Masks cause drowning??

[freedc]

A bit off topic for scubaboard but there is so much knowledge here I have to ask. My community pool prohibits the use of masks (goggles are ok) if it covers the nose because, according to the bureaucrat I asked "water can be inhaled and cause drowning."

I have to ask, is this completely insane? Couldn't they use the same logic to ban *swimming* in a public pool?

I want to get my 6-year old ready for snorkeling before we go back to the Caribbean and he doesn't feel comfortable with goggles anyway, or with bare face in the water. I want some ammunition to use against these bureaucrats to push back with and get the rule changed. I'm supervising him closely.

 

[Cave Diver]

Yes, it's possible to drown that way. It wouldn't take much water trapped in a mask and inhaled to cause drowning. I forget what the actual name is, but is some sort of larynx spasm that blocks the air way due to the introduction of water. But just because it's possible doesn't mean that its probable.

Yes, I think it's a little insane for them to ban masks based on that principle, but their pool, their rules.

 

[susqrvr diver]

It happens in the same manner that flies cause garbage

 

[Nemrod]

It is common for public pools to ban the use of masks. N

 

[NC Wreck Diver]

You can aspirate in a very small amount of water. Water in a half filled mask could easily do it.

I have heard more about public pools banning masks due to the risk of broken glass more than drowning. Maybe the drowning aspect holds more weight than broken glass. Just a guess.

 

[Nemrod]

The official misstated the reason, lifeguards find it difficult to tell if a child is underwater because he is diving or drowning and they have a lot of people to watch and mistakes are not allowed. N

 

[spectrum]

I have also heard of masks being banned to discourage Voyeurism.

 

[jagfish]

A bit off topic for scubaboard but there is so much knowledge here I have to ask. My community pool prohibits the use of masks (goggles are ok) if it covers the nose because, according to the bureaucrat I asked "water can be inhaled and cause drowning."

I have to ask, is this completely insane? Couldn't they use the same logic to ban *swimming* in a public pool?

I want to get my 6-year old ready for snorkeling before we go back to the Caribbean and he doesn't feel comfortable with goggles anyway, or with bare face in the water. I want some ammunition to use against these bureaucrats to push back with and get the rule changed. I'm supervising him closely.

Our pool prohibits, but every time I ask why, I get a different reason.

I also get hassled about my swim mask/goggles. It's one of those designs you may have seen, a mask without a nose pocket. Every year, I dread coming back to the pool, as depending on who the head LG is that year, it may or may not be allowed. When it's refused, I always get a different reason as well...

 

[Cave Diver]

I have also heard of masks being banned to discourage Voyeurism.

I've heard that complaint before. Usually from people you'd never want to see in a bathing suit in the first place. Especially since things look larger and closer underwater.

 

[DandyDon]

Yes, it's possible to drown that way. It wouldn't take much water trapped in a mask and inhaled to cause drowning. I forget what the actual name is, but is some sort of larynx spasm that blocks the air way due to the introduction of water.

Laryngospasm: What causes it? - MayoClinic.com Aka "Dry Drowning"

Kids are more at risk, but it is one of the reasons I like to keep my reg in my mouth until on the boat. A surprise wave has been known to cause one.

Also part of why I take acid reflux meds before diving as well.

I would find a different pool however. The reasons given for no masks sound absurd to me. When I take my grandkids swimming, I'm in the water with them in full snorkel gear. They're not half as dangerous as I was at that age, but they still worry me sometimes, but not because they wear masks at times.