Thoughts on full face mask?

[H2Andy]

for recreational diving, simpler is better

nothing beats spitting one regulator out and putting another one in your mouth

you can't do that with a full-face mask

so here you are, in a stresfull situation that requires you to switch regulators, and you have to remove your mask

(add more stress to the stress you had to begin with)

now add the tasks of getting another reg in your mouth blind, finding your spare mask, donning it and clearing it, without losing bouyancy control

if you do evertyhing perfectly, no problem

but ... it's just complicating things, and complications under stress are never good

 

[rsdancey]

Is there one I can use with my current regulator stage 1/2? Are they comfortable? Anything you would like to throw in would be awesome, thanks!

Jamie

My "everyday dive" rig includes a Kirby Morgan Mk48 "Supermask".

This is a compromise design between a normal low-profile mask & a full face mask. The mask has two "compartments", a normal mask-like compartment, and a "pod" which clips on the mask frame for diving. The two compartments are separate when the mask is correctly fitted. You attach your regulator to the "pod" just like you attach a normal mouthpiece. I use the 'extended' mouthpiece provided by KM which allows me to take the reg into my mouth "just like normal" when I want to.

You can pinch your nose via the rubber nosecone just like you would on a normal mask (no "posts" or other confusing systems required).

The mask has a slightly more complex strap than a "normal" mask. Once you learn how to don it, it's a non-issue. (The secret is to clip it together, and leave it loose enough to get over your head/hood, then just tighten it in place.)

Advantages:

* You can dive this mask just like you'd dive any other low profile mask. You do not need to bring a backup mask, or practice underwater mask remove & replace drills (you should do them anyway, but they're not a requirement for diving this mask).

* You can share air with a buddy just like you would with a normal rig. I can remove the "pod" with my right hand, and donate it (its on a long hose) as in a normal DIR-style OOA drill.

* You can use a normal bungeed backup regulator. If you lose the primary, just unclip the pod, store the reg like you would a normal 2nd stage, and breathe the bungeed backup per standard operating procedure.

* Keeps your face warm, which extends bottom time. (I noticed a .1 ft3/minute improvement in SAC when diving with this mask, which I attribute to comfort at depth.)

* You can talk (with the mouthpiece out of your mouth) and be reasonably clearly understood by your dive team.

* You could add coms if you wished (I have not).

* Reduced jaw fatigue from gripping the mouthpiece (I did a liveaboard last year where we did 4 dives a day, and by the 4th day, my teeth ached every time I bit into my reg, no matter how lightly I tried to hold it...)

* Straps keep mask in place when kicked in face by buddy. I speak from personal experience.

* If, for some reason, you found yourself using this mask while breathing a highly enriched gas mix too deeply, and you OxTox, you will not suck down much (if any) water.

Negatives:

* Costs more than a regular low profile mask.

* Nonstandard gear may affect your team cohesion. You have to brief the mask to new buddies and anyone you're diving with who is unfamiliar with the mask before you get in the water to avoid surprises/confusion.

* In an OOA where a diver grabs for your reg without your assistance, they're going to pull it away from the pod, and possibly end up with a reg with no mouthpiece (which won't stop them from using it, but may be confusing). The "Pod" is designed to fail "open" (that is, detach from the frame) when yanked, but it's impossible to say what would happen if a panicked diver grabbed for your hose and did a "Hulk Pull" at depth).

* If the strap breaks, you'll need to get a Kirby Morgan replacement because it is nonstandard.

* I found the "field of view" to be slightly smaller than my normal mask, but that may simply be an optical illusion; the masks seem to have the same sized lenses.

Ryan

 

[Rainer]

Here's a description (I don't dive it, just looked it up):

http://www.kirbymorgan.com/FullFaceMasks/M48.html

 

[Meng_Tze]

Here's a description (I don't dive it, just looked it up):

http://www.kirbymorgan.com/FullFaceMasks/M48.html

Is this one of those masks where you look like 'the Gimp' when you take the second stage off?

 

[muddiver]

I have been thinking about going with a full face mask and wanted to know what experienced divers thought about it. What would you suggest? Is there one I can use with my current regulator stage 1/2? Are they comfortable? Anything you would like to throw in would be awesome, thanks!

Jamie

To answer the questions: First reference rsdancy's post which covers most of the good reasons to get a KM M-48 and/or a full face mask. Then here are my 2 bits:

There are about three full face masks (FFM) that you can use your first and second stage regulator with. Scuba pro makes one, Posidon makes a really cheep one and there is the top of the line Kirby Morgan M-48.

They are more comfortable because you reduce the amount of surface area of your body exposed to the cold of the water around you, you don't have to conciously keep it in your mouth, and if you have a mustach, like me, you will find it doesn't leak like a triditional SCUBA mask will.

The M48 is the only FFM that you can remove the regulator without removing the whole mask. That alows you to talk and breath on the surface and to got to an alternate air source underwater without having to plumb a second tank through a valve block (that's another $400).

It is also smaller and holds less volume than the AGA mask, so you wear less extra weight to compensate for having an air bubble on your face.

Once you figure it out, a FFM is just a safer and more comfortable way to dive. Go for it. :14:

 

[Bob3]

A quick & easy FFM that utilizes the same 1st & 2nd stage that you have is the old-style Poseidon, made for them at the time by Cressi, now days made by IST (it's the Pegasus model, from $60 - $100, rubber or silicone). Poseidon no longer carries that model.
Jacques Cousteau even used it at the Antarctic, along with a Cyklon reg & Unisuit with a USD sticker strategically placed over the Poseidon logo.
Poseidon's NEW FFM is a real sweetie, but it retails at over a grand, but does come with a 2nd stage. It comes in 2 sizes so folks with narrower faces can have a good fit where the AGA would need to have rubber tubing split & glued onto the skirt.
With the Pegasus you can reinstall your mouthpiece if you want, doing it that way cuts way back on CO2 buildup in the mask.
Plus you have a nice mask to wear on Halloween:

 

[Bob3]

A quick & easy FFM that utilizes the same 1st & 2nd stage that you have is the old-style Poseidon, made for them at the time by Cressi, now days made by IST (it's the Pegasus model, from $60 - $100, rubber or silicone). Poseidon no longer carries that model.
Jacques Cousteau even used it at the Antarctic, along with a Cyklon reg & Unisuit with a USD sticker strategically placed over the Poseidon logo.
Poseidon's NEW FFM is a real sweetie, but it retails at over a grand, but does come with a 2nd stage. It comes in 2 sizes so folks with narrower faces can have a good fit where the AGA would need to have rubber tubing split & glued onto the skirt.
With the Pegasus you can reinstall your mouthpiece if you want, doing it that way cuts way back on CO2 buildup in the mask.
Plus you have a nice mask to wear on Halloween:

 

[Lucy's Diver]

I've seen bad things happen to FFM users who had little or no training. This is not something you just throw on and start using. You might get away with that for awhile, but there are any number of problems you need to be able to handle that require training. There is not much of that training outside the PSD or commercial communities.