Diving with Mike Nelson

[Zieg]

Has any one ever see Mile Nelson in a flotation device like a B.C., Horse Collar, Safety Vest or even a flotation balloon, anyone

He did have those cool CO2 inflated marker buoys.

 

[unclejoe11101]

May be showing my age (51) but this was the only way I was taught "vest 3"(doff and don in water for a hopelessly loss / tangled 2nd stage)I learned it was not to be done out of water too dangerous.I was also taught not to put my mask on my fore head because it would fog and could come off easy.So whats the bit about it being "a panic sign"? I was O/W 1983 Rescue in 84.

 

[TMHeimer]

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I have no idea how the panic thing got going. I have not seen a panicked diver yet (knock wood), but I will take everyone's word that they spit out the reg, push the mask onto the forehead and splash like crazy. Walking into the water with your mask on your forehead is the easiest way to see those slippery rocks and seaweed. When you're ready to don the fins you carry, it is a quick onehanded move to get the mask down onto your face. Someone sitting on a boat with mask on forehead is also not panicking. Perhaps it's just a thing that evolved over time that everyone just believes is right and accepts. Kind of like seatbelt and helmet laws. Just one of those things.....

 

[diverdoug1]

When diving a single tank, I use the over the head technique.

 

[boulderjohn]

I have no idea how the panic thing got going.

I have a theory that I am pretty sure is absolutely true because it follows a pattern that is extremely common in the way misconceptions of concepts naturally develop. We begin with a well-conceived and well-explained concept that includes a number of interrelated factors. Gradually the original full concept is reduced to a bulleted list of the factors, with the interrelation lost. If you read a full description of what a panicked diver might look like, you see a combination of factors, such as you describe in the rest of your post. Equipment rejection, which may result in a mask askew on the forehead, is one of them. When the list of signs of panic is reduced to a bulleted list, a mask on the forehead is on the list. The idea that it should be viewed in the context of other factors rather than a clear sign all by itself is lost.

The next step is that only one instructor somewhere has to say that to all of his or her students, and like a chain mail letter it soon infects thousands of people who hear it.

 

[diverdoug1]

When using the old style big oval masks, putting them up on your forehead was way more comfortable than putting them down below your chin.

 

[nimoh]

I have been a divemaster in quite a few classes, and every class seems to have a few divers that get caught by the instructor putting their mask on their forehead. In every case the instructor makes some clever joke about how he/she thought the diver was panicking, and one instructor commonly even goes so far as to start rescuing the student to make his point.

However, also in every case, it is completely clear that the student is not panicking, and everyone around recognizes this. So it makes me wonder why it is such a big deal to put your mask on your forehead? Perhaps in rare situations, a diver may come to the surface in shock and put their mask on their forehead, be totally unresponsive to surface signals and be in sort of a passive panic mode, although my guess is that there is an equal chance they may leave their mask on, but still need help.

I don't wear my mask on my forehead for the simple reason that, it is the way I was taught and it will make me look like I don't know what I'm doing, even though I think it is the most comfortable place to wear a mask when not on your face. Instead, I take my mask off and put it on backwards so that the mask is on the back of my head and I have been doing this for so long, that I think if I ever come to the surface panicked, muscle memory will likely kick in, and I will put the mask on the back of my head without thinking

 

[TMHeimer]

I agree with nimoh. Another common line is--"You owe mw a beer if your mask is on your forehead". I have talked with a DMC who said even he, (when a DMC) once "owed a beer". And thank you boulderjohn for putting my reasoning into exact words.

 

[boulderjohn]

I
The next step is that only one instructor somewhere has to say that to all of his or her students, and like a chain mail letter it soon infects thousands of people who hear it.

I have been a divemaster in quite a few classes, and every class seems to have a few divers that get caught by the instructor putting their mask on their forehead. In every case the instructor makes some clever joke about how he/she thought the diver was panicking, and one instructor commonly even goes so far as to start rescuing the student to make his point.

However, also in every case, it is completely clear that the student is not panicking, and everyone around recognizes this.

Your instructors are doing their level best to make sure a silly myth is perpetuated forever.

Some day some of those students will become instructors, and they will repeat it with their students. This madness will never stop.

You can do your part to end this silliness if you ever get to be an instructor. I do my part by telling students the whole truth, culminating with the statement that it is indeed an oft repeated myth, so when they hear it themselves, they should know it isn't true. If any of my students become instructors, hopefully they will help balance out the others.

 

[Laurie S.]

It is ridiculous, and I will wear my mask in whatever manner I choose. I had to follow the instructions when I was getting certified, but now I have my own boat and I wear my mask on my forehead and haven't panicked once. If I'm worrying that another diver is starting to panic, having their mask on the forehead is the last signal I will go by.