how come the mask will move up and down during a dive

[cool79]

my wife is complaining that her mask is moving up and down during her dive and she has to keep holding on her mask during the dive.

the fit is ok, i asked her to inhale while the mask is on her face and the fit is ok.

does she need to tighten the mask more?

on one dive, she tried another mask that the DM passed to her, and she doesn't have the issue.

in the past dive, i saw that she is breathing out from her nose, air is escaping out from the top of the mask.

currently she is using Oceanic shadow. the DM passed her was TUSA Concero and she does not have complete.

during her OWC, she was using Mares X-Vision and she does not have that issue too.

 

[live_2_dive]

Make sure the strap is correctly fitted first. If the mask fits her face it won't do any good if the strap is too loose or too tight.

And definitely if she is exhaling from her nose that can (and will) cause the seal to break every time.


-------------------------------------------
PADI Rescue/DM 09100Z7445
Dr Dive/Wet Dream/Sea Cobra/Y-Knot/H2OBelow

Diving is my passion...I live to dive!

 

[Rich Keller]

If you use a snorkel then you should have one in your mouth when you are testing the mask for fit, this tends to be the most common mistake people make when testing for fit. If you have a proper fit tightening the mask should not be necessary and can in some cases create the problem you are trying to avoid. You also need to have the strap in the proper place on your head, having it too high or too low could be causing the problem. Air coming from the top of the mask could also be from having hair under the seal. I would shop for a new mask with a better fit and a purge valve if she dose a lot of exhaling from her nose.

PS: Even if you do not use a snorkel you should have a reg in your mouth when testing for fit.

 

[spectrum]

Is there a hood involved here? If so the exhaling though the mask may be loading the hood with a big bubble that is making her mask strap squirm. If the hood is not vented it may need a few well placed vent holes. If the fit is sloppy it may need some tailoring. Different mask skirts will play differently with a hood boundary and that could be part of the difference observed. And of course she needs to stop exhaling though the mask.

Pete

 

[cool79]

If you use a snorkel then you should have one in your mouth when you are testing the mask for fit, this tends to be the most common mistake people make when testing for fit. If you have a proper fit tightening the mask should not be necessary and can in some cases create the problem you are trying to avoid. You also need to have the strap in the proper place on your head, having it too high or too low could be causing the problem. Air coming from the top of the mask could also be from having hair under the seal. I would shop for a new mask with a better fit and a purge valve if she dose a lot of exhaling from her nose.

getting her a purge valve mask would be more dangerous, what if during the dive, the purge failed? she will panic...

 

[scubadiver888]

I think Rich has hit most the major points. When I'm with students in the pool I show them that tightening the mask more is often not the answer. I will pull my mask from my face and show I can get a good 4 inches between my face and the mask. The strap is really there to hold the mask on if you breath out your nose (which you shouldn't) or something rips the mask off your face (strong current, another diver, my dive buddy... oh way, that is him ripping my mask off for fun, hehe).

I can actually put my mask on with no strap and swim around the pool without losing it. If you cannot then it might not fit you correctly. If you can but it comes off the moment you breath out your nose, try to learn to stop breathing out your nose. The purge valve will probably help but learning to not breath out your nose is better. I used to be a nose breather and learned to stop that.

The hair in the skirt is another REALLY common problem. The first mistake is people pull the mask down the front of their face. In turn this pulls all their hair down. You want to slick back all your hair, place the mask on the face (no strap yet), make sure you have a good seal then slip the strap over your head while the mask is still on your face.

Bad mask fit is one of the most common things I deal with and it can really ruin a dive. This, neutral buoyancy, it is not a race and never panic are the four most important things I ever learned.

 

[Rich Keller]

getting her a purge valve mask would be more dangerous, what if during the dive, the purge failed? she will panic...

There is no greater risk of the purge failing in the mask then there is of it failing in her reg. If the purge fails during the dive she continues to exhale through her nose as she goes to the surface. You do not need the mask to get back to the surface in the event of a problem. With more experience she will learn to stop exhaling through her nose solving what maybe the root problem.

 

[divebunnie]

You mention that your wife is exhaling through her nose during the dive. Whilst this is fine if they are calm and relaxed with a gentle exhalation, however if she is blowing out hard it can cause the mask to jiggle and feel unstable.

Also, when testing the mask for a good fit, if she has to sniff in quite hard in order for the mask to seal, it is probably too big. I can "make" most masks fit in the shop if I sniff hard enough. It should touch the face all around the seal and not require a huge sniff in order for the mask to seal.

Another issue can be the snorkel, they too can cause the mask to jiggle. When fun diving or guiding, I forgo the snorkel altogether (she could always pop it in a pocket in case she needs it on the surface). Or, if she prefers to wear it on the mask, push the snorkel back on the strap, well away from the edge of the mask.

I hope that helps

 

[lsorenson]

Inhaling to check for a proper mask fit, to me, is incorrect... I like the idea of the snorkel but you can also just hold your breath. Place mask in position without using the straps and apply a slight amount of pressure to create a vacuum. Swimming laps may be a good idea but not always piratical...

Looks like to me that what I just mentioned along with many others refer more to a leaky mask situation and since you do not make mention of the mask leaking, I doubt that's the problem.

To answer one question; No, the strap is most likely NOT the problem as many have it on to tight. Over tighten straps can or will cause a leak while loose straps should only cause an issue when exhaling through the nose. So maybe a combination of both a loose strap and breathing through the nose... maybe. That or get another mask since the one she was offered worked. Perhaps while trying the other mask, maybe she was so focused on not breathing through her nose thus creating the illusion that the original mask is at fault... If you follow what I am meaning to say...

lee

 

[Nemrod]

The mask is too large for her or does not conform to her face.

Stop exhaling through the nose

Pull the straps a little tighter.

N