Mask on Forehead reliable distress signal?

[Tigerman]

hah I was told when I took my OW class that if I was caught with my mask on my head I would be cut out of my bcd and dragged to shore LOL

Anyone trying to "cut me out of my bcd" because I have a mask on my forehead would be in SERIOUS need of rescue, that much is for sure..

 

[Nemrod]

hah I was told when I took my OW class that if I was caught with my mask on my head I would be cut out of my bcd and dragged to shore LOL

Another "my instructor said" as if one might not wish to think for themselves eventually. Do you guys ever tire of paying people to threaten you and eventually go forth and dive on your own recognizances.

Hey, your instructor, he is wrong.

N

 

[Zippsy]

boring

 

[bsigmund]

I guess I'm the only one that teaches students to run the mask up the arm? It is out of the way and you won't lose it as it has to pass your hand to leave your body. I have never, and my students in my classes have never, lost a mask.

 

[Mike Edmonston]

This is getting ridiculous guys,

It's really really simple:

When you are in the water, the mask stays on your face.

I don't play this BS 6 pack of beer crap with my students if they put their mask on their forehead. That is a ridiculous rule that mediocre instructors use to mask their shortcomings of properly teaching a skill.

I explain to them the benefits of keeping the mask on and the reg in their mouth until they are sitting in the boat. Water, diesel fumes and hydrocarbons, salt spray, being flung off a pitching ladder etc... All reasons that your gear should stay on.

If you teach them this from day 1, they will keep doing it this way.

And I agree with Lamont, putting your mask around your neck is flat out dangerous if you use a bungied secondary.

In a nutshell, keep the gear on until sitting down. Putting the mask on your forehead doesn't make you a distressed diver, but it can stress you out if you have to put up with waves, smoke etc...

Safe Diving

 

[SteveAD]

If my mask isn't on my face it is zipped securely into my left thigh drysuit pocket.

 

[NOVIZWHIZ]

This is getting ridiculous guys,

It's really really simple:

When you are in the water, the mask stays on your face.

Safe Diving

Sorry, but I respectfully disagree with that or any other statement that is so specific it restricts a diver to the ONE way to do anything - everyone dives in different conditions and under differing circumstances and situations - what's the RIGHT thing to do is what's comfortable and works for you and the situation you're in.. Most of the time, my mask goes in the boat before I do..as does any other misc items. I river dive and am usually in a small boat with a swim platform - a platform not made to handle the weight of a full dress diver. I drop my "loose" gear over the gunnel, drop my weight belt in a basket hanging over the stern by a line and then clip my vest and tank to another line set up with a clip hook. I can then hang in the current and unfasten my vest and slip out of it wearing only my fins - sometimes I DO leave my mask on, but in gator season (and sometimes even snakes) or trying to look-out and listen for other boat traffic and if I'm not near the boat I put it on my forehead or clip it to my vest and drop it in the boat when I get there - If I come out of the vest and lose my grip in the current, I have 100 ft of floating tag line ending in a bouy. I just grab hold and drag myself back to the boat, up on the swim platform and in. Later I pull my vest, tank and weight belt in.

I was diving with a group once who insisted on coming aboard a small boat in full gear (not mine) using the swim platform, it was in pretty bad shape by the end of the day...what you suggest is fine for offshore and on a larger boat, but all of us don't dive that way all the time. I just don't agree with emphatically saying THIS IS THE WAY YOU DO this or that... I say do what works and is safest for you. BTW - all the years I've dove and had my MOF - never lost a mask....yet (prob lose one tomorrow.)

 

[Zieg]

It totally blows me away that so many people care where I put my mask. I don't care what you do with your mask. I don't care if you put on your face, on the back of your head, on the side of your head, on your arm, leg, foot, pocket, goodie bag, or shove it up your a$$ (I've heard rumors that this is a great defog). Nothing you do with your mask will influence my dive in any manner. I don't care. You and your mask are none of my business and none of my concern. Therefore, me and my mask, or any other equipment, are none of your business. Keep your concerns about my mask/gear to yourselves, or we may find out about defog. Sometimes on the surface, I put my mask on my forehead, sometimes I take it off completely. There is an extremely high probability that I am not in distress, and if I am, let me be, let me drown, stay away from me. If your are an instructor or dive master, that goes double.

 

[NOVIZWHIZ]

It totally blows me away that so many people care where I put my mask. I don't care what you do with your mask. I don't care if you put on your face, on the back of your head, on the side of your head, on your arm, leg, foot, pocket, goodie bag, or shove it up your a$$ (I've heard rumors that this is a great defog). Nothing you do with your mask will influence my dive in any manner. I don't care. You and your mask are none of my business and none of my concern. Therefore, me and my mask, or any other equipment, are none of your business. Keep your concerns about my mask/gear to yourselves, or we may find out about defog. Sometimes on the surface, I put my mask on my forehead, sometimes I take it off completely. There is an extremely high probability that I am not in distress, and if I am, let me be, let me drown, stay away from me. If your are an instructor or dive master, that goes double.

Clap, clap clap What he said! .....and to those that don't agree :mooner:

 

[Seastarson]

Has anyone seen a distressed diver actually stop and think ' I am in distress, I will out my mask on my forehead'.

Had come across a diver with his mask around his neck but was struggling at the surface. I was the only one that went to check on him to find out he was panicking and also forgot to release his weight belt. He was a vacation diver with some experience. He ran out of air during the safety stop and surfaced. He was struggling to stay afloat because he could not full his BCD and started panicking and also forgot to release his weight belt. He did not have his mask on his face. He was not also waving his arms trying to get attention. He was too busy struggling to keep his head above the water.

I have read so many threads bashing divers who casually put there masks on their face. I do not do that but I question the need to teach it. Many divers do it as they find it more comfortable than around the neck. Then they take a lot of crap from other divers.

Master Scuba Diver Trainer Wendy, with over 2,000 logged dives, and having participated in many open water and confined water rescues (Six Flags Over Texas Raging Rapids accident included) shares her humble opinion:

The "mask on forehead" guideline has never been a reliable indication of a diver/snorkelers state of well-being. There are SO many other obvious signs of distress the mask on forehead is the least of which I have observed. The MAIN reason IMO for not putting it on the forehead when not in use is a) it's really easy to lose it and b) when preparing to start a dive, it more easily overheats, facilitating a "fogged mask" condition. Other than that, someone wants to "scold" me for a mask on my head, I can thank them nicely, and continue doing what I was doing... Dive and let dive, unless endangering self or very importanly, the beautiful underwater world!

Cheers,
Seastarson in Dallas