full face mask with comm

[divemasrter]

hay has anyone had any bad experince with a full face mask with comm cause I'm looking to by one and want to get more info on them thanks

 

[DM_cappie]

Try looking at the Ocean Reef site or subforum, I have a Neptune Space and couldnt be happier. I was very hesitent about getting one untill our LDS did a demo on them and I "saw the light". I found them to be very comfortable and work great. Personally it reminded me of the first time I ever took a breath on scuba. It was such a shock to not have a reg hanging out of my mouth, and to be able to breath through my nose.

 

[manni-yunk]

I looked into this EXTENSIVELY about 1.5 years ago. Im not saying that the others are bad - but the OTS guardian with buddy phone is what you want. It has a double seal, so it is much more likely to fit a variety of faces. It has a customizeable nose block so it will allow anyone to be able to clear their ears - and - their COMMS are without question the best in the business as seen on almost every military and gov application.

Seal around your face is VERY important and I think the guardian has the best seal(s) in the business.

I bought a couple of them thinking that we would use them for the "tie in" diver(s) to be able to tell the boat that we are tied to the wreck. BUT - after a couple dives I fell in love with it. I love breathing through my nose if I want to. I feel more relaxed. Cold water has much less effect on me. And - the COMMS are great. We dont chatter to much - but being able to talk to the boat, or to a buddy while diving really makes the dive more enjoyable and I believe adds an extra element of safety.

I went to BTS 2 years ago with the intention of evaluating all of the available FFMs. After holding everything in the market in my hand - the guardian feels MUCH more robust. It seems much more durable.

 

[curtis81]

do you use more air ?

 

[danvolker]

hay has anyone had any bad experince with a full face mask with comm cause I'm looking to by one and want to get more info on them thanks

Some woman recently had an incident at the BHB with one....the full face mask began leaking, and she freaked out...
For the typical diver that is not comfortble taking a mask and reg off underwater, and changing to other ones, this is problematic.

This person was not able to think about buddy options, it was just a rush for the surface.

Even without panic, this limits your choices as to what you will do if there is a gear problem.

My advice is to avoid the full face mask direction, unless you have some "mission specific" reason you have to use one.
If you are a Divemaster, this will limit your options in helping others. If all you need to do is to talk underwater, there are other better options for comminicating with a group of new divers you are leading.

 

[manni-yunk]

Some woman recently had an incident at the BHB with one....the full face mask began leaking, and she freaked out...
For the typical diver that is not comfortble taking a mask and reg off underwater, and changing to other ones, this is problematic.

This person was not able to think about buddy options, it was just a rush for the surface.

Even without panic, this limits your choices as to what you will do if there is a gear problem.

My advice is to avoid the full face mask direction, unless you have some "mission specific" reason you have to use one.
If you are a Divemaster, this will limit your options in helping others. If all you need to do is to talk underwater, there are other better options for comminicating with a group of new divers you are leading.

WOW - I strongly disagree. First of all - with a good FFM, a leak is unnoticeable. The good ones are positive pressure or semi -positive pressure. So even a leaky mask is a nuisance at best. You will go through air faster - nothing else. I can dive with my ambient breathing valve open for the entire dive and never flood the mask.

Second - sounds like that woman was not trained.


Third- If there is a better way of communicating than TALKING......I assume you use that method on the boat, and all day long on land as well.


Forth - My mask in no way limits what happens in the event of a gear problem. If geared properly (back up reg and spare mask)and trained properly - FFM are more safe, IMO.

FFM does require training - BUT - with very simple training, I can remove my mask and go to a back up reg and mask in under 5 seconds. - Then back to the FFM in under 5 seconds. Its surprisingly easy.


I believe that the ability to communicate with those on the boat - as well as the ability to talk to those in the water is VASTLY underestimated. I also believe, as referenced by several respected dive authors, that if there were more FFMS used - some dive accidents that are likely deadly today - could be survived on a more frequent basis. The ability to continue breathing if you pass out. The ability to breath during a medical event - say a heart attack - and the ability of a someone in the water to talk to those topside to prepare for an emergency on its way to the surface - and those are all potential improvements, in my eyes, to our industry.

FFM are nothing to fear....with proper training....JUST LIKE EVERYTHING else in SCUBA diving.

 

[danvolker]

WOW - I strongly disagree. First of all - with a good FFM, a leak is unnoticeable. The good ones are positive pressure or semi -positive pressure. So even a leaky mask is a nuisance at best. You will go through air faster - nothing else. I can dive with my ambient breathing valve open for the entire dive and never flood the mask.

Second - sounds like that woman was not trained.


Third- If there is a better way of communicating than TALKING......I assume you use that method on the boat, and all day long on land as well.


Forth - My mask in no way limits what happens in the event of a gear problem. If geared properly (back up reg and spare mask)and trained properly - FFM are more safe, IMO.

FFM does require training - BUT - with very simple training, I can remove my mask and go to a back up reg and mask in under 5 seconds. - Then back to the FFM in under 5 seconds. Its surprisingly easy.


I believe that the ability to communicate with those on the boat - as well as the ability to talk to those in the water is VASTLY underestimated. I also believe, as referenced by several respected dive authors, that if there were more FFMS used - some dive accidents that are likely deadly today - could be survived on a more frequent basis. The ability to continue breathing if you pass out. The ability to breath during a medical event - say a heart attack - and the ability of a someone in the water to talk to those topside to prepare for an emergency on its way to the surface - and those are all potential improvements, in my eyes, to our industry.

FFM are nothing to fear....with proper training....JUST LIKE EVERYTHING else in SCUBA diving.

The key difference in our ideas is in the expectation of training levels.....I am expecting most divers in a forum question like this, to have typical OW training, and these will not have the skill sets they will need to be safe or helpful to others--even at DM level.

Show me a population of divers that were trained on the full face mask from inception, and I will be fine with them being a dive master or tour guide of a group, using this equipment.

 

[manni-yunk]

The key difference in our ideas is in the expectation of training levels.....I am expecting most divers in a forum question like this, to have typical OW training, and these will not have the skill sets they will need to be safe or helpful to others--even at DM level.

Show me a population of divers that were trained on the full face mask from inception, and I will be fine with them being a dive master or tour guide of a group, using this equipment.

Ok - good point and it makes sense. I guess I look at things differently than most. When I got my mask - I had several pool sessions before I felt comfortable to even go to the quarry - then several quarry sessions before the ocean. Then - I did drills in the ocean before I took it deep. I wanted to be proficient at every skill with it before making it part of my every day dive gear. I assume anyone making a gear change would/should do that.

 

[james croft]

hay has anyone had any bad experince with a full face mask with comm cause I'm looking to by one and want to get more info on them thanks

Stay away from the ocean reef masks. They cannot compete with well designed ffm such as the AGA, Kirby Morgans, and Guardians. You will never see the military or public safety diving teams using Ocean Reef masks for example. I am assuming you want wireless comm. I would recomment OTS units as they work well.

If you must dive ocean reefs you will find a ton of them for sale used by folks who have tried them and then switched to better FFM.

 

[manni-yunk]

do you use more air ?

No. I think that is a myth. IF....the mask does not fit well - it will leak air out and can give the perception that you used more air. IF....you are a chatty Kathy....you can use more air.

In general - my sac is the same as it was pre mask since my mask fits well and we dont talk a lot.


If you think about it logically - there is no reason you should use more air just by changing the breathing mechanism. Its a bad seal that gives that perception.... Get the fit right, and you wont use more air, at least in my experience.