Weird mask leak problem - second dives only

[Ting Tong]

I dive with a scubapro solo. Great mask for me, fits well and soft and pliable.

I had the exact same problem as you. First dive great, no fog, no leak. Second dive not so good, constantly trying to adjust it underwater to stop the infernal leak!

The solution for me? I loosened my mask. Looser than I felt comfortable with the first few times. I make sure that the adjustment has not changed between dives and I am conscious of running a loose mask. Most of my diving has been done off boats, both giant stride and inverted roll. I have never lost a mask as I am holding it when I enter the water.

The difference? I have never had the issue again. I figure the deeper I go, the more the water is trying to keep my mask on. BTW I have dived clean shaven and fully bearded.

You have nothing to lose by trying your mask a littler looser.

 

[flspy]

I dive with a scubapro solo. Great mask for me, fits well and soft and pliable.

I had the exact same problem as you. First dive great, no fog, no leak. Second dive not so good, constantly trying to adjust it underwater to stop the infernal leak!

The solution for me? I loosened my mask. Looser than I felt comfortable with the first few times. I make sure that the adjustment has not changed between dives and I am conscious of running a loose mask. Most of my diving has been done off boats, both giant stride and inverted roll. I have never lost a mask as I am holding it when I enter the water.

The difference? I have never had the issue again. I figure the deeper I go, the more the water is trying to keep my mask on. BTW I have dived clean shaven and fully bearded.

You have nothing to lose by trying your mask a littler looser.

Thanks for the reply, I will try that. I should have mentioned that I always swap out the silicone straps for a full neoprene slap strap- not the the kind that fits over the silicone straps, but completely neoprene. I was thinking maybe the neoprene gets soaked with water and loosens up- perhaps the compression at depth is doing the opposite.

Since I have more than one mask that fits, I may even try swapping masks between dives.

 

[BugHunterNY]

Thanks for the reply, I will try that. I should have mentioned that I always swap out the silicone straps for a full neoprene slap strap- not the the kind that fits over the silicone straps, but completely neoprene. I was thinking maybe the neoprene gets soaked with water and loosens up- perhaps the compression at depth is doing the opposite.

Since I have more than one mask that fits, I may even try swapping masks between dives.

I think you may have solved your own problem here. Definitely try with a traditional strap, use a neoprene cover over the strap if you have hair issues - but that neoprene strap you're using has probably lost it's strength when saturated with water, and is not holding the mask on for a good seal...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[rwkosh]

I have experienced the same problem--minor leaking on the second dive. For me, it's the result of an unconscious moving of the mask lower on my face. I do this to relieve pressure on my nose, that sometimes gets sore on the first dive if I have to clear my ears a lot during a dive due to depth changes. If I'm doing a fairly flat profile, the second dive is never a problem, but if I make lots of depth changes on that first dive, I can expect to get some leaking during the second dive.

 

[Akimbo]

I found that if any part of the mask contacts my face, besides the face seal itself, it will leak. They seal great in the dive shop and sometimes on a dive. I have learned to carefully look in a mirror for flesh pressing against the glass and to feel for the top and sides of the nose pocket pressing against the nose. I then look for red spots on my skin when I take it off. It shows the outline of the face seal and will often show spots where it was pressing against the bridge of my nose. It also helps see interference using a clear silicon mask in the shop, even if you want a black one.

It wasn't a problem in the 1960s when all the masks were high volume. I must have bought 5 low volume masks until I figured it out. Perhaps you have a similar issue?

 

[spectrum]

Are you snotting up going into dive 2 and no longer letting pressure into the mask? Is the mask also collapsing against your face?

Personally after about an hour with alarming precision I snot up and my mask get squirrely. Finger against one nostril and blow, repeat for the other and voila!


Pete

 

[tstafford]

I have big cheek bones. Therefore most mask tend to let water in around the temple area. If I even wiggled my jaw it would leak. No big deal in warm water but very annoying in cold water. I finally tried a mask that Mares Makes. It's their "Sunrise" series of mask. They were made for the wider faces of the Asian Market. It works great. It may not work for you but it did for me.

 

[g1138]

Thanks for the reply, I will try that. I should have mentioned that I always swap out the silicone straps for a full neoprene slap strap- not the the kind that fits over the silicone straps, but completely neoprene. I was thinking maybe the neoprene gets soaked with water and loosens up- perhaps the compression at depth is doing the opposite.

Since I have more than one mask that fits, I may even try swapping masks between dives.

I find that complete neoprene straps with webbing for the connection suck big time. They don't stretch at all which means with depth compensation the mask can loosen when the air in your mask expands and bubbles out.
I always had major leaks on my ascent with those type of mask straps. When I'm using a silicone strap or a slide-over neoprene slap strap I have no issues.