Mask skirt and signaling

[Peter_C]

Is this DIR? I would definitely be signaling my buddy to have a look.

 

[mtbrider]

In high ambient light conditions, I hit my buddy's arms (which typically are in front of his face. You know, the superman position) with my light. This is usually pretty effective.

I tried this the other day but I couldn't seem to hit a spot on my buddy's arm that he could see. What would your relative position to your buddy be when doing this? Normally I try to be level or slightly below my buddy and to his side but back a little bit.

 

[Rick Inman]

If my buddy is gently moving his light right on top or next to where mine is (and therefore where my eyes are focused), if I don't see the signal, it is more of a comment on my situational awareness rather than the color of my mask skirt.

 

[Sideband]

If my buddy is genitally moving his light right on top or next to where mine is (and therefore where my eyes are focused), if I don't see the signal, it is more of a comment on my situational awareness rather than the color of my mask skirt.

How does your buddy hold his light? Where, exactly, does he attach the goodman handle for this maneuver?

 

[Rick Inman]

How does your buddy hold his light? Where, exactly, does he attach the goodman handle for this maneuver?

Augh!! Darned spell checker! (post edited, but my mistake forever quoted in your post...)

 

[mtbrider]

LOL, yeah, let's not go there! Not that there's anything wrong with that...

While I agree that technique is the solution to most diving problems, I was glad I had the clear <mask> skirt last weekend. My canister flooded on my light (I hate kayaks!!) so I took back my light I had lent to Peter. For the next two dives Peter only had a LED Photon Torpedo to use and compared to my 35W HID it was hard to make it out. However on a few occasions he readily got my attention by shining the PT light at my face.

I would have to say in terms of safety a clear mask skirt is better. The disadvantage is the slight glare due to ambient light but the advantages are obvious.

 

[TSandM]

In conditions of very high ambient light, I haven't found HID lights to be very useful, no matter what kind of mask skirts people are using. On the other hand, when I had to use a clear-skirted mask for a while, I found myself jumping and flinching at spurious light signals a lot.

I believe the DIR recommendation is for an opaque skirt, but off the top of my head, I can't remember where I read that.

 

[Jason B]

To signal buddy:

1. signal where his light is shining (probably where he is looking).
2. flash his hands (this one usually always works).
3. flash side of mask (last resort - I've experienced no issues with black skirts).

If you can't get your buddy with either 1 or 2 above, he probably needs to be paying a bit more attention. He should be monitoring your light throughout the dive.

 

[RTodd]

I'm pretty sure DIR does not specify clear or black skirt, and in fact I think it would make little difference in a cave. It seems the only time this is an issue is during dives with a lot of ambient light.

Actually, a black skirt has more advantages in a cave. The light that is there is all artificial so if it is reflected at a weird angle, etc. it can be distracting. This is also why scooter bodies are painted black for cave diving (to keep the lights from reflecting light everywhere) and white for ocean diving (to make it easier to spot on the surface). Low volume and fit is far more important for a mask.

HID lights are essentially useless in clear water. You have to spend the whole dive focusing on your light beam and looking for your teammates light to accomplish the same thing that can be done passively in darker conditions. So, it is more efficient just to step up buddy awareness and to remain in easy reach of the team.

 

[mtbrider]

To signal buddy:

1. signal where his light is shining (probably where he is looking).
2. flash his hands (this one usually always works).
3. flash side of mask (last resort - I've experienced no issues with black skirts).

If you can't get your buddy with either 1 or 2 above, he probably needs to be paying a bit more attention. He should be monitoring your light throughout the dive.

How do you flash the hands? I am trying to understand the positioning. I was only successful in hitting the outside of the elbow which was not much use.

It's easy to say signal where you're buddy's light is shining but I have had other buddies who didn't see my 35W HID passing by their light, so I don't believe it is just an awareness issue on my part.