Lessons Mask strap broke during a dive

[tarponchik]

So you have not taken any solo training?

Ah, the PADI police is here...

 

[tarponchik]

I had a friend who used to carry a pair of swim goggles as a back up mask. He would clear it using his regulator and could only ascend, but it did sort-of work for him.

I've never tried scuba diving in swim goggles but according to this, this is not possible.

 

[tursiops]

I've never tried scuba diving in swim goggles but according to this, this is not possible.

You missed the point. Again. The goggles were only for ascending, so no problem with increasing pressures on the eyes.

 

[TrimixToo]

I carry a backup mask in my right thigh pocket. I'm old enough that I need corrective lenses to read my computers, so the "air bubble in my hand over one eye" trick no longer suffices. Well, maybe if I squint hard after losing the backup mask. Maybe. But the backup mask is a better strategy, offering rapid reliable deployment and simplified operations afterward. Solo, not solo, doesn't matter. I need to be an indepedent diver, particularly with overheads, be they hard or soft.

 

[tarponchik]

You missed the point. Again. The goggles were only for ascending, so no problem with increasing pressures on the eyes.

The article does not mention ascending. They just say that goggles are for swimming, not for scuba diving or snorkeling.

 

[gordonscuba]

you are absolutely right regarding the standard equipment in the sdi solo diver course. After that it s a personnal choice to either or not go along with with it.

For exemple some people will get rid of the octo and other will keep it.

Another exemple but it s not in the sdi course some people will carry 2 dsmb i personally don't.

Back on topic after 200 buddy dive and 58 solo dive i never had a problem with a mask. I am pretty comfortable to swim ascent etc.. without a mask. Like another mention this should not be and issue if a situation arise. Priority number one while underwater should be to continuously breathe from gas.

This being said i will tuck in that extra mask now anyway just in case...

Be safe

It's a personal choice, yes, in the sense that there are no scuba police underwater and most countries don't make unsafe diving illegal. However, most of us would not call something personal choice if it's just clearly unsafe. The reality is:

1. Every piece of gear can fail (or be lost / inaccessible which is a failure mode).

2. Each piece of gear is either critical or it isn't, where "critical" means that in some cases (perhaps only those cases where something goes wrong, but realistic), it would save your life. For example, a DSMB is critical because if current picks up and you find yourself adrift at sea in rough conditions, it could be the only way rescuers can see you. A cutting tool is critical in case of entanglement. A source of breathing gas is critical, obviously, but I don't think an octo is critical given that you will have a second tank with its own first and second stage. A reliable way of knowing your bottom time, depth and decompression is critical. One can argue whether or not a mask is critical, but I have tested and I do not trust myself to reliably perform deco stops and compass navigation without a mask.

Taking those two points together, I come to the conclusion that of each critical piece of gear, on any solo dive I will carry at least two.

 

[Nemrod]

I do not want a government inspector or scuba police checking my equipment against a government mandated list. This is a buddy team non-tech forum and this is not the specific solo forum therefore this is really a no deco, no solo, no overhead, no penetration discussion forum. Failure or loss of mask is a minor inconvenience in open water buddy team diving and surfacing direct or even delayed and including a safety stop is not a big deal for a truly advanced skill level diver, or should not be. Now, if shore diving, need to traverse a boat lane, kelp bed or some other impediment to a safe conclusion of the dive, please by all means carry what is needed to accomplish that per experience.

I have never lost a mask in 56 years of diving that I can recall but I have had skirts split, frames leak or pop, buckles give up buckling and it has never been a problem to conclude the dive. My buddy can assist the safety stop though my experience is that I can do safety stops and navigation adequate for the open water environment without a mask. No reason that diving without a mask cannot be something a diver practices now and then just like an air share drill. I know of divers to tether their masks for surf and kelp shore dives.

If I am solo, planning a shore dive involving a long swim or there is deco or penetration potential then of course I would equip to handle that situation, which might include a spare mask. Otherwise, no, the less I carry, the more minimal and robust my kit, the better for me. Buy quality gear, inspect and maintain your gear.

 

[LI-er]

The article does not mention ascending. They just say that goggles are for swimming, not for scuba diving or snorkeling.

The point you missed was raised by another member who ciearly stated the goggles would be used only for ascending.

 

[scubadada]

The point you missed was raised by another member who ciearly stated the goggles would be used only for ascending.

I use goggles all the time for swimming. How do you clear goggles underwater, bursts from your regulator?

 

[Nemrod]

I use goggles all the time for swimming. How do you clear goggles underwater, bursts from your regulator?

You first descend 20 feet after putting them on. Your eyeballs will pop out of their sockets displacing any water and provide your eyeballs with a custom vacuum fit in the goggles. Then feel free to ascend and once upon the surface you can pop your eyeblls out of the swim goggles and back into their sockets, maybe, probably not. Make sure to put the eyeballs back into the correct sockets as having the optic nerves switched around might require a lobotomy to prevent severe left and right confusion.

Or just learn to deal with a little saltwater in your eyesies, it will be okay for a few minutes.