Mask Squeeze

[Sea-man2003]

Hi,

will using a high volume mask increase the chance of having a mask squeeze?

Instead of equalizing my mask, will it help if i breathe out thru my nose to try to equalize?

Thanks!!

 

[Soggy]

Sea-man2003 once bubbled...
Hi,

will using a high volume mask increase the chance of having a mask squeeze?

Instead of equalizing my mask, will it help if i breathe out thru my nose to try to equalize?

Thanks!!

I can't think of any other way to equalize than to breathe out through the nose. I haven't experienced a problem with my SCUBAPro Trivent purge-valve mask. It just requires a little more constant equalization. I have a tendency to regularly exhale through my nose a bit anyhow, so I've never really had a problem.

 

[holdingmybreath]

Yes, using a high volume mask will increase the chance of having mask squeeze. Also, the stiffer the mask skirt the higher chance for mask squeeze.

You will want to equalize your mask by breathing out through your nose. Usually a person can tell that the mask needs to be equalized and a partial breath out through the nose is all it takes.

Mask equalizing is a separate issue from ear equalizing although I find it easier to equalize the ears when the mask is equalized.

 

[devilfish]

holdingmybreath once bubbled...
Yes, using a high volume mask will increase the chance of having mask squeeze. Also, the stiffer the mask skirt the higher chance for mask squeeze.

Actually low volume mask will increase the chance of squeeze.
You are correct that the stiffer the skirt the greater the chance of squeeze.

When squeeze occurs first the skirt gives, then the tissue of the face begins to get sucked into the mask, similar to a large hicky.

 

[holdingmybreath]

Devil Fish,

I wonder if you are correct.

Here would be a simple experiment:

If you were to take a large can and cover an opened end with celophane or similar material and take a like can and fill it half way with silicone so to reduce the volume and cover the opened end with celophane or similar material, take them both to a depth under the water (say 32'). The volume of air space in the cans would attempt to go to 1/2 of that at the surface and that celophane or other material would try to fill that space, either burst or stretch. It seems to me that the larger space (higher volume) would create more suction as it tries to go back to it's original capacity as it had at the surface.

what do you think???

 

[Uncle Pug]

Larger volume mask = more squeeze.

TIP: keep your mask strap loose enough that the skirt as plenty of room to compress due to increased water pressure. This will help you with equalizing your mask and will give you a better mask seal to boot. A well fitted mask is a must for this to work effectively.

 

[Hallmac]

Pressure is pressure

It is equally applied to large volume and low volume. Size doesn't matter here. Just adjust your mask strap correctly.

Just remember the more you exhale in to your mask the higher the chance of fog up.

Hallmac

 

[holdingmybreath]

You may be right, I was wondering if it wouldn't be equal, but if something has a set volume at the surface, and then is taken underwater, doesn't it try to return to it's original volume, and wouldn't a larger volume have to "try harder" to return to that original volume? Maybe not. Maybe someone out there knows the formula for figuring it out and can post it here. Otherwise, I may have to carry out my own experiment. One thing I do know without doing my experiment is that my low volume mask is much more comfortable at a given depth without equalizing than my large volume mask is. Maybe it is a "skirt factor". One of my stumbling blocks a long time ago while freediving was a large volume mask, but maybe it was the amount of air required to equalize it that was the problem.