full face mask leak

[aga mk2]

I have been using an aga mk2 mask for some time now and other divers have said that I have been leaking air from the seal around my neoprene hood I. I whonder if any one can give me eny advice with what hood to wear when using my aga

any advice would be most helpfull
thank you

 

[TheFoggyMask]

There seem to be a couple of posts floating around about full face masks by divers with 16-50 dives, according to their information. While I can't answer your question....someone want to explain to me what you're doing with a full face mask? Toy collection? Fashion? Face hugger protection?

 

[rmediver2002]

Viking makes a neoprene hood with a latex edge for sealing.

Also make sure you do not over-tighten your temple straps (this is often the cause of a leaking seal)

 

[cummings66]

While I don't dive an AGA mask I have tried it as a demo and I dive with divers that do. The positive pressure mask can leak like that if you have a seal that's not perfect, the nature of the beast as far as I can tell with a neoprene hood. You can get a better seal by different hoods. I dive a Viking rubber suit and the AGA mask seals very well on the dry hood they use, I've seen a diver who rubberized his neoprene hood to stop a leak for what it's worth.

As to why you'd dive one, try it and see. In 37F degree water a full face mask is very nice and comfortable, you be surprised at how well you do with it. No more numb lips or face for starters, lower air consumption because your comfortable for example. If you dive Nitrox it's safer if you pass out.

So how many dives do you think a person needs before they try a full face mask? Keep in mind that the number of dives displayed which a person has is broken now, take your profile for example which has none and mine which is inaccurate as well.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Many neoprene hoods have a skin side on the inside which allows the hood to be turned inside out to provide a surface for the mask to seal on -although you may beed to fill and smooth the seam with black plastic rubber. Some neoprene hoods have smooth neoprene on both sides and are made for use with FFM's.

Option two is to trim the hood so it fits inside the hood and allows the mask to seal to your face. Trim slowly as you want to remove just enough to allow the hood to sit over the top of the seal on the mask.

My larger concern with FFM's is the number of divers with well over 50 dives who do not carry a backup mask, and/or have not practiced switching to it under water - which is required if they are going to share gas or use their octo.

Positive pressure FFM's also seem to appear frequently in rec diving as they commonly used in commercial and public safety diving and the logic is if it works there, it must be the best for rec diving. That is not actually the case and if you don't dive in the very few circumstances where positive pressure is beneficial, it's a liability for you as it greatly increases gas consumption and in the worst case gives you that wonderful bottom of the aquarium air stone look.

 

[cummings66]

I agree that many divers with FFM's do not practice the skills to remove the mask, insert backup air source, and then get their backup mask on and clear it.

Worse yet, they do it in a nice comfy pool and not in the water where it's 40 degee's. I've done it in the pool, and I've done it in the quarry and let me tell you the quarry temps make you wish you didn't have to do it. Going from nice toasty warm to freezing your lips off is a shock and a half. However it's a skill you NEED to know and be able to do.

For me the hardest part of the drill is getting the FFM back on with no leaks without spending lots of time tinkering with it. Funny how it's easy on top, harder under.

 

[airsix]

While I can't answer your question....someone want to explain to me what you're doing with a full face mask? Toy collection? Fashion? Face hugger protection?

I want a new SB rule. No smart-@ss comments about FFM use unless you are a FFM user. Comments like the above expose a lot of ignorance. Beyond the warm waters of Hawaii there are many diving environments that call for the use of a FFM. Try a high-current S&R ice dive in a Colorado river without a FFM and see how long before you can't even hold a regulator between your frozen lips. And to the implication that you have to have many dives before using a FFM, my reply is you train with the equipment you're going to be using. If someone is training to be a public service diver for example, shouldn't they train & practice with the same equipment they'll be using on the job?

-Ben M.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Try a high-current S&R ice dive in a Colorado river without a FFM and see how long before you can't even hold a regulator between your frozen lips.

Having dove in more than one swift flowing ice cold river, I have pondered the value of developing a "current chill" index much like a "wind chill" index as a current definitely does make a difference in very cold water.

FFM's also allow voice communication underwater whether that water is warm or cold. And while talking does increase air consumption, especially if you do not plan and time what you are going to say to fit most efficiently into your breathing cycle, it is becoming much more mainstream and common in recreational diving.

Personally having dove for years with my (now-ex) wife as a buddy, I still appreciate the silence of the deep without voice communication.

 

[TheFoggyMask]

I want a new SB rule. No smart-@ss comments about FFM use unless you are a FFM user. Comments like the above expose a lot of ignorance. Beyond the warm waters of Hawaii there are many diving environments that call for the use of a FFM. Try a high-current S&R ice dive in a Colorado river without a FFM and see how long before you can't even hold a regulator between your frozen lips. And to the implication that you have to have many dives before using a FFM, my reply is you train with the equipment you're going to be using. If someone is training to be a public service diver for example, shouldn't they train & practice with the same equipment they'll be using on the job?

-Ben M.

Calm your balls, it was a legitimate question. Full face masks aren't cheap and I saw no indication of his location or occupation to explain it. I'm glad that I got an answer to my question all the same. I want a new SB rule, shutup. Comments like the above expose a lot of idiocy.

 

[airsix]

....someone want to explain to me what you're doing with a full face mask? Toy collection? Fashion? Face hugger protection?

and then...

Calm your balls, it was a legitimate question.

Grandma always said "It isn't what you say, it's how you say it." You may have asked a legitimate question but you asked it in a presumptuous and condecending manner that implied aga_mk2 shouldn't have the mask to begin with - something you have NO credible evidence of.

I'm going to assume that aga_mk2 has a legitimate reason to be using a FFM until presented with evidence to the contrary. (Edited by author to remove inflamitory comment)

-Ben M.