Leaking mask help needed.

[kru]

After 15 years of diving and 5 different masks I have yet to find one that will not leak. They seem fine in the store and I even try them with a reg in my mouth, but once I get in the water they begin to leak. Has anyone had this problem? I have a mustache but the leaks always seem to be on the sides above the eyes. Do I have to live with this? I guess it hasn't slowed me down yet, but it is a pain.

 

[Dee]

If every style and brand of mask you've tried has leaked in the same place, it may just be the shape of your face.

You may try re-adjusting the placement of your mask strap...not tightening it. Sometimes by pushing the strap farther down on hte back of my head helps the occasional leak.

If you're sure it's not your mustache, I don't know what else to suggest.

 

[Welshman]

Could you be overtightening your mask? Leaks from around the side of one's eyes can result from this.

 

[Walter]

Keep diving, before long you'll be clearing the mask without even being aware you've done it.

 

[Ian Wigg]

kru once bubbled...
After 15 years of diving and 5 different masks I have yet to find one that will not leak. They seem fine in the store and I even try them with a reg in my mouth, but once I get in the water they begin to leak. Has anyone had this problem? I have a mustache but the leaks always seem to be on the sides above the eyes. Do I have to live with this? I guess it hasn't slowed me down yet, but it is a pain.

I've got exactly the same problem - if you ever find a solution let me know!

 

[raviepoo]

This person has been diving for 15 years. I'm surre he knows how to clear a mask. It's just a pain in the butt to have to do it all the time.

My first mask leaked. I replaced it with a different model and now I don't have a problem. I was lucky enough to find something that fits.

Walter once bubbled...
Keep diving, before long you'll be clearing the mask without even being aware you've done it.

 

[Scuba446]

I did too, until I tried these 3 masks that work great. I did, however, have to doff the mustache for the summer!

Try: Technisub Idea, OMS's mask (they only make 1, its a low volume tech mask) or the Scubapro Tri Vent. ALL 3 work very well for me.

I tried mask after mask...was frustrating. Now mine are bone dry!

 

[Uncle Pug]

I agree with Welshman... don't overtighten the straps... mine are so loose that the neoprene slap strap is often floating free above my head at the end of a dive (too loose perhaps? )

But beyond that... what shape face do you have... and there is no other way to ask this: do you have any facial anomalies?

 

[Scuba]

If you've had a mustache all this time, the only way to prove its not your mustache is to shave it.

Some LDS's will let you try a mask in an actual dive and return it for an exchange or refund if it does'nt properly fit, you should be a able to try a few this way. Its a hassle but worth it.

 

[Walter]

"This person has been diving for 15 years. I'm surre he knows how to clear a mask. It's just a pain in the butt to have to do it all the time."

15 years of diving could be 1500 dives or it could be 30 dives. If clearing a mask is a PITA then you simply need more time in the water. My mask leaks almost all the time (I briefly had one that didn't) I constantly clear it, most of the time not even being aware that I cleared it. There's a difference between knowing how to perform a skill and the skill being automatic. More time in the water makes it a non-issue.