Do you dive with a spare mask?

[Crush]

I wonder how many people would change their mind about being maskless in cold water vs warm water. I can barely open my eyes diving local cold water and it hurts. Yet in the tropics can freely swim around without a mask on and be perfectly comfortable. I have free dove plenty in warm water with just shorts on. Few would be caught in the ocean here without full exposure protection.

I made that observation here: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/5790392-post8.html . I guess that I may not need a spare in warm water, but since I take a spare for the bulk of my (limited) diving (in cold water) I feel a bit naked without a spare in warm water.

 

[ianr33]

My DSMB has a finder spool attached to it with 1 knot at 10 feet, 2 knots at 20 feet, 3 at 30 and 4 at 40. The spool line has never snagged when deployed (the knots are small). I can deploy the DSMB and rise slowly until I hit the knots, slow my ascent even further when at 30 feet, hit the 20 foot mark, count to 180, then rise to the surface.

That's a good strategy. Not sure it would work on a real big dive though:

<<<It was the 520 foot dive, I lost my watch on the dive and I wound up counting all my deeper stops from 260 fsw in my head. Fortunately, I've known CPR since I was 16, so that second, " one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, three-one-thousand..." is ingrained in my memory; but when your talking about a thirty minute stop, you're counting on your fingers. Eventually my safety diver, Mary Ellen Eckoff, who's probably one of the best cave divers in the world, and by far the best female, came to check on me at my 80 foot stop and brought me a watch.>>
Sheck Exley

 

[DennisW]

I've never seen the need. Been diving since 1988.

 

[Mayor]

I have the pockets on the dry suit and wet suit. Why not carry one on all dives.

 

[markmantei]

Crush, thanks for your opinion, I tend to agree. I don't dive with a spare mask, but am reconsidering that for cold water, or at least having a spare mask for the buddy team. Someone a few pages back suggested using the audible alert on the computer, but that doesn't work for cold water with a thick hood, I've never heard either of my computers with my hood on.

 

[Pullmyfinger]

I carry one. It fits easily in my thigh pocket, so there it stays. I've never needed to use it due to a lost mask or anything, except for practice. I have loaned it to a diver that forgot to bring theirs.

-Mitch

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

I always make the joke in class for why we remove and replace our mask- "In case your mask falls apart underwater, you can put it back together, replace, and clear."

But then one of students finished his course adn dove with us the next week on his first big boy dive. He descended to 16 meters, he and his buddy started off along the reef, and five minutes in, plink- his entire mask frame fell apart..... Wierdest thing Ever. He calmly caught all the pieces and tried to put them back together. No dice. His buddy pulled out the spare mask and all was fine. Mask pieces now in pocket, dive was finished. And Chris has a great story instead of a sucky first independent dive. Chris always has a spare now. Mine doesn't really take up much room, so I carry it, even on rec dives.

My mask got torn on a Fla vaca dive when a tank got knocked over. Flooded mask the whole dive. On vaca, I did not have my spare..... I finished the dive because I actually see really well under water without a mask, but still. So I had to buy a new one on vaca to finish my other dives.

 

[AP_3]

I have seen a few people lately discuss having a spare mask in a pocket while diving. Is this the status quo to dive with an extra mask or is this considered overkill to most? And I am not talking about having an extra mask in your gear bag topside.

You should if you're solo diving, deco diving, or any other overhead environment. Esp if you have to get out of a wreck and track your computer for deco stop. You can get a cheap enough mask ($14) since [hopefully] you'll never really use it. Also, I've seen people jump off a boat into rough seas, lose the mask on impact (shame on them!) and struggle to get to and on the ladder to get back on-board! It happens...

 

[Griffo]

When I am diving in water at 20C (70F) I can read my gauges well enough without a mask so a spare is not necessary. When I am in water at 4C (40F) then it really hurts to keep my eyes open underwater, complicating a mask-less safe ascent.

Can you really read your gauges? I tried recently, and I have a 2.5" SPG and a dive comp with very large bright numbers, and I still could't read them.

 

[Paulmal]

I keep a spare mask in a pair of scuba shorts (the xcess scuba pair with pockets) on most dives. I just put the mask in there for tech diving but don't bother taking it out furring rec dives. I figure it can't hurt and it's good practice.