Mask removal and Bouyancy

[MikeFerrara]

I'll second what MHK said and add the statement that position (trim) matters. If you alter your breathing your buoyancy will change but if you cahnge your attitude in the water that will also change your buoyancy. The absolute worst case is if you change breathing (which is hard not to do when the mask first comes off in cold water) and go vertical at the same time.

Dive first and do everything else second. Hold trim, get breathing (buoyancy) under control, then replace mask. Don't rush the worls ain goin away in the thirty seconds your mask is off.

 

[diverbrian]

H2OHead once bubbled...
I don’t know that I fully understand the question. Other than training for a no mask or zero visibility events, why are you diving with no mask? I’ve done those dives where you hand the instructor your mask, close your eyes, and follow lines run all over, but other than that sort of scenario I don’t see much benefit from diving without a mask. Buoyancy should remain the same no matter if you can see or not. To test this, get neutral near something you can touch with your hand and take your mask off. You’ll be able to feel that there is no change in buoyancy just because your mask is gone.

I’m wondering why your mask is off? If you are referring to the simple remove, replace, and clear your mask drill that OW teaches, you just need to practice, practice, practice. If your breathing is changing when you take your mask off for that drill, practice diving in the pool with no mask at all. Eventually you will become quite comfortable with or without a mask and your respiratory rate will remain the same.

I have dove momentarily with no mask for a reason not normally thought of. I had a cold and couldn't feel the mask squeeze. By the time that I could, we had hit our planned depth of 120 ft (actually we planned to hit 130 ft, but I was at 120 when the problem became unbearable). The mask was pinched off against my nose so much that the only way that I had to equalize that pressure was to break the seal, flood the mask, and clear it.

I must have done all right because bottom there was 130-135 ft. and the dive never got below 122. As I was in the middle of a dive, I wasn't about to drop the ten ft. to the bottom to get on my knees to replace the mask once I removed it, LOL. Nobody really taught me how to do it either. I practiced in the pool over the winter in the event that my mask got knocked off. It paid off that day.

 

[washow88]

Can you practice mask clearing in the pool?
I do not like a mask with purge valve, but try them for yourself. If you use one of them, then you need to look down instead of up.

 

[astrofunk]

This is a bit of a tangent, but does everyone close their eyes when clearing/removing their masks?

My instincts are certainly to close my eyes when removing my mask while on scuba. However, it occurs to me that I often keep my eyes open when ducking under waves while surfing. I can't imagine there's any fundamental difference here. (Your eyes, like the rest of you, are basically incompressible, so I think pressure is not an issue.)

In any case, if the loss of buoyancy control being discussed here stems from a loss of visual cues, well then maybe one answer is just to keep your eyes open. On the other hand, maybe that's a tougher instinct to fight than simply maintaining an even breathing rate... What are your thoughts?

 

[lragsac]

astrofunk once bubbled...
This is a bit of a tangent, but does everyone close their eyes when clearing/removing their masks?

For those of us who wear contacts, opening eyes is not the best option. Lenses tend to wash out if you do that. You don't have to have visual cues once you have horizontal trim mastered and use the right technique to replace the mask (as MHK pointed out).
They key is to maintain your trim and stay relaxed and breathe normally. That having been said, I opened my eyes once briefly, just for the heck of it, during the surprise mask-ripping-off-the-face drill in my DIR-F class (they don't do that anymore), and I couldn't see a darn thing anyway. So, I just closed my eyes again.

 

[jepuskar]

I do not dive with my mask off by choice, and so far anytime my mask has been off of my face it is by choice....that doesn't mean I won't catch a fin to the face which causes my mask to come off and float down to the depths..out of the reach of my buddy.


I would rather be certain I can safely get to the surface in a controlled manner without the assistance of a buddy. It is a skill that I feel several divers, including myself aren't comfortable with....in fact I wonder how other divers would do in this situation.

You take the average recreational diver and pull their mask off at 60 feet and without the assistance of a buddy...see what happens. I bet the results might surprise you.

 

[Big-t-2538]

MHK once bubbled...

I make them hand me the mask when it's off. I generally won't give it back to them for 5 or 6 breathes so I insure that they see the effect of maintaining normal breathing patterns during the skill. Video taping them holding their breath while the mask is off and watching them ascend because of it always helps emphasize the law of effect. Loose your normal breathing patterns during the skill and your buoyancy is effected as a result..

Well, I happen to know first hand what "not getting a mask back" is like. It really is a good skill to practice. Oh yeah, that's another thing...practice practice, practice....try the skill over and over again until you are comfortable not having your mask. You breathing pattern will eventually migrate to something you're used to.

The video is a great tool for seeing what happens too, if yo uhave someone in the area who has the capability, try taping skills on your next dive and just peer-reviewing them...it really is just an eye-opener to see what you look like on camera....

And as for the "making the student give me thier mask"...well, you don't always get it back...as a matter of fact, sometimes you also get a compounded OOA when in class with MHK..but it is all worth it...situational awareness and handling is a big key to making it back to the surface......BTW...From what I understand MHK had a small problem with his mask this weekend, but I'm not saying where I heard that :runaway: