I recently started diving colder waters and on a surface Interval on a dive boat a topic came up, where do you put your mask. arrguments for both side made sense. soooo
where do you put your mask over or under your hood...and why ?
Mike
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I recently started diving colder waters and on a surface Interval on a dive boat a topic came up, where do you put your mask. arrguments for both side made sense. soooo
where do you put your mask over or under your hood...and why ?
Mike
On the gear table or in my dive bag ;)
The strap belongs under your hood and nowhere else.
Those silly neoprene straps are not needed either.
With the strap under the hood the mask will ALWAYS be in place. You cannot lose it, it cannot come off your face in a gas share drill or emergency. Simple exhalation will also put a little air in the hood which also makes ear equalization easier too.
The method for putting it on is simple. Peel your hood back, put the mask on. Stretch the hood over your head and put in place. DONE. When you come up, peel back hood, take off mask.
Some pointers. Once you have adjusted your mask strap for a comfortable fit take some electrical tape and tape down the straps. This keeps those silly danglies from getting all over the place.
Also -- only after the mask is on and hood is in place do you put on your gloves.
It will take you 10 dives with the strap under the hood to understand why this is THE way to do it.
The only reason you were not taught to put it under the hood is that during OW trainining you need to remove and replace your mask for skills. In the real world once the mask is on it stays on till you are back on the boat or out of the water completely.
My mask has been under my hood since November 12, 1988.
Cheers,
Um J....I like my silly neoprene straps on my masks.... (the neoprene helps keep the hair from getting tangled)...Quote:
Originally Posted by JS1scuba
:)
But you did learn me to put my neoprene strap under my hood.....
Im either. On top or under rubber strap or neoprene. Some masks feel better certain ways. No worries about masks getting kicked off either i carry a spare.
Matt
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zero
Some day and that day will come you will be on a dive with some Noobs and a 300 pound guy will come at you from out of the blue and that mask will get blown off your face as he comes looking for the regulator that is in your mouth. .......... spare mask is nice but why carry something to solve a problem you never would have had in the first place?
jds
Quote:
Originally Posted by SoCalDiveGirl
Uh Missy ... your hair will not get tangled IF you follow the instructions. Before the dive just put a dab of conditioner in your hands and run it through your hair. Then Put the mask on and put strap in place. Then put hood up.
The neoprene strap cover actually makes the mask LESS secure since it increases the surface area of the strap and that in and of itself helps it act as a lever and even the smallest snag or tug on the cover from any edge will lift it up and let the mask dislodge.
Add to it the additional thickness of the neoprene strap allows more water to be inside the hood thereby decreasing the thermal efficency of the hood. The more water flow the colder you will be.
The reason a mask strap has the oval opening is so that it can have two places of formation around the back of the head. This gives the mask a three-point anchor.
Cheers
JDS
The more important question is how does Joel know how to keep hair from becoming entangled in his mask strap, like he has experienced that problem as of late ;)
Quote:
Originally Posted by BamaCaveDiver
Bama,
It's true, I do not have the tangle problem with my hair. However after diving extensively since 1988, training more than 3000 divers, interacting with more than 30,000 on dive boats over the years I kinda have an idea as to how to solve some of these little problems.
:-)
Um J- and this is why it's under the hood... :) Doesn't matter if its neoprene or rubber when it's under the hood because the hood secures it in place, does it not?Quote:
Originally Posted by JS1scuba
And I dive with a spare mask also :D
I think a TDL neoprene mask strap in pink would be nice.... *smile*