When mask comes off at 100 ft ......

[scubasaint]

I would like to hear what others would do or have done in a situation where there mask was kicked off their face during a dive.

In thinking about the scenario, my thought would be that you assume and hope your buddy is near by so he/she can assist with retrieving your mask. I remove my mask occasionally to practice the skill of clearing a completely flooded mask and am very comfortable in doing so, but I would imagine if it would come off unexpectedly, that would be a scary thing.

For instance, in salt water, do others open their eyes and retrieve the mask themselves? For me it is hard enough keeping my eyes open in a pool and being able to see anything, much less in the ocean.

Hopefully I never have this happen, and when I am in a crowded area I try to keep a hand on my mask to prevent it, but as well know accidents do happen, so please share your thoughts.

 

[String]

Take some deep breaths while adapting to the freezing water on my face, get spare mask out of pocket and fit it. If i can see the lost mask nearby i'll pick it up. If not i wont.

And FWIW opening eyes in salt water shoudnt hurt at all. Its only when it dries it stings.

 

[ScubaGil]

This actually happened to me once when diving the Dunraven in the Red-Sea. I had to open my eyes in the salt water to get my bearings and retrieve the mask. The thing is that this happens so quickly the mask doesn't really disappear.

In any case remember to keep your buoyancy since it's natural to take really deep breaths and ascend.

 

[Walter]

What difference does it make if you are at 100 ft or 10 ft? Pick up the mask and put it back. When you first start opening your eyes in salt water, it will sting, but only a little. Keep doing it and soon you'll have no discomfort at all.

 

[don Francisco]

I've had the same happen, though not at 100'. Fortunately I'm comfortable opening my eyes underwater, salt or fresh, so I was able to simply look for the mask & retreive it from a few feet away. My mask is fairly neutral in the water so it hadn't gotten far & vis. was good. If I hadn't found the mask I would have aborted the dive, blinking and squinting all the way.

BTW- I have a prescription mask, but can read my gauges underwater without it if I hold the console to my face. One more reason I prefer my analog gauges. dF

 

[Peter_C]

I am with String in removing spare mask from pocket, once backup is on, then go after my primary mask. Those special trips to warm water, would not cause as much of an issue as our cold water with poor vis.

We often practice mask exchanges. Great practice for just such an instance.

 

[jonnythan]

You put your mask back on.

Mask-off exercises are a good thing to practice in shallow water. If your buoyancy control is good, it's no big deal. A lost mask isn't even that big of a deal if you have an attentive buddy who can lead you up.

Practicing mask-off buoyancy control will also go a long way to teaching you to use non-visual clues, such as ear pressure and water flow, to keep your buoyancy in check.

 

[Meng_Tze]

If mask is removed/lost, check buoyancy and replace mask.

It should be a basic skill for every diver. It is not a matter if, but when it happens.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

I would like to hear what others would do or have done in a situation where there mask was kicked off their face during a dive.

In thinking about the scenario, my thought would be that you assume and hope your buddy is near by so he/she can assist with retrieving your mask. I remove my mask occasionally to practice the skill of clearing a completely flooded mask and am very comfortable in doing so, but I would imagine if it would come off unexpectedly, that would be a scary thing.

For instance, in salt water, do others open their eyes and retrieve the mask themselves? For me it is hard enough keeping my eyes open in a pool and being able to see anything, much less in the ocean.

Hopefully I never have this happen, and when I am in a crowded area I try to keep a hand on my mask to prevent it, but as well know accidents do happen, so please share your thoughts.

Not having a mask on should not be a scary thing whether by intention or accident. The mental guideline I give my students for this situation is "First you give the idiot who landed on you a piece of your mind then you go get your mask." Diving in cold water you may have to get your breathing under control first and wait for the "ice cream headache" to become bearable before you're able to do anything but hold your frozen face and scream

The pool burns much worse than salt water because the chlorine doesn't stop burning. I've found that removing my mask at the beginning of a salt water dive and opening my eyes until the burning sensation goes away (about 30 seconds or so) makes for a no-burn dive after that point. When I don't remove my mask the salt that gets into the air in the mask burns my eyes the entire dive.

Do some no-mask diving with a competent buddy either in a pool or at an easy dive site. Getting to the point where you know you're comfortable executing a dive without a mask on will help take the "scary" out of unexpected mask removals.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[reefduffer]

I tether my mask to a bungee necklace. I've had it knocked off at depth and lost it, and I don't intend to have the second part of that recur. If it's tied to you, it just becomes a mask removal drill, no big deal. It also solves a whole range of other related problems.

When I first suggested that here, I was surprised (and a little relieved) to learn that some quite experienced divers have been doing this for a very long time.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/oceanic/209359-datamask-safety-strap-retractor.html
I've now got a bunch more dives on that rig, still using and liking it.

There's a better way.