Mask explodes

[helimvee]

[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]This was posted on BonaireTalk a couple of weeks ago. [/FONT]Bonaire Talk: Mask Explodes
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The only information provided was:

"It was Deep Sea or something like that? It was on his face when it exploded into millions of pieces...he was not hurt."


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[din7]

no update in almost a month, I'm calling shenanigans.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

I Don't buy that someone could block equalizing enough to break the glass on a mask. Sounds like defective or damaged glass. Myth busters?

 

[Scubakevdm]

I'm not a glass expert, just a bored guy waiting for his batteries to charge. Anyway. I've handled tempered glass from time to time. It is extremely sensitive to any uneven pressure along its edges, so I'm thinking that this is at least plausible. This scenario would also make sense in that it the diver didn't get hurt, like we would expect if the lens shattered due to a difference in pressure inside and out of the mask, and that there was no mention of mask squeeze symptoms. My vote is a burr or other manufacturing defect on the inside edge of the frame.

 

[Apecks]

I had a Mares mask fall to pieces on a wreck dive on time

Following the line down to about 10m and noticed I had to clear my mask more than usual, got down to the wreck at 25m and suddenly mask just fell to pieces.

I know now why they make us learn the no mask swim skill

 

[miketsp]

Funny how the reaction always seems to be "wow, I never heard of this...".

Spontaneous tempered glass explosions are actually more common than one would first imagine.
I used to work in an office with tempered glass doors and one day, with nobody anywhere near the door, one of them simply exploded and disintegrated throwing tiny glass particles all over the room and leaving one of the secretaries with hundreds of very tiny cuts. Nothing serious - very superficial - they all healed up in a week or so.
Then a couple of weeks later a friend of mine ended up in hospital - he was taking a shower and his shower box exploded. Since he was naked at the time and in very close proximity to the glass he received cuts in some sensitive places.
When we started raising the topic in discussions with friends, others started chipping in with similar stories.

If you Google the subject it's very easy to find stories and pics.
Here's one pic of a shower door that just exploded in the night.
Shower door exploded - how can I minimize risk next time? - dslreports.com
If you look at the replies to that thread you'll see various posters commenting that occasionally tempered glass explodes by itself for no apparent reason.

 

[miketsp]

..snip..
The other option is that something struck the mask on descent causing the lens to shatter. That's a whole different scenario with a new set of different answers.

The most likely scenario for me would be a mask sitting in direct sunlight and reaching a high temperature and then a rapid shift in temperature during a fast descent.

 

[DIVERHERB]

I have seen many side windows on cars blow out due to uneven pressure on a small area of the glass but the one thing that keeps popping up it what was said in the original post. The lens did not break into tiny pieces but very sharp shards of glass. I am thinking either it was a real cheap mask or the poster it pulling someones leg.