is being able to open eyes underwater a necessary skill

[BDSC]

I can open my eyes underwater, and keep them open... however, you really can't see well underwater without a mask, so I have no idea why everyone seem so twisted up telling others that somehow their inability to keep their eyes open underwater is a severe detriment to their own safety. If this was a required skill, it would eliminate a lot of people from getting certified.

Exactly. I was certified back in 91 and have about 1000 dives give or take and have never had a mask kicked off, had a strap break during a dive, or had any situation that involved my mask. I'm sure that when I was certified we didn't have to open our eyes underwater as any type of skill and it wasn't necessary to do any of the skills. Like others have said, it's nice to know that you can do it if you had to but to suggest that somehow you are risking your safety because you can't doesn't make sense to me. Like you said, if it was truly that important and your safety depended on it, it would be required.

To the OP, keep practicing if you like but don't stress over it. Chances are you'll never have to do it anyway.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Useful skill yes, essential, no, if you carry a second mask all the time. I make it a habit to never dive with my eyes closed, or blindfolded either.
DivemasterDennis

 

[Storker]

I can open my eyes underwater, and keep them open... however, you really can't see well underwater without a mask

"Not well" is infinitely better than "not at all". Just sayin'.

 

[Jerry68]

Exactly. I was certified back in 91 and have about 1000 dives give or take and have never had a mask kicked off, had a strap break during a dive, or had any situation that involved my mask. I'm sure that when I was certified we didn't have to open our eyes underwater as any type of skill and it wasn't necessary to do any of the skills. Like others have said, it's nice to know that you can do it if you had to but to suggest that somehow you are risking your safety because you can't doesn't make sense to me. Like you said, if it was truly that important and your safety depended on it, it would be required.

To the OP, keep practicing if you like but don't stress over it. Chances are you'll never have to do it anyway.

Exactly.

Retreiving a mask from the bottom of a pool is a lot different than finding a kicked off mask in 40' of visibility in 100' of water...YMMV.

 

[Storker]

I was certified back in 91 and have about 1000 dives give or take and have never had a mask kicked off, had a strap break during a dive, or had any situation that involved my mask.

Good for you, but invalid argument. It happens. It happened to me during OW class, and if you read the "Panic in the experienced diver" thread, you'll se it has happened to others.

I took my driver's licence back in '81 and have never been in an accident, so by your logic I don't really need to wear a seatbelt.


--
Sent from my Android phone
Typos are a feature, not a bug

 

[beanojones]

I don't worry about marine life stings in the eyes. My guess is that, if I lost my mask in an area where I was swimming through tons of jellyfish, I'd keep my eyes closed. There are a lot of things I'm willing to worry about, and some far-fetched risks that I'm not.

[sarcasm on]Yes, because the only people who ever get stung are people swimming through tons of jellyfish, who fail to avoid the clearly marked flashing jellyfish signs.

And of course, once you lose the mask, you can still see the jellyfish, because a loss of mask does not affect vision, so there is no need to worry about not being able to see them without a mask.
[/sarcasm]

People very rarely get stung by jellyfish, and they very rarely lose masks. They also very rarely run out of air, and very, very rarely get DCS. They rarely die in wrecks, or in caves. Sensible divers still treat those risks as real. The funny thing about life is that low incidence but high damage situations so rarely occur it's usually easier to ignore them and/or dismiss them. Its only in retrospect that that the chain of failures can be examined. Experience does have its privileges.


(A prediction: someone will tell me I am blah, blah, blah, and they cannot believe I am blah, blah, bah. Am I even a dive instructor? Where do I come up with this ****? Then, a few years from now, when they see an actual [fill in the blank] situation, they will realize I was not just making this **** up. I guess I should just make this my signature.)

Oh wait that's what just happened.

 

[BDSC]

Good for you, but invalid argument. It happens. It happened to me during OW class, and if you read the "Panic in the experienced diver" thread, you'll se it has happened to others.

I took my driver's licence back in '81 and have never been in an accident, so by your logic I don't really need to wear a seatbelt.


--
Sent from my Android phone
Typos are a feature, not a bug

You lost me. I never said it can't happen. I just said it has never happened to me. I also said to keep practicing but not to stress over it as you may not ever have to do it.

Actually, you don't NEED to wear a seatbelt just like a person doesn't NEED to be able to open their eyes underwater. It's great that you do and that the OP can.

 

[Iralub]

I have never lost my mask or come close to it. I check my straps carefully on a regular basis. I guard my face and mask carefully when I dive.

Yes I did the skill as required on course but it hurt like mad. It has got worse over the last 10 years or so. I thought I was going crazy, being a wuss. Even have to keep my eyes closed in the shower! Finally an eye specialist explained why. I have incredibly dry eyes. So little natural lubricant that the slightest bit of water washes it away and that is what is causing my burning.

I can cope quite easily with a flooded mask, water around my nose and face. I certainly am not going to give up diving over it. I know I can close my eyes and abort the dive without panicking. I personally doubt that I will have to deal with the situation. I've got over 800 bottom hours so far without ever coming close Yep it could happen... it would certainly be better if you can get comfortable with eyes open under water but I'd suggest you check with an eye specialist to see if there is a reason ......

This may well be my issue. I have been told by my optometrist that I have extremely dry eyes. To the extent that blinking leaves micro scratches on the eye.

Further attempts in salt water pool led to the same results, I can keep one eye open if squinting, but opening both and wide is highly uncomfortable. I think the limited vision may be enough to safely abort the dive, but will keep at it.

Thanks to everyone who responded. I'm wondering - people who carry spare masks, where do you put them? Are there foldable masks that would take little space? I wouldn't care if it is not very good for prolonged diving, just something I could carry to put on to either find my mask if it fell off or, failing that, safely ascend. And most likely never to be used.

 

[oldschoolto]

I think people have the wrong idea of why you train... You train for two things.... The things you do on " EVERY " dive and then we train for the stuff that you hope never happens.. In skydivings we are always running through cut-a-way of a malfunction, We do it as we walk to the plane and we run it through our heads on the ride to jump run... WHY... Because it almost never happens... I have over 1800 skydives and "NEVER" had a cut-a-way on a sport jump... So, Should I have stop my drills ??? NO.... Because it just might happen on the next jump....

Scuba is no different... I never had to buddy breathe for real, I never had to save a OOA diver... I have never had to do a free ascent... I have knocked my mask half off in a wreck... I have used my pony to finish the ascent to the deco bottle ... We train to do things that have happened to others and that is how we become safer divers.... Back in the day all these skills were taught because we knew it was something that would really come in handy if needed...

But in order to make more money and have more people dive, They got rid of the harder stuff and said you don't need that... It almost never happens... But, When and if it happens... YOUR SCREWED......

Jim...

 

[Jack Hammer]

With one good kick I had my my regulator knocked out of my mouth and my mask torn off my face... It happens