Dangerous lies?

[AJ]

What I heard lately:
- Solo diving will kill you, you won't make it back if you do...
- Diving with a stage is very dangerous, just learned someone died using a stage...(no clue whatsoever who died and why)
- Mask on forehead means panicked diver....
- You can't do a rescue course with BP/W+long hose config...

 

[YukonJack]

Whats with the Mask on Forehead business? I was taught by all of my instructors that MOF is a signal of a distressed diver on the surface. Is this not accurate?

 

[Doby45]

I tell you what, if I am sitting on the steps at Ginnie and you have your mask on your forehead, the last thing I will think is that you are in distress and need help. I think that whole MOF is an artifact from moons ago at the dawn of scuba diving.

 

[David Wilson]

Whats with the Mask on Forehead business? I was taught by all of my instructors that MOF is a signal of a distressed diver on the surface. Is this not accurate?

Not if you're Mike Nelson. He was never distressed when he was in danger:

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Two interesting ones coming out of local dive shops recently ...

- You are no longer allowed to put air in a tank once it's been VIP'ed for nitrox. You have to use a minimum of EAN24.
- If a dive shop goes out of business, any VIP stickers on tanks from that dive shop are immediately invalid, and you have to get those tanks VIP'ed again by a functioning dive shop.

These came from two different stores ... neither of which will be getting any business from me anytime in the future ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[stuartv]

Whats with the Mask on Forehead business? I was taught by all of my instructors that MOF is a signal of a distressed diver on the surface. Is this not accurate?

I was at the pool this weekend and an instructor was teaching that to the OW class. To be polite, I don't think it is accurate at all.

The instructor taught it as if, if you do a boat dive, come to the surface, and put your mask on your forehead, someone on the boat will look at you and jump in to save you unless you notice them looking at you and give them an Okay signal. I think that is extremely unlikely. I don't recall any DM on a boat I've been on telling anyone "if we see you on the surface with your mask on your forehead we will think you are in distress."

I think at most a MOF MAY get a DM or boat crewperson to take a quick second look at you for actual signs of distress.

Further, with my mask turned around backwards, the mask wants to hit stuff like my hoses or 1st stage. That makes it a lot more likely to get knocked off and lost. Thus, I don't do it. I was actually diving with my tech instructor at the local quarry. We finished a dive and hit the surface 100 yards or so out from the shore. He turned his mask around like that as we swam in. By the time we got to the shore, he had lost his mask. It was knocked loose and, with a hood on, he didn't even notice.

 

[BoltSnap]

Further, with my mask turned around backwards, the mask wants to hit stuff like my hoses or 1st stage. That makes it a lot more likely to get knocked off and lost. Thus, I don't do it. I was actually diving with my tech instructor at the local quarry. We finished a dive and hit the surface 100 yards or so out from the shore. He turned his mask around like that as we swam in. By the time we got to the shore, he had lost his mask. It was knocked loose and, with a hood on, he didn't even notice.

I don't take anything off, including my mask that stays on my face, until I am completely out of the water and no chance that I'll fall back into the water. I teach the same to my students.

 

[Wookie]

I tell you what, if I am sitting on the steps at Ginnie and you have your mask on your forehead, the last thing I will think is that you are in distress and need help. I think that whole MOF is an artifact from moons ago at the dawn of scuba diving.

Having seen any number of panicked divers, I can tell you that the first thing they do is get rid of the mask (by shoving it up on their forehead) and regulator.

Anyone who says that a mask on forehead ISN'T a sign of panic is lying.

 

[Doby45]

Having seen any number of panicked divers, I can tell you that the first thing they do is get rid of the mask (by shoving it up on their forehead) and regulator.

Anyone who says that a mask on forehead ISN'T a sign of panic is lying.

Well I bow to your experience good sir, you have seen it far more than me. I have heard the panicked diver does more of a complete removal of mask and reg as opposed to a placing on the forehead.

 

[KeithG]

Having seen any number of panicked divers, I can tell you that the first thing they do is get rid of the mask (by shoving it up on their forehead) and regulator.

Anyone who says that a mask on forehead ISN'T a sign of panic is lying.

I think it is very common that a panicked diver will MOF. But the reverse is not necessarily true. MOF does not cause you to panic.