Diving with full facemask

[CindyMac]

My husband and I just purchased the Guardian FFM for each of us with the comm units. We are awaiting their arrival. Yes, there is some pool time/learning involved. Ditching, clearing, and re-donning underwater as well as equalizing. The Guardian does have an ambient valve to breathe outside air until you are ready to descend.

We were able to wear one in the store, so we both know it's a comfortable fit for both of us. I like it because more of me is covered. Then there is that thing that if one of us should lose consciousness for whatever reason (both of us are medical professionals), at least the ability to breathe is maintained.

I'll tell you how it went when we get to use them!

 

[cloudflint]

Ive used an old Avon full face mask a few times, this was partly to help with freezing cold water on the face but mainly just to try it for its own sake. Definitely worth doing a course since there are certain things that need to be taken into consideration when diving these things that you might not think of until you are underwater

 

[ben_wilson3301]

Major benefits, ice diving for warmth, and public safety for communication. Downsides are numerous, but they do have their place.

 

[covediver]

people raise good points here pro and con. you are not going to know if it is for you until you try it. to try it, I would suggest a full face mask specialty course. I don't usually recommend courses for picking up skills, such as boat diving, night diving, etc. as it is often just as easy to team with an experienced diver. For me, the FFM skill is different, one in which i would like formal training because of the complexity of the skills. The problem may be finding a shop and instructor that offer the specialty. I have been looking on line lately, there are not many of them.

 

[lankeylanx]

My wife and myself both dive the OTS Guardian FFM. Many years ago we did a shark dive somewhere with the AGA and later decided to purchase a pair, IMO we both find the Guardians very comfortable and easier to dive then a regular mask and 2nd stage. Assisting with training dives with students I use traditional equipment and am always happy to go back to my FFM. I have tried the ocean reef, AGA and divator and found them to either have too much volume or not seal well.

While I feel official specialty training is not required I do recommend at the very least practicing donning and doffing of the mask while swimming around the pool, and doffing to your secondary and back. Practice should repeat until it is as easy as doing the skill with a standard 2nd stage and mask.

IMO FFM's used to be a commercial/PSD only tool, but with the recent changes in their design are practical for recreational divers. The guardian FFM's we use makes diving for us more comfortable and relaxing, which is what diving should be. However be prepared for constant questions about it, whether you're diving wrecks in NJ or reefs in Bonaire.

 

[Texasguy]

How do you access your nose when you need to pressurize?

 

[Diver0001]

How do you access your nose when you need to pressurize?

It has little knobs or stumps on the inside that close off your nostrils when you push the mask up.

R..

 

[craneman61]

We recently went to the ocean reef g4. Not alot to diving with them really easy. The field of view is great and with a little practice they breath pretty well. We have surface air valve to conserve air and adjustable regulator. The mask is almost impossible to flood but if water does get in it clears really fast. We set our first stage up with two hoses with QDs one for the mask (black) and one (yellow) for buddy breathing. We still have our BC AAS as back-up. I don't think I will ever change my dive buddy since I been married to her for 21 years so this is our standard set up.
My first dive I did't get any water in at all. Mainly practiced regulator control. We put our old regulators on QDs in case we need them. Gonna get som more practice in with our new FFM before we head to Roatan in October.

 

[Texasguy]

What did you find you could do with a full face mask that you were unable to do with the regular setup?

Have you tried voice communication?

 

[manni-yunk]

Why I dove a FFM 85% of the time:

1) Never fogs
2) Never floods
3) easier to breath with NO jaw fatigue
4) Communications adds an unmeasurable degree of safety (both to the surface and my buddy in the water)
5) If you, for some unknown reason, do manage to become unconscience, I believe you have a much higher chance of survival.



Sure - some of this is paranoid thinking - - - but to call it a crutch or training problem is not understanding he advantages. Even the early tech divers that wrote the first roudns of books agree.


Im a huge fan of it.


That being said - it requires more training...but once you learn how to don and doff, its easy. Also - if you are doing gas switching - it adds complexities.



My dive buddy and I use it almost all the time.

---------- Post Merged at 06:43 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 06:41 PM ----------

IMO, they are an unreliable gimmick. A skills crutch. I haven't dove one myself but I have a buddy that I trust who has and he says it was a POS.

Good buddy skills, hand signals, stay close together, use wet wipes and you should be good to go.

I adamently disagree.....but I find it funny that you say this, and call it a skills crutch.....then admit youve never dove one. Seems odd to comment with no actual knowledge.....