ARE FULL-FACE SNORKEL MASKS SAFE???

[Ken Kurtis]

Good point... we assume the target market for these things is vacationing snorkelers, but it's actually the people running the tours for the vacationing snorkelers. It would be interesting to see the data they could collect on the difference in incidents, even minor ones, that their guests have with the FF vs the traditional gear (assuming the operator had records of years of using traditional snorkel gear.)

It's mentioned in the talk that a number of operators in Hawaii ban us the use of FFSMs because they think they're too dangerous or have experienced too many problems.

As many of you have said, it's not so much whether or not they perform the same as a regular snorkel/mask combo (the study indicates that they do) but when something goes wrong, does experience level (or lack thereof) of the snorkeler combined with design or performance characteristics of the FFSM contribute to the fatality? Even though the study tested how quickly people could get the mask off, no one was panicking when they were trying to do it. My unsubstantiated no-data-collected GUESS is that the panic response changes the equation dramatically. And that's something this study didn't attempt to measure. (Aside from ethical concerns as to whether it would even be proper to do so.)

 

[1Cave Ghost]

Can you clear a FFM if it is flooded ? It must increase the mask volume.
I have been told by many people use a FFM, they have a fear put their face in the water, it makes them claustrophobic. I also found, these people never progress beyond the occasional diver status.
I myself, would not feel comfortable doing a 1hr, 140 ft dive with deco using a full face mask.
Maybe I am just ignorant on the capabilities of today's, FFM capabilities ?

 

[DandyDon]

I myself, would not feel comfortable doing a 1hr, 140 ft dive with deco using a full face mask.

This thread is about Full Face Snorkel Masks which I suppose are different from Full Face Masks used by divers, or at least the uses are. I hope that both have drain valves.

 

[graham_s]

While I was on holiday in Sharm el Sheikh a few years ago, I witnessed three serious incidents with snorkellers using full face masks. One of which involved the snorkel portion coming loose and the mask completely filling with water. They're not safe.

 

[AfterDark]

I didn't watch the video, I have only used the old-school type FFM. The only valid reasons I can come with to use a FFM is for communication device mounting or diving in contaminated water. I wouldn't be caught dead in one!

 

[dmaziuk]

Can you clear a FFM if it is flooded ? It must increase the mask volume.
I have been told by many people use a FFM, they have a fear put their face in the water, it makes them claustrophobic. I also found, these people never progress beyond the occasional diver status.

At least some of them come with purge valves; the $15 question is whether you have enough air in your lungs to purge the whole thing when it floods, and presence of mind to do so. My entirely unsubstantiated guess is if it floods and you panic... well, spitting out the traditional snorkel and lifting your head up would be much easier than ripping that thing off. Like, way easier.

 

[BlueTrin]

This really boils down to asking what are the safety concerns of putting (often) inebriated non-swimmers and non-swimming children into the ocean and fully covering their airways with a device that could flood and could retain CO2. What could go wrong?

My short career as an ocean life guard, I am disappointed to say, that the only person I got to save was a young woman who was in fact drowning in barely waist deep water on a sandbar about 25 yards from shore. I could only imagine having to guard for a boat or beach full of dog paddling non-swimmers with FFSMs!

James

How do you spot a full face mask (or someone with a snorkel) drowning fast enough to save them?

It’d be hard for me to tell if they drowned unless they have been there for a while.

 

[АлександрД]

is anybody remember this post?

Saskatchewan diver dead - Maui, Hawaii

Third visitor in a week dies at Maui beach A 66-year-old Canadian man died today after he was pulled from the water off South Maui. He was the third visitor to die off a South Maui beach since Thursday. Maui Fire Department spokesman Edward Taomoto said crews responded to a report of an...

scubaboard.com

I am on Maui right now and in the past month or so, there have been up to 12 deaths along Maui beaches...most of them snorkellers, most of them men, most of them 65-plus. My husband talked to a Lifeguard about it...the Lifeguard didn’t say too too much, but tapped on is his heart...as in pre-existing problems ...but also said they (authorities) were beginning to keep track of how many snorkellers died while wearing those one-piece face masks, compared to the regular style. News reports mention what kind of snorkel gear people were wearing when found. Very sad all round.

and

Tour operators start ban on full-face snorkel masks - West Hawaii Today

HONOLULU The Pride of Maui, a company that offers snorkel tours and cruises, has recently announced it will no longer allow the use of full-face snorkel masks on its catamarans due to safety concerns.

www.westhawaiitoday.com

 

[tbrady]

What I fail to see in the instructions for the FF Snorkel Mask is how to clear it. The mask must be completely out of the water entirely to clear it. I've tried several brands and they all fail in this respect. The next thing that happens is the snorkeler inhales the water in the mask after it floods.

 

[Popgun Pete]

These full face masks are for surface swimming and underwater sight-seeing, they are not really for submerging despite what the advert pictures often show. They are basically a fad which will disappear over time. Many "me too" no brand name models have just been designed with no thought of airflow restrictions and rely purely on their looks and buyer ignorance to sell. As the craze went on the big brand name dive equipment companies eventually decided to get in on the act and actually put some thought into their designs with improved airflow, but unless the valves work effectively and all the seals both on the mask and the oro-nasal section are fully effective the separation of inflows and outflows is not guaranteed considering the range of facial shapes using them.

Always on the lookout to create a different marketing advantage we now have an "Electra" mask with a built-in motor driven fan! I am pretty sure these will be in the junk box when the rechargeable battery finally conks out, or the electrics flood, whichever occurs first.