If Masks comes off?

[stanw]

Going through my certification course now and heard some stories about octopuses grabbing a mask off of someone's face. Understanding that this is unlikely or if it comes off some other way, just curious what the best way to handle a situation like this is?

Thanks.

 

[potato cod]

If a mask gets knocked off, try to remember that as long as you are breathing, you are okay!

It's good to practice relevant skills in the pool so you get comfortable dealing with a dislodged mask. In your course you will certainly learn to remove/replace/clear your mask. In the case that it goes to the bottom, that gets a little trickier. I've never lost a mask, but I have had mine kicked partly off my face in a crowded dive site. I've learned to stay out of other divers' fins since then!

A drill that I did recently at a workshop was to remove the mask and swim around with my buddy guiding me, including going to deeper/shallower parts of the pool and doing bouyancy adjustments without the mask. This was done with eyes closed, but in real life you might keep them open to help orient you. It was great for increasing comfort for being without a mask.

If you loose a mask and it's sitting on the bottom in not too deep water, you may be able to retrieve it with your buddies' help. Otherwise, you'll want to call the dive and surface with the help of your buddy.

Many divers carry a small backup mask in a BC pocket, so that is an option too.

 

[Jim Baldwin]

Going through my certification course now and heard some stories about octopuses grabbing a mask off of someone's face. Understanding that this is unlikely or if it comes off some other way, just curious what the best way to handle a situation like this is?

Thanks.

Octopus problem solved.

With a sharp knife cut off the offending tenacle(s). Being from Louisiana we eat just about anything. There are very few things that don't taste good rolled in flour seasoned with some Tony's and put in some hot grease, okay peaunt oil. Sorry I just couldn't help myself.

The mask issue.

Mask removal and replacement is a skill that you will do repeatedly and you should get comfortable enough that if your mask were jarred loose, lost its seal, had to be readjusted or simply fogged up you could handle the situation. Taking it off cleaning it under the water, putting it back on and clearing it and continuing your dive without surfacing. It may seem hard at first but trust me it will become second nature.

 

[frozen newbie]

taking your mask off, being led by your buddy while you both swim, putting your mask back on, and clearing the water out of your mask should all be well covered in your certification course. I know this because the first time I had to take my mask off in the pool I FREAKED! Lucky for me I had a super duper awesome instructor who helped me work through the process until I was no longer bothered at all :blinking:. Now it's no longer a big deal at all, I can perform all the needed functions without my mask breathing calmly. I think this is an important skill because your mask can easily leak or become dislodged underwater and this cannot cause a panic.

 

[herman]

DON'T PANIC...now pretty much everything else is easy. If you can retrieve your mask do so, put it on and keep diving. If your buddy, who should be close by and paying attention, sees it he should retrieve it and give it back to you, you put it back on and keep diving. Otherwise you do a slow careful accent. Your instructor should have you do exercises without you mask like swimming along the bottom without it. Everything is blurry but its not difficult to dive without a mask....not much fun and reading gauges can be a challenge but otherwise its nothing more than a PITA as long as you keep your cool. The most likely way you will lose or have it knocked off your face is being kicked by other divers. I have had this happen several times, depending on where you dive and with whom, it can be fairly common.

 

[redacted]

Practice diving without your mask untill there is absolutely no discomfort. Then, if an octopus should decide to remove your mask, the biggest problem will be that you will not be able to see it as clearly. If you do not have a good buddy who will provide necessary help, you might want to consider adding a spare mask to your gear. I usually carry a pair of swimming goggles. You need to practice clearing them enough to read gauges and they are only good for ascending (including stops) but they do the job.

 

[NudeDiver]

just curious what the best way to handle a situation like this is?

I recommend putting your mask back on.

If, for some reason, you are unable to locate your mask, then I recommend reaching into your pocket, grabbing your backup mask, and putting that on. Once you have done that, you might want to look for your primary mask.

If you don't have a backup mask, I hope your buddy knows what to do. If it turns out he does not, then I would get a new buddy - in addition to a new mask

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

Going through my certification course now and heard some stories about octopuses grabbing a mask off of someone's face. Understanding that this is unlikely or if it comes off some other way, just curious what the best way to handle a situation like this is?

Thanks.

Greetings Mark...

The stories you heard were extreme circumstances where someone was doing things they shouldn't have been doing, or were on a dive that was specific to larger sized octopuses.

The majority of octos are small. They are curious but avoid things that are larger then themselves... I have spent 5-10 minutes attempting to bring them out of their holes by moving my hand close and letting it sit until they get curious (3-5 minutes). They use their tentacles to feel. If you pull back, they usually release and retreat further into their hole...

I have seen a video recently where an individual had a large octo "grab" his mask and hold on... The funny thing about the video was that the "friend" continued to film it for a few minutes until the octo let go... A VERY RARE OCCURRENCE!

There is only one point on an octo that is sharp... the beak. It is very rare for any diver to receive a bite from an octopus...

An octopus attack on a diver is more rare than a being attacked by a shark... (and I've been attacked by Bull Sharks)

 

[Gombessa]

Yep, the octo scenario isn't likely to happen, but you should always be prepared to lose your mask. You could get kicked by another diver, a playful marine mammal might grab it, or it could get snagged on kelp or just come off at some inopportune time. In addition to being comfortable swimming around without your mask, it's worth doing a few mask remove/replace drills in shallow water with a watchful buddy. You don't want to panic when that blast of cold water hits your face.

Also, my buddies and I always have at least one spare mask between us, so in the event that someone does lose their masks to the depths, chance are we can be back in business in less than a minute or two.

 

[hudson]

When you are practicing mask removal, do not &quot;prepare&quot; yourself for it. Have your buddy do it at random times. See if you can keep your buoyancy (and trim). The biggest (only?) danger is really losing your buoyancy and shooting up. Once you can keep yourself from losing your breathing rhythm/flailing around when the mask is dislodged, there is nothing to worry about. Well, except ice cold water, but that's another matter unless you are diving <45F (also see the posts below)