Positively buoyant mask... how?

[estresao]

This years is getting horrible for me from a mask/wallet perceptive, so far this year I've lost three masks (they slipped off while I was swimming to the boat and sank)... expensive ones because they were prescription dive masks (300+ EUR each). My wallet is asking me to stop being such a goof, buy another one and find out how to make them positively buoyant just in case you decide to keep being that doofus.

So here I am investigating how to get it so that in case I do again the stupid think, my mask just come to the surface. My mask are Hollis M1 with Halcyon neoprene straps (or similar), which with the reading glasses get sank if you drop it.

I was thinking maybe there is a very positive neoprene strap in the market or similar thing. I need to avoid snag-prone solutions because I do a lot of cave dives.

Any idea or tip? Thank!

 

[batdiver_82]

my mask only slipped off when I had it on my forehead... just leave it on (in dive-mode ) until you are on the boat.

 

[jborg]

they slipped off while I was swimming to the boat and sank

Are you swimming around with the mask on your forehead? Maybe don't

If you want to take it off, clip it to a double ender on a d-ring.

 

[estresao]

Nope, yesterday, losing my 3rd one, I've found how. I usually dive with double tanks, and recently I'm going to dive in a friend of mine's small RIB boat with no ladder so I have to doff my gear before to jump into the boat.

I usually attach my mask to the harness D-ring using a double ended snap-bolt, and wear dry suit, so when I doff in the surface it's not very easy, mainly bearing in mind I cannot dump too much gas from the wing to avoid sink with no regulator.... last time, when lost my last mask, it was really difficult in the middle of some waves and took me a lot doff until I managed to take off first arm (elbow) from the harness... after all this kerfuffle I realised my brand new mask when to dive by itself again down 50+ meter deep and no chance (after deco done) to go down to recover it).

Lesson learned.... when doffing in the water surface, first move the mask to a pocket (and probably also the computer and the compass) before.

 

[Snusmumrik]

Me tie mask to bungee necklace using simple cord. If mask fell off - it still be somewhere near me.
I've do this after losing my first prescripted mask.

 

[estresao]

Me tie mask to bungee necklace using simple cord. If mask fell off - it still be somewhere near me.
I've do this after losing my first prescripted mask.

Thanks!. I don't like too much this option because if you need to swap to the backup mask you will have the main one attached hanging and could snag on anything.

 

[Badger7]

a very positive neoprene strap in the market or similar thing

What happens if your mask gets knocked off at depth? I can't say that's ever happened to me accidently, but I've practiced removing it and pulling a backup from my pocket and then switching back, so I'm pretty confident it will be just an annoyance when it happens someday. If my primary mask was very positive, and its headed to the surface, and I'm not sure I'd have any better time finding it at the top after the dive than I would at that moment after switching to a backup. I think 'nuetral' is probably best for a mask overall.

Counterpoint - if you did have a thick puffy neoprene mask strap, it would be relatively compressed at depth and not quite as bouyant as it would be at the surface, but still not something I would entertain personally.

Honestly, I think the best fix is procedural - if you'll need to remove your necklaced secondary before climbing back in the boat, you probably need to religiously use a spare double ender and clip your mask off as the fourth thing you do after inflating your wing, giving the ok signal, and swimming to the boat.

Lesson learned.... when doffing in the water surface, first move the mask to a pocket (and probably also the computer and the compass) before.

I think you've probably arrived at that same conclusion. Could probably clip the compass and mask off to the same double ender and stuff them away safely.

 

[LFMarm]

Mask should be donned all the time you are in the water. Hard to lose it that way.

 

[estresao]

What happens if your mask gets knocked off at depth? I can't say that's every happened to me accidently, but a few times I've practiced removing it and pulling a backup from my pocket and then switching back, so I'm pretty confident it will be just an annoyance when it happens someday. If my primary mask was very positive, and its headed to the surface, and I'm not sure I'd have any better time finding it at the top after the dive than I would at that moment after switching to a backup. I think 'nuetral' is probably best for a mask overall.

Counterpoint - if you did have a thick puffy neoprene mask strap, it would be relatively compressed at depth and not quite as bouyant at the surface, but still not something I would entertain personally.

Honestly, I think the best fix is procedural - if you'll need to remove your necklaced secondary before climbing back in the boat, you probably need to religiously use a spare double ender and clip your mask off as the third thing you do after inflating your wing and swimming to the boat.

I think you've probably arrived at that same conclusion. Could probably clip the compass and mask off to the same double ender and stuff them away safely.

Yes, I think so.... in that case, before start doffing, instead of clipping the mask into the harness D-ring clop it into a drysuit pocket bungee together with computer and compass.... and then start doffing the gear... probably that's the best approach.

If I miss both, my main mask and the back up in the same dive probably I better should stop diving and start playing golf or something like darts (well, after misplacing 3 masks in 7 months maybe I should start mulling this idea over)

Now seriously... I could miss a mask swapping to the back up one, but that's also procedural and it's something I practice frequently. Additionally the 3 masks I've misplaced this year happened in the surface, after clipping them to the harness D-Ring using a double snapshot... the first one I thought I've clipped it, but I didn't so off it went, the other two were for sure clipped in the D-ring..... before start fighting against my gear to doff the double tank in the surface before to jump into the boat.

Buoyancy is never perfect because you are not always at the seabed nor the surface... if you are in the middle of the blue during a deco or a surfacing stop and your mask takes off... you usually cannot go down to rescue it... most of the cases you could have more chances to meet it on the surface.

Neutral buoyancy mask could be great but could be a pain in the neck having neutral if you change frequently of waters as I do... for example, I do a lot of dives in the salty Mediterranean sea and also in fresh water caves.

So yes, I agree, the solution probably is not getting more gadgets but add some procedural habits.

 

[estresao]

Mask should be donned all the time you are in the water. Hard to lose it that way.

Sometimes is not practical having the mask donned, but even thought I always clip them in my harness d-ring.