On the advantages of a leaking mask

[DivemasterDennis]

A small mask leak is just ma described, a real pain. But it is not the end of the world. Given a choice, I'd rather not have a leaky mask. Easy call. All my masks are Rx, and I have a favorite and a back up and a few others. None leak. As to mask equalization, it is a matter of just doing it. You have to with a leaky mask, but can choose to do so with one that performs properly, too.
DivemasterDennis

 

[keller34]

I have a leaky mask with my moustache and i have tried many masks. The only one that didn't leak too much was the Rayblocker I have now. It still leaks and I have learned to deal with it. Only issue I have though is after the dive I have to lean forward and drain the water out of my nose, looks like a leaky faucet. It sucks but I just deal with it and enjoy the dive.

 

[The Chairman]

More often than not, when diving with my non-prescription mask, I come out of the water with a neat oval indentation around my face.

A mask too tight is almost just as quick to leak as a mask too loose. I found that the neopene mask straps (not just the cover) go a long way to eliminating some mask leaks. I also found in my own prescription mask, that the leak was around the glass, due to the grinding. I took it apart and used a dab of silicone in the area. Just be sure to use low vapor silicone.

As for the spit. I use my tongue to clean my mask before I put it on. You can feel the areas that will fog easily and so you get it all clean. I don't use any commercial solutions after an accident with them in 1969.

 

[Learn It]

And I thought I was the only one. Diving in cold water my perfect sealing mask, even with a few drops of defogger 15mins before the dive, still fogs. I let in a little water on purpose and swish it around when the fog comes back. It works perfectly.

 

[hedgehog47]

I have a pretty decent board so I think you know what I'm gonna say. Baby Shampoo is the only stuff that's worked for me to not fog.

I get FAR more leakage on shallow dives (30 feet or less) than I do on deeper ones.

 

[mrdre]

I don't think the leaking mask should be acceptable if it's possible to avoid it. When I started growing beard my masks started leaking on me, so I tried lots of masks until I found few that don't.

1. It's not a pleasant feeling in cold water.
2. The eyes get irritated in salt water.
3. Exhaling a little through the nose is a bad habit. If you try to dive with CCR now you will have to get rid of that habit because you will be losing precious air.
4. If I get water in my nose then my Eustachian tubes tend to close.

As to spitting on the mask, I find it disgusting. The chemistry is much more advanced than it was 50 years ago. I use Sea Gold antifog, it costs $6 and is good for 70-100 dives. It works much better than spit. It lasts for 3-4 dives. Why not use technological advances if they are available and dirt cheap? I see people staying on the surface on big waves, trying to spit on their masks, struggling, and still having fogged masks. I just want to ask them "effin why?"

 

[knotical]

... I don't use any commercial solutions after an accident with them in 1969.

That pegs my curiosity meter.

 

[The Chairman]

That pegs my curiosity meter.

I used the agailable commercial product, which had a strong chemical smell. I can't remember if I rinsed out the mask before diving, but the liquid got into my eye. First I thought I was going to die (underwater) and then I thought I was going to be blind. It took a few days for my vision to return. Nothing but spit/tongue since then. The tongue works wonders.

 

[The Chairman]

From another thread:

A couple of years ago, I was privileged enough to do a dive at a local site with one of the amazing gurus of buoyancy and diving, a fellow who used to post a lot here under the rubric of Uncle Pug. About 40 minutes into the dive, he indicated to me and our other buddy that he was having a problem, but we couldn't tell what it was. It looked as though he couldn't clear his mask, but that didn't make any sense. At any rate, although we did not understand it, he ended up closing his eyes and having us help him back to the shore.

Once there, he told us he had used a new defog on his mask, and when the mask leaked a little water, he got the stuff in his eyes. He said it hurt so much he couldn't think and he could not keep his eyes open. This was a man with quite literally THOUSANDS of dives and tons of training.

 

[Six Feet Under]

A mask too tight is almost just as quick to leak as a mask too loose. I found that the neopene mask straps (not just the cover) go a long way to eliminating some mask leaks. I also found in my own prescription mask, that the leak was around the glass, due to the grinding. I took it apart and used a dab of silicone in the area. Just be sure to use low vapor silicone.

As for the spit. I use my tongue to clean my mask before I put it on. You can feel the areas that will fog easily and so you get it all clean. I don't use any commercial solutions after an accident with them in 1969.

Ya know, I was going to post that I thought my RX mask was doing the same thing around the lenses because I've noticed on my last few dives that when I look up while at depth (doesn't matter whether it's 15 feet or 100 feet), there's a slight trail of bubbles coming out of it.

I've been thinking about getting a new mask anyways, and keeping this one as a backup/snorkeling mask, but we'll see...