Mask on Forehead reliable distress signal?

[Prostar]

Yes I have seen a freaked out diver push his mask to forehead. He did it twice in a row. Also, his reg came out, forgot to fill his BC, was kicking like crazy at the surface and was all ready to drown.

Now if I happen to see you with a mask up there, I'm not necessairly going to try to rescue you. I will, however, take a second look.

 

[NudeDiver]

I can't believe this thread is still going

 

[ScubaSteve]

:sos:



Hmmm...:bigmonkey:......I see a diver with his MOF......I wonder if they hit the anicbutton: or if they are just :cool2:?


I wonder how many people have tried to :happyjazz::biggun:them dead? I bet they have to argue a lot to defend their position in the MOF/NMOF chain.


Bottom line is this: :worthless:

 

[fyrdyvr]

I was taught in OW not to put my mask on my forehead as it could be interpreted as a sign of distress and doing so incurred a beer fine (I owed a six pack by the end of the course...). On a later course I asked my instructor about it, saying I thought a distressed diver would either leave their mask on or chuck off their mask rather than place it on their forehead and he agreed saying the whole MOF idea is a conspiracy by instructors to get more beer. And also said really the concern with MOF is that it is easier to lose if a wave knocks it off or something, not that people will think you are distressed. In boats and in shallow calm water (where I can duck dive to retrieve it) I put it on my forehead, and in rough and/or deep water it stays on my face.

My instructor also charged us a beer for every time he caught us with a MOF offense. I got nailed twice, but was the only one in the class who paid up! I think he told us every reason that I have read here (bad form, sign of distress and possible mask loss), but he actually stressed the losing your mask reason. He had an assistant in our class who was working on becoming an instructor that had a datamask. He asked us how we would feel if a wave knocked one of those off of our heads and it was gone. I think that was the point in which I began to wear my mask around my neck. Just for a little "gee whiz" info, I was doing a little surf fishing in October and had a nice mask with a purge valve wash up at my feet. I cleaned it up and now have a spare

 

[Nemrod]

Just because a mask washed up at your feet does not mean it was MOFH, it could have been from someone who wore it strangling them around their neck and they tired of being chocked and tossed it to the sea, all this antedotal crap is just that. "Your" intructor, you own your own instructor, wow, I never had my very own instructor, if I did I think he might be dead so I would have some diffuculty with getting his opinion on MOF. BTW, he wore his mask, MOF, L.A County.

N

 

[ScubaSteve]

If after handing over that much money for certification, somebody tried to tell me that I would owe them anything other than attention, I would have personally shoved my mask up their rear end. I was told not to wear mask MOF, why I should not wear MOF and then they moved on to the lessons. Now I am an adult and can make my own decisions one way or the other. If I choose to take my mask off on the surface and rest it on the dorsal fin of a passing great white shark, then that is my perogative. The good thing is I would not know it because my lenses are prescription.

 

[scubaskipper]

From personal observation, MOF seems to be more a sign of inexperience than panic. Happens more with groups that aren't used to diving in the ocean where a wave can wash away a mask in an instant. Also, keep your reg. in at the surface, till you're back on the boat. All it takes is a tablespoon of salt water and alittle boat rocking to give you the urge to purge.

 

[Flightlead]

A mask on forehead isnt a sign of distress. A mask ripped off the face whilst arms and legs are going everywhere whilst screaming is a far more accurate sign of a problem.

and I've seen this second display also mean "wow look at this really cool thing I saw down here on my first reef dive"

 

[Nemrod]

From personal observation, MOF seems to be more a sign of inexperience than panic. Happens more with groups that aren't used to diving in the ocean where a wave can wash away a mask in an instant. Also, keep your reg. in at the surface, till you're back on the boat. All it takes is a tablespoon of salt water and alittle boat rocking to give you the urge to purge.

Your observations are obviously incomplete. Never lost a mask to a wave but if I ever do, I got extra.

N

 

[tomboyy]

HMMMM.. I guess it comes down to this.... Unless your paying my bills and buying my equipment, you can't tell me wear to put my mask and I don't care where you put yours