Backup mask choices

[jbm]

packs flat and fits great.....

jbm

 

[solo_diver]

you can't use swimming goggles too deep, no way equalize them. in a mask you can add a little air from your nose as it squeezes around your face.

 

[Squalus]

I use the same I dive with, little inconvenience but it fits in. As for goggles really not a good idea, can't clear or equalize them.

 

[Nemrod]

I don't use a backup mask. I only solo dive in open water, no deco conditions, no overhead or caves. If I loose my mask I just surface. This has only happened once when the strap clip failed on an older mask. I just held the mask to my face. After a bit that became annoying so I stuck it under my harness and headed for the sky. N

 

[pharmguy]

Out of curiosity has anyone ever tried to use swimming goggles U/W? I think that it'd be quite hard to clear them - but if you could would they give enough visibility to read your gauges/computer? If they did - they are tiny to stow away - they'd take up far less room than any type of mask. (Maybe this is a lousy idea - I'm just interested what others might think!!)

Tried this in 4-5 ft of water. I didn't try to clear the goggles. Yeah you can see - no worse than opening your eyes in a pool. I sure wouldn't try this in sea water though - ouch. I wear contacts and found the experience very uncomfortable - increased task loading beyond my comfort level.

I was exhaling from my nose to keep the water out but I don't think it would be feasible for a safety stop.

I have a Tusa Imprex hyperdry mask - it was the only thing that fit my face. With the nose purge I don't worry about clearing, as long as the mask semi-seals I can pump enough air through my nose to clear the mask without a problem. I have lost it at 60+ feet (bad buddy experience!) and was lucky enough to be able to grab it before it disappeared.

I am thinking about attaching (velcro) an extra mask to my pony - right after I label the tank STROKE.

Jason

 

[CBalloch]

Like to hear what some of you carry...

Ocieanic Shadow. It is frameless and low volume. Easy to tuck away.

 

[bluemagoo]

I haven't used it myself but the Cressi Minima is extremely low-vol and packable. It's used a lot by the extreme freediver crowd. I do occasionally pack as backup my freediving mask which is a AQA/Kinugawa GULL model which is very vol and has great Japanese-made optical lenses. The only importer I know of is in Honolulu: AQA Water Sprts Eqmt, 808-845-3202.

 

[No Fish]

I carry an oceanic mini-shadow.

 

[Michael Freeman]

A little off thread/subject, but has anyone tried that bubble lens shaped mask? (HydroOptix ~ http://scubatoys.com/store/Scuba_Masks.asp?PAGE=3 )

It looked a little wild to me and the plastic lens seem a little cheap, but it shows a huge field of view. Just curious if this is a waste of money or actually useful.

 

[redacted]

You can't use swimming goggles because you can't clear them. Once you put them on underwater, then what? You will still have water trapped between your eyes and the glass.

I have played around with swimming goggles and they will do the job if that job is to safely ascend and be able to moniter gauges. But it will take some serious practice if that is the route you choose to go. After you put them on under water, you need to look down at about a 45 degree angle, slightly crack the lower part of each goggle, and exhale slowly thru your nose. The idea is to ge the bubbles to run up you cheek close to your nose and into your eyes/goggles. It probably will not work well on the first try, but you will get the hang of it. You will be able to trap enough air in the goggles (only one lens really needed to see. As you ascend, that bubble will get larger so vision will just get better.

Added advantage of this technique is your dive buddy get to practice skillo involving laughing underwater as he watches you practice. It may sound easy but frequent mask flooding and even some regulator flooding are likely to occur.

If equalization is a problem you are doing something seriously wrong. Like descending!!!