PADI Instructors

[IlikeItwetPls]

I'm with you Matt. I've always thought all this hullabullu about the mask-on-the-forehead to be a bit anal. If one is concerned about the emotional state of a diver wearing their mask on their forehead on surface, a simple "o.k." signal to them will tell you if there is indeed a problem. Personally, I like to wear my mask up there when on surface, for all the reasons you've mentioned; further, I'm a big boy now - I'll rig myself as I please & take full responsibility for my decisions. I believe that new divers must be informed of all the pros n' cons of various mask placements when it is not in use, but as adults, they have the right to wear it as they please.

D.S.D.

I agree with you Dan. It should be stressed that putting a mask on your forehead increases the risk of loosing it, but that is the users risk. Most instructors have a relationship with a shop, or own a shop, so loosing a mask would benefit them more. Putting a mask on 'backwards' seems to have the same risk. A wave could come from behind you too. I think this is tradition that has become to anal.

 

[DORSETBOY]

Up to individuals whether or not they wear masks on their foreheads, Ive been told and have no reason to dispute that there is a high prevalence of divers in distress at the surface tending to have their masks up on their forehads. Equally though it's pretty obvious from other visual cues that a distressed diver is actually distressed.

 

[Walter]

Ive been told and have no reason to dispute that there is a high prevalence of divers in distress at the surface tending to have their masks up on their forehads.

I've also been told this, but I've actually seen lots of divers in distress, very few have their mask on their forehead.

 

[Dan Gibson]

Exactly what I have seen as well on numerous occasions.

As for those who can't imagine that a mask on the forehead is a sign of distress, I must disagree. My experience has been different. I've seen a bunch of cases of distress, and three full-out panics, and each time, the first thing to go was the reg (spit out) and the next to go was the mask (shoved up on forehead).

 

[RIDIVER501]

I have to concur with Saip and Dan, in 26 years of diving and 11 of teaching the only time I have not seen a diver having a problem at the surface not push their mask up on their forehead (if not completely removing it) is during resuce class when the pretend victim forget to push it up there for simulation sake. I don't care if it was in open water or confined, the people who were really panicing spit out the reg and pushed up the mask every time.

 

[DrSteve]

Well, as far as I know, its a dont-I-look-cool thing. I had never noticed it before until I started my cave training out in Florida, everyone is out there in all black with their black low-profile masks backwards on their foreheads - I'm sure most of them didn't learn it in a PADI OW class they just took.

I'd love to look cool but I've got a damn chronic ear infection so I've got to wear that ProEar mask with the damn ear cups. I guess other than that, I look pretty cool but it does ruin the image.

That's the first time I've seen one of those them thar new fangled masks. What's your opinion of it?

 

[RIDIVER501]

kind of make one look like lando calrissian's assistant from empire strikes back

 

[realdiver7]

I teach for PADI, and have never seen any written standard on whether or not to place a mask on your forehead, frontwards or backwards, or whether or not to wear it around your neck. On the forehead frontwards, it could be interpreted by some as a diver in distress, but that would probably not be the first or only thing to indicate distress. Instructors have their own teaching styles and opinions, and they are not always consistent with each other, especially if there is no standard specified.

I have seen divers lose their masks by putting them on their foreheads on more than one occasion. I have also had mine knocked off by a wave in my early days of diving when it was on my forehead. Here are some things to consider when making your own personal choice about wearing it on your forehead:

1. It may get knocked off and lost.
2. It's the most convenient place and easiest place to wear it on the surface, and it doesn't get tangled up in hoses or on your BCD somewhere.
3. It doesn't give you the feeling of being choked by having it around your neck.
4. You don't have to stretch your mask strap so far out of normal shape to put it back on as compared to wearing it around your neck. It's also quicker bringing it from the top down.
5. It may be interpreted as a diver in distress if on frontwards.
6. HERE'S ONE MOST DIVERS DON'T CONSIDER...When you put your mask on your forehead, your body temperature and the sun will heat up the glass very quickly. Remember, your body loses most of it's heat from your head. Even a warm hood combined with the sun will heat up your mask. When you put it back on and the mask touches the cool water, it will have a natural tendancy to fog up. This heating should be slightly less if you wear your mask backwards.
7. Wearing it backwards feels more comfortable. You have the flat strap against your forehead, instead of the uneven contour of the mask frame. The glass is in the relative coolness of your wet hair, or back of your hood, not up top facing the sun.

In class I teach my students to wear the mask on their face until they are out of the water. If they take it off for some reason, I advise them to hold it, or wear it around their neck so it doesn't get lost and have a greater chance of fogging.

When I was in the Instructor Candidate Course (IDC), our much older and wiser Course Director told us not to wear our masks on our foreheads, and not to try to look cool by turning them around backwards. He was also very strict about tanks standing upright when not being used. They had to be layed down on the ground, which was a very good idea!

In real life diving situations when I'm not teaching, I have tried wearing it on my forehead frontwards and backwards, wearing it around my neck, holding it, letting it hang from my forearm by the strap, and clipping it off to a D-ring. I think the decision is a personal one that compromises safety with practicality and comfort. I had rather clip it off with a D-ring as a first choice, but wear it backwards as a second choice. Still haven't been consistent with it though in all these years, except for teaching! Think I'll try the D-ring again for a while!

 

[freediver]

I wear mine backwards out of sheer convenience for one as well as to let the neoprene strap serve as a sunscreen on my exposed forehead. It never dawned on me that I might be making an attempt to look cool or that I would embitter someone who thought I was trying to look cool. Maybe my mask strap should read "I am only trying to look cool, inside I am very anal". The funny thing to me are the instructors who find it a ridiculous act to put the mask on the forehead so they punish and "fine" the student with another ridiculous act of having them buy beer for the dive instructor. So are we trying to promote safe behaviors here or aren't we?

 

[teknitroxdiver]

When I got certified a few years ago, I was taught that the mask is either in it's place on your face, or around your neck.

Personally I find no benefit to taking my mask off while in the water. However I do wear it backwards on my head while moving from the bench to the gate. The reason I do it this way is so I have both hands free to hold on, grab my reg before jumping, and it's safe from slamming into things like it might if the mask was in my hand.