Do you dive with a backup mask?

[redacted]

I would think it'd be very difficult to clear swim goggles.

It takes a little practice. With your head at about 45 degrees, pull the bottom of the google lenses away from your cheeks and exhale gently thru you nose. The bubbles will rise into the lenses. You just need to get enough water out of at least one lens to read the guages OK.

 

[MSilvia]

I would think it'd be very difficult to clear swim goggles.

I was thinking the same thing. Once you put them on, how do you get the water out?

I don't have anyplace to store a backup mask on my BC, so what to do with it?

Put it in a pocket. If you don't have one, you can add one by gluing it to your suit or wearing shorts with "cargo" pockets over your wetsuit. X-Shorts are made just for this purpose, but other shorts will work too.

Maybe put it around the lower end of your tank and secure it somehow with a bungie or some method where you can easily grab it?

In an earlier thread, I think I remember you saying you were worried about being entangled in monofilament. Adding dangly bits to your rig won't make entanglements less likely, and will add to your drag and decrease swimming efficiency. Still, you might be able to get it to work in a streamlined way. Send pictures if it works for you.

 

[Teamcasa]

Spare Mask, normally not on a recreational (read fun!) dive. But since that’s the majority of my diving, nope no spare. But I do like the idea of spare swim goggles. You can clear them, just takes a little practice. I always have a spare mask in my gear however.

Dave

 

[Blackwood]

It take a little practice. With you head at about 45 degrees, pull the bottom of the google lenses away from your cheeks and exhale gently thru you nose. The bubbles will rise into the lenses. You just need to get enough water out of at least one lens to read the guages OK.

If they are full of water except when you clear for reading, what's the point?

 

[Ben_ca]

It's all in your perception of "risk" and how much you want to deal with... You never really "need" a spare mask... or a knife... or a signaling device... until something happens.

Does that mean some one with out a spare is less/more safe? Not really just being prepared might help out more in case you get into that situation.

YMMV

 

[SparticleBrane]

So far I haven't done any dives that would require a spare mask. As my diving progresses, I'll buy another mask to put in my drysuit pocket (...whenever I get those, too...)

 

[ianr33]

I carry a spare mask when diving solo or cave diving. Otherwise I dont normally bother.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Occasionally. The deeper, darker, colder, murkier or simply scarrier the dive, the more likely I'll bring along my spare mask. Shallow, decent viz, lotsa light, warmer temps ... typically no.

 

[SteveFass]

Not in easy Carribean dives, but because of another thread on this topic here a while ago, I'm going to take a spare with me where even though the dives are at recreational depth, it's a good idea to find the upline, read your gauges, and to do a safety stop.

 

[Charlie99]

Failure of a mask is such a rare event that I'll accept the early termination of a dive in the event of mask failure rather than carry extra junk along on every dive.

In the relatively high viz water I normally dive in, I can easily do an unassisted controlled ascent without a mask. Obviously, it would be even easier with the assistance of a buddy.

The bottom line is that for me an extra mask would just be extra gear, extra volume, and extra drag for no good reason.

Charlie Allen