Salvimar Noah should be right at the top on your list of masks to consider.
Our Rating
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