Lost mask and snorkel at Redondo Beach Vets Park

[fisheater]

A sure way to keep your mask until it wears completely out is keep it around your neck, until your all the way past the surf, and from that point don't ever take it off over your head, to look through it or wash it or anything, because you might drop it. Only slide it up and then pull the strap up. Just the other day for the first time I got out and someone was squeezing out anitfog (in the water) and I took off the mask to get some, seems safe, but it's a way to loose a mask, do it on shore! Even jumping off boats, leave it around your neck, you're you'll keep it for a long time!

Except that the Redondo Beach Gear Monster took mine right off of my face.

 

[redacted]

That won't work with a snorkel for shore diving.

Why do you need a snorkel attached to you mask for shore diving?

 

[orange_diver]

We have done many a shore dive at vets in all conditions and never has a snorkel been needed. In fact it's something protruding from your mask that aids the wave in ripping it from your face.

 

[Hatul]

Yes you're right that the snorkel may have helped pull the mask off. The snorkel/no snorkel debate has been going on for ages among divers. For shore dives I do prefer to take a snorkel, even though it gets in the way at times, and I've done it both ways. The reason is, in heavy swells, if I have to swim a distance on my back, it makes my breathing more comfortable with the mask on breathing through a nice big-bore snorkel. In calm conditions I'll still take it but not use it, and then I keep my mask around my neck.

Whether the snorkel helps on surface back swims depends on the swells, on whether the waves break and on how high your mouth rides with respect to the waves. I'm also experimenting with a small inflatable travel pillow under my head to raise my mouth above the water, held with a small bungee necklace and folded after the surface swim.

At Redondo I swim out to about 70 ft depth, descend and drop down to the canyon. On the way back I swim on the bottom. La Jolla Canyon is a longer swim yet.

Adam