How much mask leakage is normal?

[H2Andy]

"your beard will get coarse and unruly"

yeah, my beard always has a better time than i do... but there's heck to pay when it wakes up first thing in the morning with a hangover

 

[DandyDon]

Silicone lube is expensive and tends to come in small tubes - far smaller than vaseline so may not be very economical to use.

I buy mine at True Value Hardware. Lots cheaper, but not all hardware stores carry it.

Anyway, I didn't see if anyone had asked about the mask? I started Scuba lessons with my old snorkeling mask, which I'd purchased at a Sporting Goods store. Turned out it was made from plastic, rather than silicone, and had changed shape enough to let water in around the lens. Real piece of junk.

Silicone and nylon ties I buy at hardware. Masks and most other dive gear, I buy at a Dive store.

 

[45thParallel]

I dove for 2 yrs w/ a goat...foudn that when summer came, I would just trim slightly the top of the stache...always seemed to work...another thing is trying another mask, maybe your mask isn't the proper fit for your face.

 

[rjs]

During my certification training in Jamaica in February, my mask leaked on every dive. I tried every mask that the Instructor had available using the inhale method and they all leaked. Some leaked so badly that I could not let go of the mask otherwise it would have fallen completely off my face. I tried shaving the top of the 'stach but that did not help the leakage.

When I got back home and went to a LDS, I wound up trying every mask that they had available for sale with the same result as during certification. Then I got to the last mask they had, the Dacor Pursuit DL. I barely inhaled and the mask formed a vacuum seal to my face with a full moustache. Needless to say, I purchased it. I have 4 dive on it since then and while I have had some leakage, it can usually be addressed with out silicone. I just reposition the mask and make sure that the moustache is straight and flat.

I agree with String as there are allot of variables including the phase of the moon. In my first post I mentioned my oddly shaped head as when I was testing the various masks, I could feel the leakage past the upper corners on about 50% of the masks.

Depends on face shape, mask shape, phase of the moon and other seemingly random events.

Some dives i wont have a drop in my mask, other times it'll need clearing every few minutes despite removing/refitting. Face shape changes with a hood in and a regulator in as well.

The people i know with moustaches use vaseline without damage to their masks and say it helps then.

The most irritating leak i find is a tiny one that leaves a constant high pitched buzzing noise as air leaves the mask.

If the mask is leaking badly, try on different masks to see if one is a better fit. Other than that, just fiddle until you're happy with the amount it leaks and prepared to clear every once in a while.

I occasionally keep a small bit of water in the mask - if the lense mists up i can just shake my head to clear the lense.

My face is "odd" - ive only ever found one mask that fits properly and thats Mares Opera. All others ive tried leak around the top corners.

 

[Dolphincrc]

The only times I have failed to enjoy a dive was when I had a mask that leaked. NOTHING is worse than spending the entire dive clearing your mask and with your eyes burning with saltwater.

I bought a better fitting mask and with a purge, and with prescription, and I now I dont have leaks, burning eyes, and I can see (Note: the purge is a bit uncomfortable since I have a big nose, but is minor problem compared to the others before). The mask can also be adjusted with one hand, either looser or tighter- a plus for adjustment underwater.

I know some people who have a moustache and they put something on it so there's a better seal, not sure what it is, but dont use vaseline. Your local dive shop can help you.

 

[pipedope]

It is worth searching for the best mask fit.

When I bought my Big Eyes I found that the earlier year model fit perfectly but the newest shipment did not fit so well.

If you need to;

TRY THEM ALL

 

[Sideband]

Actually, Vaseline should not be a problem with a silicone mask. It was a problem with rubber since petroleum products will break down petroleum products but silicone is not one. If you buy gasket sealant for an automobile it is silicone and is in contact with gasoline and oil constantly.
The bottom line though is do what you feel comfortable doing. I'd not ask anyone that only feels comfortable using silicone grease to change over to vaseline and I wouldn't change a practice I was comfortable with just because someone I didn't know said it was ok.
Joe
who is going to try the vaseline next weekend and look at some silicone grease to see which works better because his mask leaks like it is made of swiss cheese.

 

[voop]

I've got a full, but short, beard, and I currently dive a...uhh...some Mares thing (X-vision?) My choise of mask was not due to what would seal or not - despite my furry face, pretty much any mask will keep reasonably dry.

During a normal dive, I clear the mask only a very few times, typically iif letting water in to defog or smth. I wouldn't like to dive with a leaky mask, though....I can easilly imagine how constant cleaning can be a pain, and so I'd say that anl amount of mask leakage is really too much..

 

[HPT3]

And if none of these suggestions work, you have to ask yourself one question. What do you like more. Diving or your mustache?

 

[Daryl Morse]

I went to a dive shop on the weekend and tried on quite a few masks. The new Cressi-Sub Matrix seems to fit my face best so I'm going to get one. It was the narrowest mask of the bunch, which fits me well since I have a narrow face. It also has very low volume and excellent field of vision. Hopefully it will work as well in the water as it seemed to in the shop.

Thanks everyone for the comments.