Two questions for the price of one!

[Michael]

I just returned from Cancun and while I was there I purchased a US Divers Hawaii II mask. I have not yet been diving but love snorkeling and I have always wanted to dive.

Question 1: I used my mask twice and each time it would allow just a little bit of water in as soon as I put my face in the water. It did not seem to continue to leak. The mask seems to fit, when I breath in thru my nose, no air leaks in etc.. The guy where I bought the mask said you can use vaseline or some stuff they make to solve this problem. Anyone have suggestions?

Question 2: I have noticed at resorts that they will give you a one or two day certification after an hour with an instructor. Should I try this before enrolling in a certification program. I was a bit leary of diving after one hour of training. Is this safe?

 

[Paddler_46]

Hi Michael,

The leaking mask may have something to do with the closeness of your last shave. A little stubble under the nose will allow a small amount of water in.

As to the resort certification...that's how we got hooked on Scuba. It is an inexpensive way of determining whether or not you want to continue with formal Scuba training. However, after getting our open water certification...we realized just how risky our 45 minute resort dive was. By risk, I mean how unprepared we would have been if an equipment failure had occured. Luckily everything went well and our Dive Master was a Pro, who keep a wary eye on his charges.

If you decide to take a resort intro. into scuba, I would suggest getting and studying Open Water Scuba certification material before diving. It will give you a head start on the do's and don'ts of scuba, and increase your comfort level during that first dive.

Best wishes,

 

[jenmichigan]

Dear Michael,

Depending on the length of your hair or sideburns and possibly a mustache could be the problem with the water in your mask. It's amazing how much water just a couple of strands of hair caught in a mask seal can let in.

Another possibility for trying scuba is through dive shops with trained instructors. Dive shops and community school or city programs sometimes offer "Try Scuba" courses. These will typically be held in a pool but you can at least get a grip on being underwater and weightless. I found a lot of programs through the city offer discounts for city residents too.

PS Local colleges often do "Try Scuba" events also.

Jennifer,
http://www.MichiganShipwrecks.com

 

[Dee]

Michael, other than hair caught under your mask skirt, another reason it could be flooding is that you have it too tight. When a mask leaks, your first inclination is to tighten it but in reality that distorts the flexible silicone skirt and makes it worse. So if you've ruled out hair/whiskers, try loosing your strap.

My husband has a mustache. He uses just a bit of silicone grease on it. You have to be careful not to use anything that has a pertoleum base, like Vaseline, because it's not good for use on anything made of silicone.

The resort course you mentioned will give you the bare basics for scuba diving...mask clearing, breathing from regulator, emergency open airway ascents and should include emergency out of air skills. The dive op shouldn't take you below 40 feet. That depth will give you plenty of opportunity to see the underwater world yet still be shallow enough incase you have a problem. Talk to the instructor and express your concerns beforehand.

my .02
Dee

 

[Michael]

Dee, I think you may have nailed it. I had my mask pretty tight. Thanks for the help everyone

 

[Mario S Caner]

It looks like your questions have been answered Michael, I just have one thing to add. In regards to not using petroleum based products for making seals....

I too have facial hair and require the use of such products. I've been warned about using Vaseline as well, I was told it would eat away the silicone in the mask. Well that hasn't happened yet, in fact I have masks that I have been using for hundreds of dives with no sign of deterioration. Now, weigh the costs of silicone grease at your local shop with a jar of Vaseline at your supermarket. Just remember to wash off your gear thouroughly, like you're supposed to anyway.

Happy Diving,
Mario

 

[ScubaBaby]

Just a quickie as to doing basically a try dive. I first got interesting in diving from a try dive in Greece int he sea - since I have found that my local swimming pools do try-dives which I find a tad boring obviously (looking at tiles and four walls isnt very interesting) but it is a very safe way to find out if diving is something you'd enjoy in a much more controlled environment!

-x-abby-x-

 

[Iguana Don]

Michael,
Since you just returned from a trip, and you already snorkel, I would go ahead & find an instructor & agency that you are comfortable with and enroll in a class, that way next trip you will be prepared & won't have to stay at 40'.
Use this idle time to prepare yourself for the next great adventure.
I think we've already discussed resort courses and gave them a thumbs down, didn't we, or maybe just some of us did.

Jennifer,
Please don't tell me you know of the silicone grease trick from personal experience.

Sometimes ya just don't know

Don

 

[jenmichigan]

Don,

Ya got the wrong one, I think it was Dee that mentioned the silicone grease.

I know I don't wanna know, lol
Jennifer

 

[Mario S Caner]

Don,
hehe!

Jennifer,
Thanks for the entertainment, it was great! LOL!

Mario