Has a mask strap ever broken on you while diving?

[TSandM]

I have not had a strap break, but I use neoprene slap straps. I have had the plastic insert that holds the lens into the frame come loose, causing the mask to flood uncontrollably, but that was apparently on in-water gear check, and I aborted the dive.

My mask came off on my first back roll entry, and when I got rolled in the surf at Laguna Beach, but not any other times.

 

[Crush]

I heard a story about a sea-lion removing a diver's mask. I wasn't there and can't attest to the accuracy of the account.

 

[Diver0001]

I've had a mask kicked clear off off my face.... and more than that.

We were making a deep dive to 42 metres, which was pretty normal for relatively new divers when i learned how to dive.

I might have been a bit narced or in any case not entirely aware of my surroundings... I guess I had drifted up behind the diver in front of me...

I was focuse on the wall we were on.... looked to the right and

WHAAAP!!!

The last thing I saw was a flipper... then the contact

regulator gone

mask gone

42 metres under water swearing at myself.... ****inghelllll stupid troll.....

reached up on instinct and managed to grab the mask before it floated away

swung around and recovered he regulator just how they showed us in training... (in those days we didn't all have an octopus).

put it all back on in a few seconds

signalled 'OK' to my buddy.

carried on like nothing had happened.

Only years after the fact, once the internet has started to become popular, did I realise that this might have been a big deal

R..

 

[Blackwood]

Frame, buckle, lens? Please expand.

I used to use mares X-vision two-windows masks. Both of them suffered the same eventual failure: one of the lenses de-laminated mid dive. I was carrying a backup on both occasions so the dive was salvaged, but it was annoying. I take good care of my masks, and they aren't cheap.

 

[fisheater]

Mine's never broken (went with neoprene), but I've had a dive buddy's break. I lent my spare.

 

[Teamcasa]

Sure, I've had a buckle pin come out, a strap break on pre-dive inspection, numerous removal attempts by other divers and once by King Neptune himself to remove my mask. Neptune was the only one insured that I could not retrieve and reuse my mask.

 

[oceanbound]

so far, no, but it did come off after a boat rollover. Of course my fault as I had been messing with hair in my mask in the water and didn't get strap back over my head correctly so surge or wave pushed it off but not totally. got to the anchor line for decent, put it back on and have since learned to quit fiddling with it once it's on my face. Now i'm wondering after reading these if one of us should start bringing a back up though. Both mine and my buddy's masks aren't "new" anymore.

 

[Tigerman]

Mask strap, no. Fin strap? Lets just say I had to buy some spring straps couple of weeks back

 

[Rhone Man]

I have lost plenty of mask straps whilst adjusting them (Caribbean sun is brutal on dive gear). I used to be in the habit of fiddling with my mask strap underwater, and sure enough, one time I broke the strap at 60 odd feet. No biggie, as the hydrostatic pressure keeps the mask on your face pretty well, unless some idiot kicks you.

 

[tstormdiver]

The strap didn't actually break on me, but the strap locking mechanism on the mask failed (same result). I was taking my first attempt at my Full Cave. We had just done a travers from Peacock I to Olsen Sink. We had just gone back down from the sink & back into the cave when it happened. I tried to get to the side to get my back- up mask on, but my instructor saw what happened, grabbed me & ushered me back into the sink to switch out masks, afraid I might get into the silt, while switching out masks & wipe things out below.