How to make a fullface snorkelmask safe by Achim Schlöffel

[zai.gezundt]

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Perfect solution!

 

[happy-diver]

No regrets!

Exactly how life must be conducted

 

[DogDiver]

People have been killing them selves with those gadget snorkel masks since the 1960’s. You can’t fix stupid.

 

[NothingClever]

I rather suspected that’s where he was headed.

 

[happy-diver]

Stupid? or is it like in here, each year as the new ones come through they must be educated or indoctrinated

 

[scrane]

People have been killing them selves with those gadget snorkel masks since the 1960’s. You can’t fix stupid.

Sometimes stupid fixes itself.

 

[coldwaterglutton]

Achim was hilarious in that video. I do like his ISE vids, even if I don't always agree with him.

 

[David Wilson]

​

At the height of the Covid pandemic, modern full-face snorkel-masks were successfully redeployed as emergency respiratory masks in Italian hospitals for assisted ventilation (video above), saving lives in intensive care units. There have been articles in "Nature" and other scientific periodicals confirming the feasibility of such repurposing. Pity the idea of donating the snorkel-mask in the video to a hospital was never considered.

It is easy to demonise one piece of diving gear when it ends up in the hands of vulnerable people who do not know how to handle it properly. The article above appeared in the September 1974 issue of the British Sub-Aqua Club magazine "Triton". The "dodgy masks" mentioned in the title were not combined snorkel-masks at all, but basic swim-masks whose misuse tragically contributed to one young person's death. I am sure we can agree that ANY item of underwater equipment can be dangerous, particularly when improperly used by an unsupervised non-swimmer of tender years.

As for those old-school snorkel-masks whose heyday was the 1950s, let us not forget that they were first developed to serve the adult underwater hunting community (see above). Back then, stand-alone snorkels sometimes came with rough mouthpiece flanges that rubbed the gums raw after many hours lying prone on the surface stalking prey; or the constant oral presence of a mouthpiece eventually triggered a gagging reflex. So snorkel-masks covering the eyes and the nose only were designed to allow nose breathing instead. Several full-face snorkel-masks were also available then, covering the mouth too, enabling mouth breathing, but they came with special chin-pieces and were fewer in number. The common factor was their price, out of reach to most parents buying for their children, but still affordable by jet-setting international spearfishing tourists with deep pockets and plenty of experience. Sadly, certain manufacturers later began making cheaper snorkel-masks for young people without providing even minimal safety instructions, which inevitably led to often fatal accidents, just as would have happened if, say, self-contained underwater breathing apparatus had ever come on open sale to young non-swimmers. There is no substitute for proper training and practice in the use of ANY item of underwater gear after its purchase.

 

[dcvf2]

Hi,
Achim Schlöffel said

I agree with him as i wrote already on french forums.
Tragic accidents (drownings) occur because users were unable to remove their mask which had accidentally filled with water, ... a shock fins
Users should learn how to deal with this risk of filling.

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?