Question OTS Guardian "Riding Up"

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Basheirt

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Location
York, PA
# of dives
100 - 199
Master Scuba Diver with FFM certification. Only a few OW dives in with the Guardian. Love the concept, overall.

Question: Relaxed, in my living room, I spent over an hour adjusting the nosepiece in order to get a good position for underwater clearing and nose-breathing. On the dive boat, I donned the FFM with what I believed to be proper tightening of straps (first chin, then cheeks, then top of head). Entered water and began descent... and immediately found mask was "riding up" my face, pushing the block up, making it impossible to breathe through my nose. The mask never leaked, and I could breathe just fine from my mouth. But there was no way to breathe through my nose since the rubber block was pushed up against it. Not only was it uncomfortable and didn't provide the experience I was hoping for, I am sure I was breathing more air since I was breathing through my mouth.

Before tomorrow's scheduled dives, I have watched several more videos about donning the Guardian properly. Again, I am SURE the nose block is positioned properly, with an adequate gap from my nose, while still giving me the ability to block my nose to clear when I want.

Is there anything else I can do? If I change out to a wider gap in the nose block, I'm afraid I won't be able to clear. And the mask riding up was so severe that no amount of nose block adjustment make any difference. It really has to be the way the mask itself is sitting on my face/head.

Is there any VERY clear video about positioning the mask/straps? Anything else?
 
I don’t breathe through my nose when using my FFM, my nose block rests against my nose, while I get get some air passing for a shallow inhalation, it’s not like mouth breathing.

I can’t really instruct you how to prevent it from
Riding up, you’ll have to figure what works best for you.
However, when tighing the straps, make sure you pull back, not up or down or out, because they can break.
 
I had this same issue for a while. I think my solution was the order of the strap tightening. First the chin straps, then the forehead straps, then a light tug on the top strap. I got my info from OTS material, maybe one of their videos. It's been a few years since I had to deal with it.
 
I use the Interspiro version of the Guardian. I have chosen to take the V-block and the hoop completely out of the mask. I don't need it to equalize pressure anyway. This just makes the mask so much more comfortable to dive with and you can breathe freely through both nose and mouth.
FFM masks have more buoyancy due to a larger air volume inside the mask. That's why they want to ride up. This is also why you may initially feel a little sore in your jaw. For Interspiro you can get 2 weights of approx. 300g to put on the side of the mask. But, after a few dives, the jaw gets used to it anyway and weights don't matter so much. I don't use it.
My first focus is to get the mask tightened well under the chin and then the top. When I am approx. at 5 m deep, I often tighten the bottom a click or two, again, when the water pressure has helped press the mask into place. By the way I simply love the OTS Ambient Breathing Valve (ABV). Fresh air on the surface :) and the mask is not pressurized while you put it on, which makes it easier to tighten it correctly.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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