It’s definitely an idea...but it’s a serious solution to a small problem. Kind of like getting surgery for a hangnail. They’re expensive, and require special training (i.e. how to handle a problem with the mask. You have to be able to ditch the mask, switch to a backup reg, while also putting on a backup mask you’re forced to constantly carry with you). I would definitely lean towards less intensive options first...
Yes I agree....a serious solution....but a solution nonetheless. Have you tried diving a ffm? Yes, they are a bit more involved should an issue arise where you're having to doff the mask during a dive, but quite simple to put your octo in and then don a spare mask and only takes seconds to do. During every OW class I've been in, each diver has been required to doff and don a mask, as well as remove and replace a regulator as basic skills before any additional skills were taught/demonstrated. These are things that ANY diver should know how to do, else they have no business being below the surface outside of snorkeling. Secondly, you mentioned that you have to "put on a backup mask you're forced to constantly carry with you." I know many don't, but it is
highly recommended that any diver carry a backup mask with them. Doesn't need to be expensive, doesn't need to be cutting edge technology, just something that works. What happens if someone kicks off your mask during a dive and you can't see it? Your dive is over. And depending on your depth that could potentially induce a heightened sense of....well....I don't want to say panic, but you get the idea. If you have a backup mask, you can quite easily pull it out of a pocket, don and clear it and continue your dive without any further incident, albeit maybe getting angry that you lost a mask. It's even highly possible that since you can still see (because you carried a spare mask) you may even be able to find the one you lost. So I understand completely what you're getting at, but your perceptions are a bit misguided. Let me state emphatically, though...at NO TIME should a diver EVER dive gear they aren't 100% comfortable with. So whether it be a conventional mask or a ffm, if you're not comfortable transitioning between masks, regs, whatever the case may be, then you probably shouldn't be diving that gear.
Special training required? No. Offered? Yes and certainly not a bad idea. But I can say with absolute certainty that formal training isn't something that's absolutely necessary. I never took formal training....rather spent about an hour and a half in the pool running drills until I got confident enough that I could do them without issue during a real dive. And it's paid off. I had just such an issue arise over the summer where an o-ring in my swivel blew causing my primary hose to free flow. Disconnected my primary hose from the ffm (via QD fitting), doffed my ffm, put in my octo, donned the spare mask I had with me, then took it a step further and connected a spare 2ng stage I always carry when diving my ffm then stowed my octo just in case I needed to donate it in an OOA situation. Took less than 30 seconds from start to finish. And I was without air for maybe 2 seconds at best. Again, I've never had formal training on a ffm. So while it's never a bad idea, especially since a lot of shops offer the ffm class free when you purchase a ffm from them, special training isn't required. Practicing in the pool or during training dives....absolutely. Just like any other emergency drill...practice makes perfect and helps develop muscle memory so that in a live event you know exactly how to handle the situation without having to think about it.
So yes, again, a full face mask is a serious solution to what some may perceive as a small problem, but it's all in what makes a dive more enjoyable for the diver. Lack of jaw fatigue is only one benefit of ffm diving. Before you pass final judgement on them....maybe you should try one in the pool and see for yourself.
I kindly step down off my soapbox and yield the floor and the remainder of my time back to the OP.
