Is a spare mask an absolute requirement when diving solo?

[Nemrod]

Is a spare mask an absolute requirement when diving solo?

No.

Requirement by who? If you are actually SOLO who would you ask?

It would depend upon the dive, if you are doing solo overhead (which includes deco) then you should probably carry a spare, otherwise not. I do not do solo overhead diving and do not carry a spare mask.

I am a practitioner of Minimalist SCUBA. I do not generally carry multiple items, ponies, spare airs, extra fins, multiple regulators etc. I dive a simple, minimal rig, tank and regulator with a single second stage attached. Above 30 feet, I may not even use a spg, just a J reserve. Below 60 feet I may carry a slung pony. For extreme solo, I have independent doubles set up for solo. My SCUBA rig varies in accordance with the dive, I do not use the same rig or equipment for all dives.

N

 

[DaleC]

The most important thing to carry on any dive, but solo in particular, is the ability to interpret conditions ahead of time and match them to you own abilities.
In that regard, if you are doing dives where an immediate ascent to the surface is possible you may not need a mask, if you know you can make that ascent without one (a skill).
If you are diving where a direct ascent is not possible, it's probably a good idea to carry redundancy, unless you possess the skill to do long dives without one.

If you are really worried about losing a mask, try wearing the strap under the hood. It will be more secure though some models may admit a little more water to the head that way. You have to experiment.

 

[cephasiii]

Not for me. Losing your mask is just the same as losing your primary air, you abort the dive and make an immediate ascent.

I disagree with this response. Having a spare mask with you is an easy way to stop an uncomfortable situation from turning very bad. Even if you were going to "abort the dive" you still have to follow proper ascent procedure. It is very difficult to proper measure your ascent when you can't see anything.


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---------- Post added March 2nd, 2014 at 03:20 PM ----------

Do you feel confident in your abilities to finish your dive or end it early with out the being able to see what is going on? Have you tried making a controlled ascent from depth with your eyes closed? It is much harder than it sounds. For me it all depends on the dive weather or not I carry a spare mask, full redundancy or nothing but my standard kit. Nothing is written in stone and no there are no scuba police, there are however suggestions to make your diver safer.

I agree with this post. Full redundancy or I don't dive. I choose to not dive, not because of the "scuba police", but because I can't breath underwater and anything that will extend my time under water and prohibit and bad situation from going to worse is mandatory equipment.
BTW I am a tech diver, MSDT and Solo dive instructor.


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[Steve_C]

Somewhere around dive 150 I went to put on my mask and the strap broke. Fortunately it broke on the boat. Up to then I carried a spare with me in my bag. After that I carried it in my BCD pocket. Straps break.

When I took the solo course instructor said that a lost mask is one of the most common problems that occur.

Typical local dive is 80-110 ft. Anchored boat. Light to medium surface current. On an offshore ledge or wreck.

Option A. Lose mask. Take spare out of pocket. No big deal.

Option B. Lose mask and no spare. Now I have to try and find the anchor with severely limited viz. That line that could be easily seen as I returned along the ledge now is very hard to see. An open water ascent will take me up far from the boat and drifting and probably unable to even see the boat.

Anybody who is cavalier with a free ascent on our local dives is not somebody that I want to dive with. A free ascent is the last resort.

 

[Texasguy]

Well, if a strap breaks, you can just press the mask to your face, no biggie. The only way to lose it if to break the glass, though, it would be rather unlikely. I had a few times when my mask was kicked off my face, also, no biggie, I was able to grab it before it it slid off my head. Therefore, I don't see a way to lose a mask. Just wanted to hear what others think.

 

[hroark2112]

I guess it depends...

If I'm diving off a boat with a hang bar for my safety stop, I might not worry too much about it. However, if I were somewhere with no hang bar, I'd want to be 100% sure I could do the dive safely & properly. A spare mask isn't a huge deal to carry in a pocket.

 

[drrich2]

Well, if a strap breaks, you can just press the mask to your face, no biggie.

In benign conditions with little current, good viz., and you're not otherwise engaged in some activity with both hands occupied, that may well be.

There are circumstances where such might not be the case. It pays to factor in the type of diving you do.

Solo diving with a DSLR setup with external strobe using both hands in some current with limited viz. conditions for close-up shots at depth might be a bit different. At least for some people.

Richard.

 

[NAM001]

Texasguy,
There are many reasons to have one. The use of the word absolute makes me think you dont want to. So i will ask you.
Why would you not want to.
What are the drawbacks, for you, in having one.

If you were diving with a buddy and you broke and lost your mask, your buddy would get you back to the surface with his good vision. So a broke mask on a solo dive means......... no mask, no backup vision (buddy) so you pull your buddy vision from your pocket. In this case, a spare mask. I think there are some things you have to resolve your self to do when you elinminate the buddy from the equation. Independant air supply and mask quickly come to mind. The same question could be asked about the necessity of seperate air supply. It all boils down to the risk you are willing to take. If i am diving in an open lake 25 ft or less nothing overhead. I dont take one. Too bulky. I may actually not even take a pony with me. If i am at 70 ft its a whole different story. I guess it is the same as , do you need a spare tire on your truck when you are on the farm or in the field. Probably depends if are walking distance from the shop.

 

[Akimbo]

You might find this thread interesting:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ad...ons/398734-preventing-mask-loss-vs-spare.html

 

[DaleC]

...Full redundancy or I don't dive.... but because I can't breath underwater and anything that will extend my time under water and prohibit and bad situation from going to worse is mandatory equipment.

I'm a little curious where you keep the spare drysuit...

The problem with your last statement is that, carried to far, it creates someone who is kitted out for an extreme tech dive no matter the conditions. More gas is better than less, doubles better than singles, light better than no light, two lights better than one...

I maintain that, rather than subscribing to some rote set of rules, a solo diver must possess the ability to assess situations and adapt their behavior gear and approach to it. Some dives simply don't require redundancy.