On the surface, where do you like your mask?

[dive_lover88]

On my forehead...but i just got a butterfly clip, gonna clip off my mask on the surface...out of the way and yet within reach

 

[Tomeck]

Arround my neck not to lose my mask in troubled water

 

[Nemrod]

I think part of the "panic" urban legend is because many people who take up diving are not water people. The moment a little saltwater shoots up their nostrils or into their eyes they go into a freak out and start flailing about. If your comfortable in the water and relish a little saltwater in the eyes and nostrils, tastes good, lasts a long time attitude there is no issue with panic. Saltwater in my face is not an issue, it bothers me not at all.

You should be able to complete an entire dive from start to finsih with no mask at all. You should be able to inhale saltwater into your nose and get it in your eyes. You should be able to keep your eyes open in saltwater for the duration of a dive with NO mask. If you cannot do these things then a MOFH is not your problem, your not comfortable in the water and you are a danger to yourself and your buddy.

If you have contacts and fear them being washed out--keep your mask on. Most people do not have contacts so this is not a problem. Contacts or not, you should still be able to complete a dive without any mask at all. This is an important skill. At the very least you should be able to rescue yourself and get yourself to the surface without a mask and you should be able to keep your eyes open in the water to accomplish this.

N

 

[tfsails]

My mask doesn't go on my face until I'm ready to get into the water. It's the last piece of equipment I put on. It stays on my face until I'm out of the water. I, too, much prefer putting it on my forehead when I'm not wearing it, but don't because of the old wives' tale and the possibility of losing it should it get washed off. I have too many chins for it to be comfortable around my neck and have almost lost it when placed backwards on my head.

In teaching situations where I have had a long surface swim on a sunny day, I've noticed that sunlight entering my mask when it's on my face heats up the air around my eyes to the point of discomfort (just like your car gets hot when it's parked with the windows up). Then I usually just take it completely off and hold it in my hands while swimming in on my back.

In the open ocean, I leave it on until I'm safely in the boat.

 

[Oxy]

When I was a kid I kept it on my head when I didn't need it. No worries about losing it water was always clear and not so deep it couldn't be retrieved if dropped. BUT THAT WAS CLOSED WATER!

 

[knotical]

On my face, because it helps hide the ugly.

Years ago, an instructor made us wear our masks in class, trying to break some students of the habit of tightening the strap too much. Now it’s so natural to keep my mask in place that I often visit the head wearing it. The other day I wore it from the pool into retail. Took me a while to understand the laughter.

I really don’t get why so many people are in a rush to get it off their face.

 

[Charlie99]

When I take off my eyeglasses they go into the mask box and the mask goes onto my face.

After getting back onto the boat, the eyeglasses and mask swap places. Easy.

My mask is comfortable enough for a 60 or 90 minute dive, so wearing it for a few minutes before and after the dive isn't a big deal.

I have the same sort of philosophy on the reg. I'll be breathing from it for an hour plus, so why not leave it in my mouth until I'm back onto the boat. If I don't want to use tank air at the beginning of the dive I just grin a bit and breath around the edges of the reg mouthpiece.

 

[Oxy]

You should be able to complete an entire dive from start to finsih with no mask at all. You should be able to inhale saltwater into your nose and get it in your eyes. You should be able to keep your eyes open in saltwater for the duration of a dive with NO mask. If you cannot do these things then a MOFH is not your problem, your not comfortable in the water and you are a danger to yourself and your buddy.

At the very least you should be able to rescue yourself and get yourself to the surface without a mask.
N

I believe the whole reason for a mask is to make seeing underwater easier.
I may not be able to go underwater (OW) until I get water in my eyes and nose to clear out the spooge.

Except for vision correction and or nasal/ear problems requiring corrective masks I have to agree with Nemrod. Although starting a dive without a mask would be extreme and if surface conditions were so bad as to need a mask I don't think my forehead would benefit from it.

 

[zen_man]

It really depends on the situation or the moment. when I'm on the surface, walking on land geared up, or paddling out on a shore dive(depending on conditions) I will have it backwards on my head. If the conditions are choppy at all, I will have it on my face. I run a bungeed octo so I never have it around my neck.

The mask on forehead thing I never understood. growing up snorkeling in the 70s and 80s, that where we ALWAYS put it was on the forehead. I don't think there is ANY validity to this being a sign of "stress". However, I do understand the greater possibility of losing your mask if you are in choppy water. Then again, I never lost a mask in all the years I wore one this way.

:zen:

 

[zen_man]

I think part of the "panic" urban legend is because many people who take up diving are not water people. The moment a little saltwater shoots up their nostrils or into their eyes they go into a freak out and start flailing about. If your comfortable in the water and relish a little saltwater in the eyes and nostrils, tastes good, lasts a long time attitude there is no issue with panic. Saltwater in my face is not an issue, it bothers me not at all.

You should be able to complete an entire dive from start to finsih with no mask at all. You should be able to inhale saltwater into your nose and get it in your eyes. You should be able to keep your eyes open in saltwater for the duration of a dive with NO mask. If you cannot do these things then a MOFH is not your problem, your not comfortable in the water and you are a danger to yourself and your buddy.

If you have contacts and fear them being washed out--keep your mask on. Most people do not have contacts so this is not a problem. Contacts or not, you should still be able to complete a dive without any mask at all. This is an important skill. At the very least you should be able to rescue yourself and get yourself to the surface without a mask and you should be able to keep your eyes open in the water to accomplish this.

N

I don't know about completing an entire dive, but agree with your point entirely.

A diver should be just as comfortable with the mask off as they are with it on. Faces get kicked with fins and masks get knocked off. This is a situation that a diver should be able to handle without issue.