Positively buoyant mask... how?

[CT-Rich]

I haven't lost a lot of masks, but poo happens. I pull my onto my neck if I am taking it off in the water. If I am diving with a hood, I will put the mask on and pull the hood so it outside the mask strap. I made my regulator necklace loose enough that it won't get in the way of the surface. I haven't ever felt the need to take my mask off my neck to get into a boat or up a ladder.

Sometimes is not practical having the mask donned, but even thought I always clip them in my harness d-ring.

I have lost more gear thinking it was clipped off than any other method of losing gear.

 

[CT-Rich]

I was taught a long time ago that when I'm in the water.... if the mask is not on my face, then it's around my neck (under my chin), or less preferred looped on my arm if I need to get it off my neck for some odd reason.

The one mask that I lost in the water was when I came across some people the were in an overturned canoe in Long Island Sound in October. I was trying to keep them calm while I towed them and their boat to shore. The big porthole mask I was wearing did not fit well pulled down on my neck, so I looped it over my arm and got the people to shore. The mask was gone before I realized it.

 

[estresao]

View attachment 908929

As has been mentioned above keeping your mask on or tethered is your best SOP. But if you still want the mask to be buoyant replace the strap with a neoprene (wet suit material) strap.

I always use neoprene strap... they don't avoid sinking.

 

[estresao]

I’m confused by your description: are you knocking the mask off of your face while taking your gear off at the surface or are you losing while clipping/after you clip it to a D-ring?

I always take off my mask and clip it into the harness D-ring in my chest. In many years I've never had a problem, but this year..... I have to say that I never had to doff my doubles in the water, I usually get on the boat using the ladder wearing my gear. But this year we're using a small RIB with no ladder, so I have to doff my doubles before jump to the RIB, and in this doffing process is where I lost the masks

 

[estresao]

Some replies to common suggestions:
1. Mask in the neck/under the chin: I use DIR configuration, so my secondary regulator is in the neck. Taking it off with a mask under the chin is not good idea.
2. I've dropped masks looped in my arm several time. Fortunately it happened in very shallow waters and was able to recover then, but this approach is not perfect.
3. If I have to wear my mask in the forehead, which is something I only do rarely and mainly during the pre-dive check procedure, I always put the mask behind and the strap in my forehead. The reason is because in the event they get off because a wave, if the mask is in your neck it only can be launched to your front side and you will see it. When the mask is in your forehead it only can go off to your rear side and you will miss it.
4. In general I don't like to use gadgets to solve procedural issues. In this case I think I have to get the habit of storing it in my drysuit pocket before to start doffing. What I was looking for is a more positive neoprene strap. I usually use the Halcyon neoprene slap strap (Halcyon Dive Systems), but the set it's still negative. I don't like to wear thing I don't really need to dive, mainly if it can get entangled when diving caves.
5. Providing the weather permits, I usually take off my mask to get better sight. Never had a problem in years because I usually check my mask is properly clipped. This year was exceptional because of the ladder-less RIB and the need of doffing before get into the boat, which is something I never did before wearing a double tanks wing/harness.

 

[batdiver_82]

Sorry, not much of a boat-diver myself, but I imagine if the boat is so small someone stays in the boat during the dive? So, would it be possible to directly hand the mask over to your friend in the boat?, then take the doubles off?

 

[CT-Rich]

Sorry, not much of a boat-diver myself, but I imagine if the boat is so small someone stays in the boat during the dive? So, would it be possible to directly hand the mask over to your friend in the boat?, then take the doubles off?

I am not using doubles and have not climbed into a RIB in a few years, but the least of my concerns would be to taking off my mask before getting out of the water. It seems pretty secure attached to my face and if it gets knocked off, I will notice it immediately.

To the OP, why do need to take it off before getting out of the water?

 

[NothingClever]

@estresao

You’re diving a twinset in a DS and ostensibly a certified cave diver. I’m not going to propose a specific technique because I’m betting the answer lies within you already.

I’ll just recommend slowing down and breaking down your surface procedures into the smallest components to determine when and how it’s most appropriate to deal with your mask. The key principle is that you never lose positive and procedural control of it. Then very deliberately inject that step in your surface procedures.

For me, I’d just leave my mask on until I’m back in the RIB. It’s one less complication preventing me from accomplishing whatever task is at hand, especially if there is wave action. Salt water in the mouth is a lot easier to deal with than salt water in the eyes and nose while I’m thinking about a fourth lost prescription mask.

 

[tursiops]

1. Mask in the neck/under the chin: I use DIR configuration, so my secondary regulator is in the neck. Taking it off with a mask under the chin is not good idea.

Which is an excellent reason to just leave the mask on your face. It is easy to remove the necklace of the secondary reg with the mask still on your face. I do it every dive.
I do not understand your obsession with removing your mask before doffing your gear. There is no reason to remove it, and removing it just causes problems, as you have found..

 

[estresao]

To the OP, why do need to take it off before getting out of the water?

My friend's RIB is similar to the one in the picture, but with no ladder. When this kind of boats have ladder I have no problems in boarding wearing my doubles, but in this case we have to "jump" into it and, obviously you can not do with doubles in your back, yo I need to remove it and hand it over to the crew before jump.