How to make a fullface snorkelmask safe by Achim Schlöffel

[USdiver1]

Bravo!

 

[rjack321]

The Achim Schlöffel ’s solution is


It’s not a solution for me. It won't help "FFM" lovers !!!

Scuba divers and freedivers train to react well in case of difficulty, and we repeat these exercises, so that the reactions become reflexes.

Why should full face mask enthusiasts not realize that their safety is up to them ?

• I propose to practice the exercises below
• - In the dry learn to quickly remove the "FFM" ... gestures to repeat several times.
• - In a shallow pool with a "buddy", someone by your side to secure you and who knows the right actions.
  He will lift your head out of the water and remove your mask ... if you haven't been able to remove it yourself ... gestures to be repeated several times.
• - Looking at the bottom of the pool, squeeze the water into your mask to fill, then remove it.
• - Then while you are simulating snorkeling, your buddy will, without warning you, push your mask aside so that it fills with water and you will have to react quickly and well.
  Otherwise, it is your "buddy" who will react to save you "... by repeating these gestures several times so that they become automatic.

Safety is at this price

What do you think, isn't your safety worth the workouts I've offered?

Unfortunately many of them are poorly designed and accumulate CO2. The flooding issue is a secondary hazard

 

[WeRtheOcean]

Unfortunately many of them are poorly designed and accumulate CO2.

Then how do they pass consumer product safety approval?

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Then how do they pass consumer product safety approval?

What exactly are the safety standards? Do they test against CO2 build up from extended exertion?

 

[lowwall]

Then how do they pass consumer product safety approval?

There is no government agency in the US in charge of reviewing new products for dangers. Instead the CPSC publishes standards for specific types of products like cribs and kids car seats that have to be met, but snorkeling gear is not one of them. The only testing that is required to be done beyond that, assuming these were marketed as being usable by children under age 12, is for general standards related to things like lead and phthalates contamination and small-parts choking hazards.

The CPSC can examine specific products or classes of products after receiving reports or complaints that they are dangerous. After an investigation they can take further action from recommending a recall to producing or editing a standard all the way to an effective ban. Think lawn darts. But all of this takes years, so the threat of eventual CPSC action will have zero effect on a typical Amazon reseller.

Here's the regulations: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-II/subchapter-B

 

[lowwall]

I completely agree with Achim. My wife bought these for our kids before a trip to Hawaii. I took one look at them and threw them in the trash. While we were in Hawaii two people drowned wearing these.

The issue is that they are marketed for kids and poor swimmers (they are for surface use only). Exactly the people who should not be using them. Anyone capable of being trained to use them safely would be better off in a standard snorkel and mask because they would not be constrained to the surface.

 

[Rob9876]

It’s not a solution for me. It won't help "FFM" lovers !!!

@dcvf2 You are right, a bit of training (perhaps a video) would be good as these full face snorkel masks aren't going away. Though these FFMs are widely disparaged in the diving community, many people either don't like or can't use a regular snorkel (lots of people have jaw issues with regular snorkels, etc.). Seems like it wouldn't be too much to ask for these FFMs to be made where there is minimal risk of CO2 build-up and a short training video saying you should practice taking it off in case it fills with water.

 

[David Wilson]

@dcvf2 You are right, a bit of training (perhaps a video) would be good as these full face snorkel masks aren't going away. Though these FFMs are widely disparaged in the diving community, many people either don't like or can't use a regular snorkel (lots of people have jaw issues with regular snorkels, etc.). Seems like it wouldn't be too much to ask for these FFMs to be made where there is minimal risk of CO2 build-up and a short training video saying you should practice taking it off in case it fills with water.

Indeed. Scubaboard has a forum dedicated to divers with disabilities for whom a "reasonable adjustment" of equipment is sometimes necessary to enable them to engage in diving. Neither should snorkelling automatically exclude people who have an issue with the constant presence of a snorkel mouthpiece in their mouths and hence look around for solutions already in the market place such as full-face snorkel-masks.

Surely a little imagination and some problem-solving skills are all that is necessary when attempting to devise and provide a safe wherewithal to meet the needs of people who experience difficulty with conventional snorkelling gear. In my earlier message, I mentioned that old-school snorkel-masks were often traditional semi-masks fitted with an inbuilt snorkel but covering the eyes and the nose only and leaving the mouth uncovered. Such masks enabled the wearer to breathe through the nose at will when floating or swimming face downwards on the surface of the water. I've snorkelled for half a century during which it has always been a bone of contention for a minority of the snorkelling community that breathing can only been done via the mouth.

Finally, let us address the matter of national and international standards for snorkelling equipment. They do exist, at least on my side of the Atlantic. European Standards are currently in force for diving masks (EN 16805:2015), snorkels (EN 1972:2015) and open-heel fins (EN 16804:2014). EN 16805:2015 defines a diving mask as a "mask that seals on the face, that only covers the eyes and nose in a single volume", thus excluding ALL kinds of full-face mask, whether the snorkelling or the scuba variety.

 

[rjack321]

Then how do they pass consumer product safety approval?

What safety approval is there? They don't have CE, there is nobody testing these. Your chance of having a CO2 issue is moderate to high