For the first two years of my freediving journey, I did all my dives with a normal freediving mask. Then I slowly started practicing with a nose clip. Most of those nose-clip dives were with “naked eyes,” meaning no goggles of any sort. I tried the fluid goggles from Octopus and a flooded mask in colder water, but neither really clicked. So I continued with just the clip. But as I got deeper, the discomfort of not being able to see grew as well. When the new Hektometer 2.0 arrived, the timing felt right. Now I could see if I wanted, or simply keep my eyes closed. There are options and it’s a choice.
I’ve been diving with them for two months now, and they’re great!
A short review
The first time I took the Hektometer goggles into the water, I was surprised by how natural they felt. They look futuristic, delicate, and complicated. However, wearing them feels easy and not complex at all. During the dive and on the surface, you hardly feel like you’re wearing anything over your eyes.
There’s no pressure sensation on the eyes until around 50 meters (the deepest I’ve taken them so far). I do feel slight pressure on the cheek, next to the eye, after 25–30 meters, but this doesn’t bother me at all.
They seal perfectly and don’t leak. No need for adjustments, just go. Underwater, the view is as good as with a regular freediving mask: crystal clear with no weird light distortion.
The (potential) downsides
The rubber band is quite thin and looks fragile. Yes, there are two bands securing the goggles to your head, but they’re connected. Break one and you might lose them.
The self-equalizing part (the inner membrane) is super thin, flexible, and delicate. The opening to this ingenious system isn’t visible. With no obvious way to maintain it, I wonder: how long will it last?
The lenses fog up a lot. So far, I haven’t found a solution, and unfortunately this breaks the magic of the great optics. But even with maximum fog, it’s still doable to see the rope.
The box is very minimalistic with only the goggles inside. No papers, no manual, no cleaning instructions. Since there will always be some moisture inside the membrane, I can’t help but wonder: will mold appear in a few weeks or months? I asked the company and received some general instructions (see image below).
In conclusion
So far they’ve been really, really good. They make diving feel more natural, more connected, and less restricted. Deep diving, safety diving, fun diving — it all works. Apparently some people also wear them during static and dynamic. Why not?
The main question seems to be: how long will they last? Time, and more dives, will tell!
