Lessons Mask strap broke during a dive

[MikeSpike]

That is not cool

 

[MikeSpike]

I once lost my mask and reg.

 

[gordonscuba]

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.

The OP is about solo diving.

 

[JuLe]

I don't dive solo, but do carry a spare mask with me when diving "at home".

The waters here are murky, dark and cold. A lot of the bottom is soft silt. Drop a mask and most likely it is gone. Carrying my spare in my drysuit pocket is not a problem and this way if necessary, I can get (what little there is) visibility back pretty easily.

I also practice switching masks during a dive once in a while, just to convince myself I can do it without problems.

On vacation, diving in warmer and clearer waters, I don't always carry the spare. I figure that in better conditions I can manage without if the need should arise. Most likely one of my daughters will have one and we usually dive as a team of 3 or 4, so there is a spare available if necessary. (though it might not fit very welll)

 

[passeparici]

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.

Good points !
But I don't think the "I have never lost a mask in 30 years diving" is one...
Personnely in 50 years driving I have never had an accident : Do I still need safety equipments like a belt, an air bag, etc. ?

 

[BoltSnap]

Good points !
But I don't think the "I have never lost a mask in 30 years diving" is one...
Personnely in 50 years driving I have never had an accident : Do I still need safety equipments like a belt, an air bag, etc. ?

Why not spare fins?

 

[gordonscuba]

Why not spare fins?

Without fins, I can still control buoyancy, vertical position in the water column, and hold deco stops. I might not be able to get back to the original descent line, but I can still pop a DSMB. Are they critical life support equipment?

 

[hedonist222]

Why not spare fins?

Why stop there? Why not spare everything?
Because then it becomes difficult to haul and manage all this gear. A mask is small and can fit anywhere on your person. I have a dive pouch attached to the rear bottom of my BCD - DSMB and cutting tool stored there. My mask goes in my left dive shorts pocket. There's enough space in that pocket for my magnifying glass.

 

[Umuntu]

The odds of a fin breaking during a dive or even an entire trip are so remote as to be beyond practical consideration. But a fin strap breaking? Happens often enough that it's worth keeping a spare strap in your save-a-dive kit. I know I do.

I keep some 5mm or 6mm bungee cord in the dive box as a backup in the unlikely event the fin strap breaks. My fins use bungee straps, but it’s possible to attach bungees to almost any fin.

It’s also possible to use thinner bungee cord to make a mask strap. I replace my mask strap with elastic webbing.

 

[Nemrod]

Risk adverse people should do as they think best but please do not impose your (lack of) comfort issues on those who are not adverse. There is a balance in things and that line is not in the same place for everybody or for every dive or local. You do you, I will do me. In my case, 56 years of diving, I mostly have a good track record of coming back alive, true, tomorrow could be different, but odds are it will not be and I am okay with my odds.

Because of this very discussion, yesterday, I took my mask of in 60 feet and hooked it on my crotch strap with my camera tether line. I then stowed my camera and went to my safety stop, shot my DSMB and surfaced at the end of the dive and with no problem. The Shearwater makes it easy because it gives a tactile buzz at the beginning of safety stop and at the end when it is clear. Nice feature.

A mask can be kept on without a strap or broken strap.