And that's basically why I asked the question in the first place. Was on a dive in Coz a few years back and the dive guide was pointing out something of interest so I started making my way over to him slowly so as not to scare off what he was pointing at. Next thing I know, some newbie with a selfie stick cut me off racing over to get his shot and nearly kicked my mask off. Needless to say, I had a few words for him when we got back on the boat but it really got me thinking about the whole spare mask thing.
Then, last year I lost my mask on the surface of a lake while floating and waiting for my wife to jump in. I just leaned my head back to relax (I had my mask on my head, turned backwards like I normally do) and it slipped off into the water. Didn't even feel it come off! I almost instantly realized that leaning my head back into the water with my mask up there was not smart and I reached up to check it and it was gone. I looked down into the water and could see it sinking to the bottom (only about 30 ft). I tried to swim down after it but couldn't see well enough once I was under water. I came up and called for my wife to grab my spare mask from my gear bag but I was too far out for her to throw it to me so I had to leave the spot where my mask had gone down and swim closer to the boat. That made me lose the spot where it had gone down. If I was carrying a spare, I could have stayed right there and put it on and probably would have been able to dive right down to my dropped mask. Instead, we had to initiate a search pattern and lost about 30 min. of dive time searching for that mask (it was a brand new Atomic Subframe - I wasn't going to leave it there for someone else to find!). We did finally find it so all worked out in the end but could have worked out so much easier.
I know that second incident was kind of a freak thing but still, it goes to show that you just never know what might happen and suddenly being without a mask is just no fun at all!
Thanks for all the suggestions. I think pocket shorts are worth a look for sure!
Pocketed shorts open up a venue for more useful things.
I anyways wear pocketed shorts.
Used to stow my dsmb and spool, but have since relocated it to my waist D ring.
But I still carry a magnifying glass and snoot for my camera light, and a slate.
Dive partner and I were supposed to begin the dive at one point and exit after heading straight for fifty minutes. That's where the boat would be.
Five minutes into the dive, strong current. I signal to her that we should do a one right and go with the current. She didn't understand.
I could've just started swimming in the unplanned direction but that may have left her in anticipation.
Quickly pulled out my slate and jotted down:
Swim with current?
Huge head nod from her.
Launched a dsmb the last ten minutes of the dive and the boat was waiting for us on the surface.
She thanked me profusely for the gesture.
Pockets add value.
My spare mask is thrice as compact as my dsmb/spool.
Makes no sense not to have it.
I also solo dive and feel comfortable with it.
While it was not specified, I initially understood the OP's question to be directed at divers with solo training or experience.
I suspect that the vast majority of non solo recreational divers would never even contemplate carrying a spare mask. It was never part of their training and thus the whole issue of redundancies is a foreign concept. Those who respond that their masks are somewhere other than a pocket are simply relating their own terms of reference for the question.
Yeah those people seem more to be convincing (sans mask) to themselves than anything.
It's fine. Don't bring a spare mask.
But have a solid argument to explain your reasoning/experience.
Plus their responses are logical fallacies.
I've never lost a spare mask....
OP asked where, not do you?
My second scenario demonstrates how you can loose a mask if you did that dive profile.
Maybe there are other unavoidable scenarios, that I haven't come across, that would validate a spare mask.
