At what point would it be recommended to carry a back up mask?

[rick00001967]

I don't have an extra on any cave dive.

i always believed most cave divers carried a spare on them. would you say you were in the minority ?

 

[Julius SCHMIDT]

I don my mask first then pull my hood over my head. The mask strap is protected underneath and the potential of a massive leak due to the hood being caught under the mask seal is essentially eliminated.

The Sally Wahrmann system of mask installation

Suicide Clips

 

[Soloist]

The Sally Wahrmann system of mask installation

 

[Julius SCHMIDT]

"Hi Sally, been a while, how are you, you seem to be having a bit of premature old lady facial growth going on since I saw you last, and also your face is more slender than I remember too, looking good. Nice fishies."

 

[The Chairman]

i always believed most cave divers carried a spare on them. would you say you were in the minority ?

I am. I don't wear any exposure protection in my caves, so I don't have a convenient place to store one. in fact, I've never seen one deployed except in a class setting. When I did carry one, my instructor tapped my mask to indicate that it had to come off. I took it off and went to my backup. He tapped one too. Le sigh. On the surface, he told me he wanted to be sure that I could exit without a mask. It was not even a tiny bit stressful. As soon as I stopped wearing exposure protection, I stopped carrying a mask I've never seen deployed. I see it as a solution looking for a problem.

 

[Jack Hammer]

For rec diving a backup mask on you is unlikely to be needed. I still carry one only because it lives in my drysuit pocket. Which came in handy last week as my mask failed, lens separated from skirt, on the surface at the start of a 50'/15m dive. Having one in my pocket was convenient. Over the years I've donated it to some one whose strap broke and needed it on more advanced dives. Again, for most basic OW diving, it can be convenient to have in your pocket but in reality most people will never need it.

 

[Daniel M. Thomas]

I used to be concerned about the possibility and consequences of a mask strap failure during a dive. Not anymore. A few yeas ago during a typical Cozumel backroll entry my mask strap flipped up and off the back of my (hooded) head. The mask remained glued to my face for the entire dive while the strap was precariously flopping around in the ripping current. I was completely clueless until I effortlessly popped off my mask when back on the boat. Since that time I don my mask first then pull my hood over my head. The mask strap is protected underneath and the potential of a massive leak due to the hood being caught under the mask seal is essentially eliminated.

very smart. going to give this a try next time i go diving.

 

[KenGordon]

I don’t know what I’m more surprised at - someone having the cajones to ask to borrow gear from someone they didn’t know or that you actually loaned it. You’re more generous than I am. I generally don’t loan stuff to someone I don’t know. The one exception was a backup dive computer to someone I buddied with.

I was once getting practice by joining a course. One of the actual students broke a fin strap so I gave him my fins so the lesson could proceed and accosted a random diver who’d just got out and borrowed his fins. I gave them back later in the cafe. This was at a large inland site which uses mini buses to transport divers from near the cafe/car park/gas room down to the water level of a half full quarry, nipping back for fins, mask, computer is a proper hassle.

 

[CT-Rich]

I don’t know what I’m more surprised at - someone having the cajones to ask to borrow gear from someone they didn’t know or that you actually loaned it. You’re more generous than I am. I generally don’t loan stuff to someone I don’t know. The one exception was a backup dive computer to someone I buddied with.

I had someone give me a spare mouth piece when mine had a rip. I offered to pay him for it he refused. Ever since, I always try to be generous with loaning gear, always trying to pay it forward. It sucks to scrub a dive for something minor. I have a pretty good save a dive kit and the good diving karma needs to be shared.

 

[Chavodel8en]

If you dive enough, and you dont need any specific mask, you might luck into your backup mask.

Thats how I got my backup mask. Found it, posted its loss, nobody claimed it.

I actually made it my primary mask because I liked how it fit better.

Mostly I find snorkels however.

Edit - actually, I think finding lost gear is more common for shore diving sites, so maybe doesnt help you.