Goatie

[ekiledjian]

Hi guys,

I have 9 dives now and have a question. I have to purge by mask every 2-3 minutes because water comes in from my goatie. [Please don't tell me to shave it ;-) ]

I tried Vaseline but in the water of the caribean, it quickly melts into the water.

HELP :06:

 

[Far_X]

I have a goatee and had problems initially. My first bit of snorkeling I did with it was a nightmare!! I don't have any problems now and I don't use vaseline or anything else. I tend not to trim my moustache at least a week before I dive (if I remember correctly) and keep it on the longer side rather than short but it could be that the mask is more moulded to the structure of my face and is a better fit. The only time I get water in my mask is if I physically shift it when in the water. I think keep using is the answer - wear it to work even

 

[darylm74]

I have one as wel and I have problems with it. I typicaly shave it before diving and let it grow back out throughout the week, though mine grows very quickly, so easy for me to do. I dove this past Sunday without shaving it and after I got my mask adjusted a bit more, I had no problems with it. Think Far_X has the right idea, let it wear into place.

 

[Pillow]

It may not have any thing to do with your mustache. Have thought about smile lines?
They are the lines in your face thatgo form the outside of your mouth to the oustside of your nose. I wear a fill beard. I try and remember to trim about 1/8 inch below my nose. I do not always do this. What I do always try and do is spread some silicone grease under my nose but also to the right and left a few inches where the mask meets my face.

Try and make sure that yo have no hair from the top of the mask and make sure that your hood is out of the way.

When I start having flooding during a dive I stop and tighten my straps, clear my mask and then inhale through my nose putting a little vacum on the mask.

I am sure that you will figure it out in time. One benefit when you flood like we do you get alot of practice early on clearing you mask.

 

[DandyDon]

Yes, well - first, stop wearing your mask on your chin. Even if you get it to seal, you can't see worth caca. :frlol:

Now, if you guys are talking about moustaches... ?

I have one as wel and I have problems with it. I typicaly shave it before diving and let it grow back out throughout the week, though mine grows very quickly, so easy for me to do. I dove this past Sunday without shaving it and after I got my mask adjusted a bit more, I had no problems with it. Think Far_X has the right idea, let it wear into place.

The problem with this for some guys (you're a guy, I presume) is that if your's grows back bristly, it can actually be worse with short, stout hairs that won't lie down. Here are some pointers:

(1) Get a mask that fits well. Suck in thru your nose, and it should stay on your face (around your eyes) without a strap.

(2) Use silicone grease. Vasoline will harm your mask, and silicone seals better anyway, lasts longer.

(3) Shave 1/4 inch between your nose and the rest of the moustache, and try fitting it there.

(4) Adjust the position of your strap. If I wear mine too high, it'll pull it off of position.

But the first thing I had to do with my leaker was replace my cheap, sporting goods store plastic mask with a good one, silicone skirts, from a dive store.

Hope this helps.

 

[Daryl Morse]

I have 9 dives now and have a question. I have to purge by mask every 2-3 minutes because water comes in from my goatie. [Please don't tell me to shave it ;-)]

I tried Vaseline but in the water of the caribean, it quickly melts into the water.

HELP :06:

I wear a goatie and I used to have mask leakage problems before I got a mask that fits properly. I tried lots of different types before I found one that fit. I still have a bit of leakage, but not much.

 

[voop]

I've got a full beard, growing longer or shorter depending on if I've been in the mood of trimming it for a while. I get very little water in my mask -- or in most masks that I've tried, for that matter. I am not sure that facial hair is necessarilly that much of an issue.

I do not do anything in particular (grease, trimming etc) to the mustache to make it work. I am suspecting that "facial features" are more of an issue?

I think that (outside of teaching, that is) that I have to clear my mask 2-3 times during a typical dive, or so.

 

[pasley]

I wear a mustashe and I trim 1/8 to 1/4 undeer my nose and then apply silicone liberally to my upper lip. Works well. Now my last dive the mask leaked constantly and eventually I checked my strap and I had it too far up on top of my head which was causing the leak, moved the strap down more on the back of my head and had no problems after that.

One of the points worth looking at is maybe you need a differnet mask. One theory of mine is that we really try on the mask wrong at the store. We put them on and check for leaks. Ok, but we are SCUBA diving, that means we have a regulator in our mouths. That changes the contour lines of our face! Try a mask at the store with a snorkle in your mouth, or at least the mouth piece until you find one that fits right.

 

[matt_unique]

Hi guys,

I have 9 dives now and have a question. I have to purge by mask every 2-3 minutes because water comes in from my goatie. [Please don't tell me to shave it ;-) ]

I tried Vaseline but in the water of the caribean, it quickly melts into the water.

HELP :06:

Most dives I can get a good seal but some days (last weekend) my mask leaks constantly. I tried shaving below the nose and the silicone and it did not work for me. If I am doing a challenging dive I will just shave my mustache down (not to flat skin but close). It grows back in a few days.

--Matt

 

[SueMermaid]

Oh, you were talking about...nevermind. :05: