Wearing mask on the back of your head

[Doc]

This instructor seems to be OK with a mask on the forehead of one of his students.

View attachment 516348

I spent a lot of time looking for a picture of this instructor with a mask on his forehead, but could not find....

CMAS frog 2*
meh.

 

[EFX]

Wow! So many posts in just one day. I haven't read them all. If I'm on a boat I don't put my mask on until the crew says suit up and then I usually wear it backwards because I prefer to see what I'm doing and where I am walking. Also I don't want to risk a fog out. I sometimes jump into the water with it on backwards. It's amazing how many crew people don't mention it; if they do I say I know and jump in. From the shore I always wear it in backwards, again I prefer to see clearly where I'm going. It's never been an issue.

 

[caruso]

I sometimes jump into the water with it on backwards.

I could see where this might be an issue and result in loss of the mask.

 

[Bob DBF]

posted too soon

 

[Bob DBF]

I'm curious how/when it became 'common lore' that if you're at the surface and have your mask on your forehead it means you're in distress.

When instruction began using catch phrases instead of training in order to shorten classes to make up for payment inequities.

Its easier to teach a rule, than take the time to explain the context in which to use the information. In this case, explaining how this is a small piece of information in deciding if a diver is in distress, takes much longer. Also, if the instructor was opposed to MOF, instead of discussing it, make it an issue of impending doom. A twofer. From my experience it was probably in the '80's or so.

"Training by catchphrase", I understand why its being done, but I don't have to like it.


When I started to dive it was not an issue how anyone kept their mask when not diving. It was pointed out that MOF in bad weather, for one, could lead to its loss, however that was your problem, you've been told. Same as leaving it where someone could sit or walk on it.



Bob

 

[martincohn]

MOF distress signal...whats old is new again.

Here's another 24 pages worth of posts if ya get bored.
Mask on Forehead reliable distress signal?

 

[scrane]

The mask on forehead = diver in trouble is the silliest idea in scuba diving. Even sillier are those who take it seriously.

 

[In2theabyss]

Here's another 24 pages worth of posts if ya get bored.
Mask on Forehead reliable distress signal?

 

[Fastmarc]

It's not that I haven't ever seen divers walking around on a boat with the mask on the back of their heads. It just took me the better part of 40 years for me to realize there was a good reason for it. It just sort of happens that I've been recently looking into ways to completely eliminate mask fogging and have done all the tricks including burning, Mr. Clean Eraser, toothpaste etc, but still got the occasional fogging. I've been avoiding putting on my mask until the very last moment before diving due to advice I received here and elsewhere and found it to be an inconvenience (but it definitely helped with the fogging issue), then I saw the backwards mask dude walking around and I was like.. "I get it".

Recently a fellow diver told me of a mask he has that always fogged up despite doing all the stuff like you did, to it. He did a dive with it that day and within a few feet of descending it completely fogged up. I have never seen a mask fog up that fast. He had a mask in his pocket and switched to it. It never fogged the whole day. He says he won't try again. He thinks its just the mask.
Interestingly his wife, an experienced diver herself, said she had one that did the same and she got it to 'break in' by having it in her pocket for a lot of dives until one day she tried it and it never fogged up. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[NorCalDM]

This subject gets dug up and beaten more every so often. Store your mask where ever you want I clip mine to my BC works for me. I will say I DM for open water classes and at least once a class somebody at the beach we teach at loses a mask and it was usually on thier forehead with thick hoods on you can't feel it. This is also a way I have found several masks over the years.