Is a spare mask an absolute requirement when diving solo?

[drbill]

I don't carry one (no pockets in my harness/wing set up). I do place my hood OVER the mask strap so if it breaks, the mask is retained by the hood. Only had it happen once in over 50 years of solo diving. I was filming something on the bottom and just pressed the mask back against my face with my camera housing and continued the dive.

 

[r4e]

A spare mask is for me much more important than a dive computer.

I once returned to a dive site to finish video shooting from the previous day. Whilst kitting up I noticed I had forgotten my dive computer AND bottom timer back home. I then performed my dive by repeating the previous dive as closely as possible. I used my camera as a timer. Dive time (of the previous dive) was 80 minutes at an average of 12 meter depth.

Since this was a cavern dive in a narrow gorge between huge boulders, I would not even have considered this dive without a spare mask.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I have only lost a mask once, and it was when my buddy and I were rolled by a 20 foot wave on an exit (long story--happy ending). We were on the surface, and it did not influence our prospects for survival.

When I was making parascuba jumps for the USAF, we wore our masks backwards, with the strap in front (sometimes in our teeth) to ensure we did not loose it during the jump.

I have now been solo diving for about 55 years, and had only that one incident. I have on occasion worn a spare mask, either in my BC pocket or on my left arm (that actually is a pretty good place for them). But mostly I don't have a spare mask. I dive rivers, and any drag in current is not good. Sometimes the current is fast enough to flood the mask; this has happened several times, and a close-fitting mask is helpful. But if the mask comes off and is lost, it's no big deal in my diving. I went through the U.S. Navy School for Underwater Swimmers, and during the pool harassment portion, my buddy and I simply gave the instructors our masks and did the entire session without the masks. Cupping the eyes to get a bubble is something I learned in the YMCA lifeguard class in the 1950s. It's one of those skills for a bored lifeguard trainee who is floating for a half hour at a time. I see no reason to use a redundant mask for most of my solo diving, which is river diving in less than 30 feet of water.

SeaRat

 

[Nemrod]

Like so many things on the wuh, wuh, wuh, the dangers and likelihood of a lost mask are much exaggerated.

N

 

[fred14]

I would not call a spare mask an "absolute requirement" - but usually I have one with me.
My solo dives take place in cold water, around 3°C to 7°C (37°F-45°F, if I am right) and in case of, I just do not like the idea of finishing the dive with a freezing cold face.

 

[Ghetto Diver]

Short answer, no

But, I do carry one in my BC pocket. Always in the same spot.
I have a spare mask and have room to carry it, so why not?



Sent from my iPhone from my momma's basement

 

[sportxlh]

I carry a mask in my pocketed Scubapro shorts I wear over my wetsuit (can't recall the name of the scubapro product but a mask fits perfectly in the pocket). Most of the diving around here is drift diving, so if the mask gets blown off, you bump your face on something while drifting or the strap suddenly breaks, you're not going to find it easily as it drifts off or you drift away from it while it sinks. When my solo instructor had me try to read my computer and pressure guage with no mask, I couldn't do it.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

I dont have room and I have never carried a spare mask - I bring one and it sits on the boat or in my truck for shore dives but I never bring a mask with me on a dive. I have never needed one - and I cant remember the last time I thought I would lose a mask. BTW I dive with the same mask I was certified in back in the the early 80's...
Looks like this and I never cut the purge valve out of the nose...

 

[Nemrod]

I dont have room and I have never carried a spare mask - I bring one and it sits on the boat or in my truck for shore dives but I never bring a mask with me on a dive. I have never needed one - and I cant remember the last time I thought I would lose a mask. BTW I dive with the same mask I was certified in back in the the early 80's...
Looks like this and I never cut the purge valve out of the nose...
View attachment 189074

That is a cool mask and it is big enough to wear a second mask under it for a spare!

N

 

[Trance]

I understand that do get a solo cert that your required to have one for the course. However, personal preference as many have stated. I'll be nabbing my cert next summer, and in the meantime, I practice redundancy in all of my diving, whether solo or buddy. I always go with my 30cf pony, and a spare mask, which I have around my neck facing backwards. If I shall need it, I just rotate it around. My BCD pockets are used for other items, and wet suit pocket has a 100lb lift bag on one side, and the other has about 4' of rope and usually items that I have found that I have yet to bring to surface.

I have been thinking about getting a mask pocket that I can affix to my chest or BCD.