over vs. under hood

[Degenerate]

but that is extremely awkward with a tight fitting hood designed for cold water - and impossible with dry hoods,
and forget about it if you have dry gloves,

No, yes, and no on the last one.
Would definitely not want to do it in cold water though, that would suck really bad which is why I wear mine over the hood like most of us do.

You are bang on the money on your last point though, there's almost never an answer that will work well for everyone, gotta find what works/fits you best.

 

[WetLens]

Earlier poster was right - what ever works. I always wear it under my hood. Two reasons - I used to dive frequently in heavy current situations. The mask under the hood kept it in place at times it would have likely been dislodged by the current. Had it happen a time or two and at the recommendation of local diver, started wearing it under. It has been a long while since I've dove in that kind of current, but continue to wear it under. Second reason - I don't have to adjust my mask strap every time I switch between wearing and not wearing a mask. I may go in with the hood up, find the water is warmer than anticipated, and simply pull my hood back. Won't likely work with a 7mm hood, but does fine with my 5mm and 3mm hooded vests (which are always over my wetsuit (same reason - current).

 

[Subcooled]

No, yes, and no on the last one.
Would definitely not want to do it in cold water though, that would suck really bad which is why I wear mine over the hood like most of us do.

You are bang on the money on your last point though, there's almost never an answer that will work well for everyone, gotta find what works/fits you best.

I did express my opinion at first,
but I have also learned the hard way that My Truth is not always The Truth

I still need to chime in though, as otherwise we would have no discussion.
And thanks for your comment!

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I wore my mask under my hood once and hated it.
My hoods are all skin-in and I shave my head bald so that the hood seals like a second skin to my scalp. The face seals are also skin in and a strap under the hood just lets ice cold water in.
In 25 years of diving I’ve never lost a mask so I think those are pretty good odds.
Mask breakage? What are you guys doing that you might get a shattered mask?

 

[Akimbo]

In 25 years of diving I’ve never lost a mask

I have never lost or broken a mask, or mask strap, in the water in over 60 years. Smashing a mask in the bottom of an inflatable or in a gear bag is a different story.

 

[Subcooled]

I have never lost or broken a mask, or mask strap, in the water in over 60 years. Smashing a mask in the bottom of an inflatable or in a gear bag is a different story.

I have seen it happen once though. We were in the Llygad Llwchwr II cave doing sump diving, when a mask strap broke - in between sumps, not in the water. A spare mask solved this minor inconvenience, though (minor, as you don't see anything in sumps anyway). Other than that, no masks have been lost unless someone has sat on top of them. This is based on 12 years of diving only.