Mask leaks when turning head

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Aerobics111

Registered
Messages
62
Reaction score
8
Location
USA
# of dives
25 - 49
This happens when I turn my head to look backwards to make sure my buddy is following and nearby. And my mask leaks every single time with no exception. The leakage point is usually the bottom right corner when my head is turning right, and bottom left corner when my head is turning left.

It is worth mentioning that I wear a 7mm hood and my theory is the part of my face between the hood and the silicone skirt is pinched when I turn my head, causing a breach.

I suspected my mask was too tight and tried loosening it. Then the other issue happened, which is leak through the nose area. The leak in this case is much worse and happens constantly unless I breathe out through the nose at every breath to repel the water (I have a clean shave before every dive).

Does this happen to you guys? I don't have contacts and use prescription lenses on the dive mask. So the cost of trying a few different masks is a bit high lol.

Edit: thanks to the suggestion of trying and observing in a bathroom mirror. I'm pretty sure now it's the skin between my hood and mask that gets pushed up when I turn my head. At minimum I'll hold that corner of the mask skirt to prevent leakage. And having the hood cover on top of the mask skirt clearly helps based on my experiment.
 
First make sure your mask gasket is tucked inside your hood all the way around by running your thumbs around the face opening of your hood once your mask is on.

Your hood may need to be trimmed so it doesn’t interfere with your mask. You might want to try video taping your mask / hood closely to see if there is a point of interference - you can do this in your bathroom.

Could also be that something is happening with the back of your hood and the mask strap as well. You can try out a slap strap on your current mask (if you don’t have one) and if that doesn’t solve it, see if you can do a pool demo with a different mask without buying the prescription yet.
 
First make sure your mask gasket is tucked inside your hood all the way around by running your thumbs around the face opening of your hood once your mask is on.

Your hood may need to be trimmed so it doesn’t interfere with your mask. You might want to try video taping your mask / hood closely to see if there is a point of interference - you can do this in your bathroom.

Could also be that something is happening with the back of your hood and the mask strap as well. You can try out a slap strap on your current mask (if you don’t have one) and if that doesn’t solve it, see if you can do a pool demo with a different mask without buying the prescription yet.
Thank you!

Does the mask gasket needs to be inside the hood? I always make sure the edge of hood doesn't cover the mask gasket and vice versa the mask gasket doesn't cover the edge of the hood. The two are separated by a distance. Because if they overlap, and in case I need to take off the mask underwater, when I put it back on, the gasket will be sitting on top of the hood and that'll leak.

Great idea about video taping it! I'll try tonight.
 
I put the hood over the mask skirt. If you need to remove and replace the mask, it takes a second to get the hood edges back on top - you just pull up on the forehead, tuck two fingers in the “wrinkle” and run them around.

I find my mask seals much better with the hood than without if I wear it like this.
 
I put the hood over the mask skirt. If you need to remove and replace the mask, it takes a second to get the hood edges back on top - you just pull up on the forehead, tuck two fingers in the “wrinkle” and run them around.

I find my mask seals much better with the hood than without if I wear it like this.
Thank you. That makes sense. I tend to be anxious if I can't see for a longer period as I gradually lose buoyancy control without visual reference, particularly when my breathing pattern is changed due to flustering and clearing masks. I may also need to practice this move a little bit when wearing my gloves.
 
Sounds like your hood is pushing the side of the mask or the skirt away from your face.

But just to rule out other possibilities:

Do you raise your eyebrows and wrinkle your forehead when you look behind you?

Does your mask leak if you are not wearing a hood?
 
Thank you. That makes sense. I tend to be anxious if I can't see for a longer period as I gradually lose buoyancy control without visual reference, particularly when my breathing pattern is changed due to flustering and clearing masks. I may also need to practice this move a little bit when wearing my gloves.

That’s a different issue, but it sounds like something you should be practicing at the end of your safety stop so you can get more comfortable and proficient with mask remove & replace.
 
That’s a different issue, but it sounds like something you should be practicing at the end of your safety stop so you can get more comfortable and proficient with mask remove & replace.
Yup I've been meaning to do that practice more but more often than not I just forget lol.
 
There is also the buddy procedure issue here that jumped out at me. If you have to keep looking back to see where your buddy is, SLOW DOWN! Buddies should be side by side where it takes less than a 1/4 turn of the head to locate them. Especially with newer divers.
 
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