Big time mask squeeze

Not sure if this is the right place for this post but here goes. My brother recently had Mask Squeeze and had a blood vessel rupture in his eye, he had slight pain & some vision issues so he went to the doc the next day. The vessel had healed, but there was a pool of blood behind the eye so it was off to surgey. The blood had clotted causing the pressure & vision issues. No diving for 3 months..... so he really wants to know all the secerts to avoide this again. He cleared his mask as soon as he felt the pressure but it was too late. He's always had trouble with Mask Squeeze...I haven't so I'm not much help. So what tricks does everyone know for avoiding mask Squeeze? Any type or style of mask that lessens or increases the chance?

sorry to hear, Personally I was taught before my first OW pool drive, that the mask strap is to be used to hold your mask lightly to your face, not cranked down, should not put any more pressure on you then holding it to your face and inhaling thrue your nose.

second, was told to regularly exhale a little thrue your nose while decending as soon as you feel a little more then normal pressure around the skirt, not when it really starts to hurt, any extra will blow past the skirt either from putting too much air in your mask or while heading back to the surface, that is of course if your mask is not cranked so tight to your head it will never move.

as for other masks, if this does not work, I would suggest a mask with a purge valve and exhale every 3rd or fourth breath thrue the mask.

well that is my advise from a noob diver take it for what its worth or disgard it. i will say thou, i have never surfaced looking like a raccoon or have had a dive buddy at the start of the dive and a raccoon surface with me.

I remember back in 1988 when I first started diving, there was a photo on the shop wall of a guy who had a mask squeeze - both eyes bright red!

I always exhale a little through my nose during the dive, it helps ensure this won't happen. I have found that with my new low volume mask it take a little more effort to ensure the mask is equalized.

As previously stated - there is NO reason to crank the mask down - not sure if this was the case - but the strap is really only there to prevent the mask from departing your head - it doesn't need to be more than just snug enough to prevent loss on the surface and if you run into current while submerged.

Hope that helps.

Exhale through your nose to add air to the mask. Sounds like this was one heck of a mask squeeze! Just like equalizing your ears, don't wait until you feel pain or discomfort. If that is the case then you're waiting too long to equalize your mask or ears. Don't descend head first. Always anticipate changes in pressure due to depth. Sometimes performing a mask clearing also helps.

Remember that FIT is the most important feature when selecting gear. Try and recall how you properly try on a mask. You really shouldn't have to inhale much at all if it fits you properly. The mask should fit snugly on you face. Do not ratchet down the mask strap. You don't want to be the guy with bright red rings on his face after the dive.

Maybe your brother has a problem with his mask. If the nose pocket is too small he then fails to equalize easily. Check if a new mask with a bigger nose pocket offers more comfort and easier equalization

First, I have to tighten up the mask a bit due to facial hair (beard). I generally trim under my nose to help eliminate leak. I don't think tightening it down would really cause the squeeze issue, it's about the air pocket in the mask getting compressed.

Second, adjusting the position of the strap on the back of the head really makes a difference (for me) in solving leak issues. Early on I would wear the strap a bit high and got leakage. Moved it down, life was good. Just for what it's worth.

How deep was the dive?

Don't know if it works for anyone else but I have found the easiest way to clear my ears is to simply give a quick puff of air through my nose. Works great for me. Equalizes ears and mask at the same time.

deep.dude:

Don't know if it works for anyone else but I have found the easiest way to clear my ears is to simply give a quick puff of air through my nose. Works great for me. Equalizes ears and mask at the same time.

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Ditto.

Just to repeat what already been said: Equalize the mask early. Just like your ears, do not let the pressure build up.

Don't over tighten the mask. Not so much for equalization issues (although if REALLY tight I could see a problem equalizing); the main reason is that an overly-tight mask can cause a headache by the end of the dive, and with many masks if you over tighten them they leak! Just tight enough to seal (which is looser than many think) is all you need.

If you can "feel" your mask during the dive: It is probably too tight. You should not even know its there.

"Equalize Early And Often"

Best wishes.

BARdiver,

A mask squeeze should not occur to a diver these days. To have it happen means some very basic things did not occur--equilizing the mask's pressure. It's like equalizing your ears, only a different air space. The divers above have pretty well explained what needs to happen, equilize early (starting just under the surface), blow out your nose to ensure that the mask equilizes, etc.

But I want to elaborate a bit on mask fit, because it can influence whether the mask equilizes well. The type of mask is also important. Let me elaborate--the mask needs to fit well, and as stated above it should fit without tightening the mask strap. Actually, you should be able to keep the mask on your face with only suction pressure from an inhalation. If the mask falls off, without the mask strap, then it doesn't fit. I currently have a number of masks, some "vintage" and some modern. I picked up a mask I loved off E-bay, a Farralon mask with three windows, that I had in the 1980s. It has a nose pocket, and is a close-fitting mask, so I really liked it. My old mask was messed up when my LDS put a purge valve on it in the skirt, not the nose pocket. So I was really happy to receive it from E-bay; that only lasted until I put it on, and it would not seal. Over the years, the rubber had stiffened a bit, and no longer fits my face. I have not had it in the water yet, and won't until the rubber returns to its original shape, if it ever does. The fit is critical, and may influence whether you get a mask squeeze. If it is too tight, and comletely seals around your nose (completely encloses the nose), then it is possible to think you've equilize when only the nose pocket is equilized. I don't know of this ever happening, but it is a possibility with the newer, close-fitting styles of masks. In this case, while equilizing the nose pocket, the eyes will still be unequilized and could cause an eye squeeze.

Good luck,

SeaRat

deep.dude:

Don't know if it works for anyone else but I have found the easiest way to clear my ears is to simply give a quick puff of air through my nose.

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Hmmm...I didn't realize there was any other way.