Why is my mask doing this?!

[Fuzzmutton]

I have an Aqualung Quartz mask and it has worked fine until my last two dives. I have only 28 dives logged, and all with this mask BTW. The dive before last it started leaking in sheets of water down from the top; I assumed that I had hair under the skirt, or my hood and tried fixing it underwater.It also seemed to leak from the bottom too. I had to clear it numerous times just to keep my nose above the waterline.

My last dive, before I even went out I had hubby check to make sure that my hair and hood was out of the way, I had a good seal, that I wasn't too tight or too loose on the straps. I got to depth and again it was like I was drowning. Argggh!:light: I did not want to call the dive and ruin it for my buddy so I just cleared it, and cleared it, and... well, you get the idea.

WHAT IS UP WITH MY MASK??!

 

[ScubaThor]

Check your frame...I had a Mares X-Vision mask that also started leaking after about 30 dives...turned out the frame holding the lenses in was cracked.

 

[Fuzzmutton]

Very good suggestion. I ran out to the garage real quick and inspected it to see if I could find any cracks or even minute tears in the skirt but couldn't find anything.

How long should a mask last before crapping out on you? 26-30 dives seems like a short lifespan.

 

[mislav]

Why wait til you go diving to see where it leaks?

Try wearing it at home and submerge your face in the water in your bath tub. Do this face up and have your hubby check to see where do the bubbles come out of. I mean - the mask area.

 

[CoyKoi]

A mask should last for many years with proper care after each dive. I suggest using a household magnifiying glass to inspect every part of the mask that could be a failure point. Even with all that, I'd take it back to my local dive shop and ask for a replacement mask.

 

[Jibeho]

A mask should last for many years with proper care after each dive. I suggest using a household magnifiying glass to inspect every part of the mask that could be a failure point. Even with all that, I'd take it back to my local dive shop and ask for a replacement mask.

Agree. I still dive my 18 year old Dacor Vista

 

[Fuzzmutton]

Why wait til you go diving to see where it leaks?

Try wearing it at home and submerge your face in the water in your bath tub. Do this face up and have your hubby check to see where do the bubbles come out of. I mean - the mask area.

The place where I bought it from has a pool and CoyKoi suggested I take it back to them for a replacement, I could take it in and have THEM look while I'm in the pool. Then if they find a leak they can replace it and if it's something I'm doing wrong (???) I could get some pointers on that. I don't believe I'm doing anything differently though.

 

[pescador775]

This question appears relatively simple to resolve, your mask skirt is too wide. For some reason which I can't fathom, many of the new, wide view masks are designed for faces which are wide and flat and even some men cannot get a fit-- let alone a woman. It may be because the models used are Asian. When I wear Asian made pants, I can't get the zipper down far enough to do my business if you get my meaning. Moreover, concerning the mask, the skirt has stretched slightly due to the soft, thin silicone. Almost anything can cause this, sun tan oil or silicone spray. Beyond this, a new silicone rubber skirt has a sticky surface which gradually changes to lose some sealing capability. If you have lost some weight recently, same result, a loose fit. See below. Also, after reading the information below, go to the Promate web page for list of masks for smaller faces. There are others but Promate seems to get it done at a low price (made in Taiwan, LOL).

http://www.wetdawg.com/pages/under/divemask/index_sc.php

 

[radinator]

Check that the skirt is still securely in the frame. The two times I've had a well-fitting mask do this (after many successful dives with the mask) this was the problem. It was an easy repair once I saw the problem.

 

[pescador775]

Well, it's possumal that a lens could pull out of the frame. However, the only time I have seen this happen is with a 10 year old "frameless" Scubapro mask. If this is a possibility, would it be wise to continue to use such a mask? I mean, think about it, how in the heck could a lens pull loose from something as tough as a frame without an obvious crack? I mean the plastics used in some of those masks are terrible, especially with TUSA and Apollo. A crack, however, would reveal itself and she can't find any damage. With a frameless mask, the problem occurs when the glue which secures the lens to the skirt becomes degraded. However, a quick check will reveal a problem before the mask gets so bad it starts to leak. It appears that frameless construction has improved but I keep an eye on it.