Mask drill - eyes open or eyes closed?

[Hickdive]

Before my laser surgery I wore soft contacts for diving for over twenty years. I always explained to anyone that insisted on me having my eyes open during a mask rem/rep that they would be paying for any lens that I lost.

I regularly practised with my eyes open anyway but always when I knew I had a standby pair of spectacles and/or a spare set of lenses topside and only I lost a lens a couple of times but the warning served to wake up the inexperienced instructor and latterly instructor-trainee.

 

[TSandM]

I wouldn't worry about "Boyle's Elevator" because you should feel the pressure changes in your ears

Some of us get no information at all from our ears, when we are ascending.

I think it's good to be able to open your eyes in the water without a mask, for all the reasons stated. And it's likely that you won't lose your contacts, if the period is brief. However, if they are the gas permeable soft lenses, discard them after exposure to sea water.

 

[CurtSchu]

Open your eyes. I have even practiced trapping a bubble to see the Computer.

 

[Mike.D]

Open your eyes. I have even practiced trapping a bubble to see the Computer.

Definelty trying that next dive. Any success?

 

[TMHeimer]

Eyes closed in the pool. I just don't like chorine in my eyes. Don't care about salt water in the eyes, but I'm not demonstrating mask stuff for students there anyway. When I clear my mask in salt water I'm not really sure what I do with the eyes-- will have to check that out. Agree that seeing underwater without a mask is important. When just swimming I always open my eyes and look around to see what's below.

 

[knotical]

Definitely a handy skill to have in the tool box. I’m not aware of any scuba certifying agency requiring it. It would be a real challenge for some students. As with so many things, we should all consider our personal risk/benefit trade-offs.

An option to carrying a spare mask is swim goggles. (Learned this here on ScubaBoard from someone else.) They store in pockets more easily and are less likely to get broken. But they do require some practice, and since they don’t enclose the nose, cannot be completely cleared. Still you can capture enough air to easily read gauges, etc.

 

[Steve_C]

As the source of this thread, I will note that I always carry a spare prescription mask in my left BCD pocket. That is true even if I am traveling and renting gear. I can operate with my eyes open and no mask if I have to in fresh or salt or chlorine. Salt or chlorine are not pleasant. To me it is not a skill. It is just an unpleasant thing to do that I will do if I have to. Salt water leaves my eyes ticked off for a few minutes afterwards.

Note that my original message assumed that the diver had the mask in hand. If they lost their mask, and they do not carry a spare, that is another issue. In this case the the OP had received instruction from an instructor and had failed to make any progress with the skill due to the rushed learning. I was pointing out a possible way that OP might be able to have some success and start building up their skills and confidence.

 

[freewillie]

It's not much of a skill if you're almost blind as a bat without your prescription mask on. And even more so under water.

I agree. It's not much of a "skill" opening your eyes underwater. You can practice as much as you want but you will never improve your ability to see underwater. And, have you had salt water in your eyes recently? Kinda stings and I wouldn't want to "practice" opening my eyes underwater in the ocean.

I wear soft contacts and have done all of my drills with my eyes closed. The real crux of the issue is how calm are you when something unexpected happens and can your compensate. I would risk losing the contacts (and almost always care spare set in my save a dive kit with extra saline rinse) if I lost my mask and had to open my eyes underwater but generally avoid doing so.

As for buoyancy control it's more of a comfort things as well. Just losing the mask shouldn't affect your buoyancy control. Change in breathing dealing with the problem affect your buoyancy.

 

[Joy-S]

I too have a very hard time opening my eyes underwater BUT I am practicing. I did make it through my Open Water Cert but my instructor did inform me of the importance of opening your eyes underwater for lots of reasons. I practice in the pool. I'm pretty sure if I lost my mask I could force my self to open my eyes. Definitely practice and get used to how it feels.

 

[TMHeimer]

Now that I think of it, I probably would close my eyes with mask off in the ocean. That salt water sting doesn't really bother me like chlorine, but the problem is if you get some in your eyes you can't really rub them a little when underwater.