Full Face Masks, are they worth it?

Full face masks are very attractive, you can breath through the nose, talk and have a great field of view, but what happens when you run into a problem with them?

With a normal masks you can easily switch to your second regulator, or share air with your buddy. How do you do this with a FF-masks? You have to take it out, don't you? It seems to me they make scuba diving more dangerous.

Their a lot like doubles in that they make diving safer and more effective but require proper training to employ them safely.
Another benefit you didnt mention is that if you sieze or become unconscious underwater you are much less likely to loose your airsource.

alewar:

Full face masks are very attractive, you can breath through the nose, talk and have a great field of view, but what happens when you run into a problem with them?

With a normal masks you can easily switch to your second regulator, or share air with your buddy. How do you do this with a FF-masks? You have to take it out, don't you? It seems to me they make scuba diving more dangerous.

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Like any other piece of gear, full-face masks have a roll.

It depends on what you're doing. If you are in circumstances where being able to communicate either with a support boat or with another diver is critical, they're useful. If you have some reason to suspect you may pass-out at depth, likewise.

Like anything else, they have pros and cons - responding to problems with a full-face mask demands a different set of skill drills, and can be more complicated. (You can attach an octopus to your first stage just as with ordinary masks, to assist another diver; but if YOU require a different secondary regulator then you'll have some different challenges)

So the extent to which full-face masks are useful or efficient/effective depends a great deal on what sort of diving you're doing. Hope that helps.

Doc

My buddy had one 9 yrs ago when we first started diving. It fogged up a bit and leaked a lot causing him to scrub dives so he abandoned it. Make sure you get one that doesn't leak. He paid about 7-8 hundred for his.

If you are diving in polluted water, don't want to get what may be stagnant water in your sinuses, cold lips in the winter, and other reasons, they could be handy if they work right.

alewar:

Full face masks are very attractive, you can breath through the nose, talk and have a great field of view, but what happens when you run into a problem with them?

With a normal masks you can easily switch to your second regulator, or share air with your buddy. How do you do this with a FF-masks? You have to take it out, don't you? It seems to me they make scuba diving more dangerous.

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IMHO they are a tool with a very specific and limited list of uses.

I got one when I joined a public safety dive team because I wanted my own for piece of mind.

It was a good deal new on ebay but I got a positive pressure version so I spent money converting it so it cost me over $600. Then I wanted a way to breath on the surface without using backgas so I bought the ABV for another $250. Then I wanted to mount lights so I got a light rail from inodive dot com for just under $200. Then I needed a way to quick disconnect it from my first stage and got a bailout whip combo from amron international fr like $75. Then I wanted to plug in a bailout gas like a pony bottle so I got an M&J gas switch block used for like $225. Now I need comms and thats another $1500 by its self. I will be taking the tech class to repair/service my aga mask too and thats an additional $200. Oh and I will eventually be on closed circuit so I suppose I'll be dropping cash for the adapter for that too...

Of course you can use one straight out of the box but all these things are nice and considering what I use it for I'm glad I have it but otherwise its a money pit and I wish I never got it.

It might sound nice to talk underwater but again I find it irritating listening to other people underwater and I like diving because its quiet. For me it never fails that every time I exhale is the exact time someone says something so then I have to ask them to repeat it.

For me the AGA is hard to equalize and I have spent several dives testing various modifications to a nose block to get something that works ok for me. Some people dont have this problem and it gets easier over time.

Sharing air is impossible without having a gas block which allows someone to plug into or you/buddy must strip off the mask and use a standard second stage. In the cold water around here thats like getting hit in the face with a 2x4. You also need to carry a spare mask.

The masks also tend to cause a little more CO2 retention then a standard second stage and you usually use more air then conventional scuba. if your trim is spot on with a normal reg dont be surprised if you float head up in a FFM because of the increased air space but weights or lights can fix that.

If your doing technical stuff or cave diving which require a gas switch then you might as well throw the idea of a FFM away. It can be done and in rare cases is the best option like for 100% O2 stops in deeper water but generally speaking a FFM isn't common in your everyday cave dive or deep wreck dive.

Hope that helps.

T

alewar:

Full face masks are very attractive, you can breath through the nose, talk and have a great field of view, but what happens when you run into a problem with them?

With a normal masks you can easily switch to your second regulator, or share air with your buddy. How do you do this with a FF-masks? You have to take it out, don't you? It seems to me they make scuba diving more dangerous.

Click to expand...

I have been diving with an AGA full face mask since shortly after initial certification just over three years ago and have found that with a couple of annoyances it works very well for me. True, if you have an equipment failure or an out of air incident (shame on you) it is necessary to remove the full face mask and, depending upon the circumstances, go to either your own octopus back up or that of your buddy. You can then safely surface either without a mask or, if you have the foresight to carry a convential mask with you, you can don the replacement mask, clear it, and then surface or continue the dive (again depending upon the circumstances). There is very little difference between the above and the standard practice drills of removing and replacing a conventional mask and/or regulator. You should be regularly practicing those skills anyway.

The biggest problem I have experienced with the AGA mask is the ridiculously stupid design of the "adjustable" nose pad used for sealing off the nostrils while clearing. The nose pads are easily dislodged and after aborting about a dozen dives and replacing several dislodged and subsequently lost nose pads at about $18.00 apiece, I engaged in some creative engineering with quick ties that put a stop to the problem. The AGA mask is an otherwise very well built and reliable piece of equipment. Although the nose pad problem could be easily fixed with minor design changes, the manufacturer has elected to ignore the problem so I would probably very carefully check out every other full face mask manufacturer before buying another AGA.

Over all, the advantages are many, and the shortcomings few.

Everyone has posted very good info

I'm diving 30+ years, and this is one piece of eq I've never really considered using/purchasing

For the average recreational diver, this eq makes little sense - if you have a legit need for it - polluted or very cold water, commercial diving, certain tech situations, perhaps.

But as a new diver there are lots of other eq you might consider, unless you fit into a very small percentage of divers - its expensive, and requires training.