"Brain Freeze" after mask removal.

[Arcadie]

Not sure if this is the best place for this post, but after watching a bunch of diving incidents on youtube (I enjoy them, maybe im a little sadistic). A lot of them are new divers who bolt to the surface after panicing. This made me wonder about something that happened to me when I was getting my OW cert.

This was over 15 years ago so its a little hazy but basically what happened was on the first OW skills dive which was in a spring with "cold" 72* (cold for a floridian anyway) water. Everything was fine until it was my turn to remove and clear my mask. I have never had a problem with this before. But this time the second the water hit my face I instantly got an extreme headace. It was basically the exact same feeling as a brain freeze but it was more in my forehead than the top of my head, but the same exact feeling. This pain lasted for well over 45 minutes maybe an hour before It really started to go away. I am not sure the exact amount of time but I remember this happened shortly after we began the dive and the rest of the class finished their dives and were back on the dock before it started to subside.

I have done some searching on the forum but haven't found anyone else with the same experience, is this rare? I was able to go back the very next day and completed the mask removal with no problems at all. but this time I made sure to test it a few inches below the water first instead of 25' down.

Does anyone know exactly what happened? also this happened in December and from what I remember the water was warmer than the air (i think it was 60-65* that day im not sure i just remember people saying that.) in case that might have something to do with it.

 

[jbomb001]

Sounds to me like more of a sinus squeeze rather than a brain freeze. Perhaps the removal of the mask caused a small amount of suction on your sinus and there was a minor reverse block that occurred from it. ?? Don't know for sure but that would be my best guess. Regardless of where you are from 72° Is still not likely to cause any sort of thermal shock to your system..

Sent from my galaxy S5 Active.

 

[Jack Hammer]

I felt the squeeze before when removing my mask, the water i was in was well below 50 degrees. I also felt something in the 60 degree range, I think it was due to the temperature difference as I often exhale via my nose which may have made the temperature in the mask much higher. Bottom line is I wouldn't worry too much about it

Sent via

 

[Z Gear]

Perhaps try on a thicker hood.
[video=youtube;cg7ElE38LQ4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg7ElE38LQ4[/video]


Frank G
Z GEAR - Z Gear Dive Mounts

 

[The Chairman]

Personally, I find 72F downright refreshing. It might have been some sort of mammalian reflex, but not a brain freeze.

 

[Searcaigh]

I would go for the sinus explanation, possibly if you had not equalised your mask on the way down, the removal process could have caused a vacuum effect on the sinuses around your forehead causing the pain, I am not a doctor but perhaps an ENT physician would be able to explain this better.

 

[TMHeimer]

No doctor here of course, but I may agree with the sinus thing. Who knows. "Ice Cream" freezes for me are no big issue--clear your mask in 33F water, etc.--just cold water on your face, who cares? And regardless of what anyone's facial cold tolerance is, "freezes" (in my case) last seconds, not 45 minutes.

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

You need to come out to someplace where the normal temperature is more like 52F rather than 72F to get adjusted. California should be perfect for you. We are cooking in radically unseasonable 72F water but if you go down a 100 feet or so you can find water at a more sensible temperature.

 

[gkwalt]

As an instructor, our students will do OW checkouts in local quarries that are cold. When doing mask removal, I recommend that the students don't just pull the mask off but let it slowly flood from the top then remove it. This seems to eliminate any squeeze concerns or the shock of the cold water.

 

[mnjhuz76]

As an instructor, our students will do OW checkouts in local quarries that are cold. When doing mask removal, I recommend that the students don't just pull the mask off but let it slowly flood from the top then remove it. This seems to eliminate any squeeze concerns or the shock of the cold water.

If someone kicks the mask off my face or its strap rips apart there is no such thing as slowly flooding.

Shouldn't these situations be trained for rather than a slowly filling mask (which I'd probably clear long before it's filled completely)?