Mask has air stream/bubbles on sides, help!

[jkyle]

Hi,

My mask has a small air streak that bubbles out on the sides under the strap, anything I can do to stop this? The sound is quite annoying sometimes.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

Is it coming out of your mask? If so, I'd say it's likely you're exhaling through your nose instead of your mouth.


Sent from an old fashioned 300 baud acoustic modem by whistling into the handset. Really.

 

[jkyle]

Is it coming out of your mask? If so, I'd say it's likely you're exhaling through your nose instead of your mouth.

Possible but I don't think so. Its a very small air flow.

 

[diversteve]

Without meaning to sound harsh, get one that fits better...

If the strap has some sort of ratcheting buckle, try changing the position that also. Or maybe try moving the strap higher/lower on your head. Sometimes loosening the strap slightly helps - even though it seems counter-intuitive.

Mine seems to leak less when I have the strap lower on the back of my head rather than perpendicular to the face. I have a big, low volume Tusa mask though so am willing to put up with the occasional leak for the better view. Mine leaks where the strap crosses my temples when it does.

 

[Jim-SAR]

I've got three scenarios. Which one fits your situation?

1. If this is a normal mask, then you would have to be exhaling through your nose to some extent, since this would raise the pressure inside the mask. When the mask's air pressure is higher than the surrounding water pressure, then it will leak out. Solution: Only exhale into the mask to eliminate a mask squeeze, or when clearing.

2. Your mask may not fit properly, and as stated above, this will cause a leak. However, this normally leads to a partially flooded mask that requires clearing. Is this what's happening, or is your mask staying clear (see #1 then). If it's flooding, the incoming water is compressing the air in your mask, and this causes it to leak out in order to equalize pressures. Solution: Get a mask that fits, or see why yours may not be, and make sure you don't have any hair in the seal.

3. Are you wearing a full-face mask (FFM)? Most become a positive pressure mask when there's a leaking face seal and the bubbles coming out are noisy as hell. You said the sound is annoying, and that made me think of the FFM. Some FFMs have an adjustment knob for the incoming air to require more of a demand/inhalation before the supply opens up. Solution: Adjust the demand level.​

 

[rhwestfall]

as a nose breather that we are, you are likely not aware that you are not closing off your airway to nose when breathing through a scuba reg.....

 

[jkyle]

I've got three scenarios. Which one fits your situation

2. Your mask may not fit properly, and as stated above, this will cause a leak. However, this normally leads to a partially flooded mask that requires clearing. Is this what's happening, or is your mask staying clear (see #1 then). If it's flooding, the incoming water is compressing the air in your mask, and this causes it to leak out in order to equalize pressures. Solution: Get a mask that fits, or see why yours may not be, and make sure you don't have any hair in the seal.

​

Now that makes sense. It did start when I grew my beard back. My mask does slightly leak near my nose. Nothing bad, but it makes sense that its pressurizing my mask and causing the leak.

 

[Jim-SAR]

Trim your mustache below your nose. You want to create a small strip of bare skin so the skirt under the nose cup can seal against it. Or, you can glob a bit of Vaseline in your mustache to seal off the same area.

 

[rhwestfall]

It did start when I grew my beard back....

that "Ah-Ha" moment......

 

[Ryan Nelson]

Here's what I do for my stash. Shave just a little below the nose, it doesn't take much.

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