Mask around your neck .......

[DMJulie]

Yesterday went diving with a couple of certified divers.
(one of them actually met thru SB)

At the end of the dive I wasn't really thinking and took my BRAND NEW CRESSI BIG EYES EVO mask off and put it on my wrist....anyone guess what happened next.

I dropped it! Now most people would think not that big a deal just go down and get it.
Well we were diving Koloa Landing and anyone that has dove there recently knows that the water is so dirty where you get in/out at that if you drop a fin or mask consider it gone.

I was so bummed. I loved this new mask.

Well I am happy to report the mask was found a little later that day.
I asked the other 4 dive operators down there that day to keep an eye out for it and one of them found it!!!

thanks to Chris!

Lesson learned, always put your mask around your neck if you don' want to risk losing it to the fishies.

BTW - Cressi Big Eyes Evo ROCKS!!!

 

[Black_3000psi]

I have seen those mask they look ok but i actually perfer the minima its almost zero volume. and the lens is so close to the eyes that a bigger lens is not needed. but its nice having any mask we like returned.2 so cool points to the person who returned it.
sorry julie but you get -3 cool points, you lose 1 for losing the mask and lose 2 for being a DM cause it was a bad example. <

 

[ayeshacantrell]

I think we all do it once .... and dont you feel such a fool .... particularly being a 'dive professional'.

My 'once' was falling backwards into a sink hole (intentionally - it was the best entry possible) but there were that many mosquitos around me and I was too concerned with swatting them rather than holding my mask.......lesson learnt !!!

And it doesnt seem to matter how many times you tell your divers - someone always does it ....

Atleast you got it back ...my friend lost hers at the end of a night dive in Utila too, she has a very small face and always dives with a kids mask - very difficult to get hold of on Utila !!! She contacted all her friends at the different dive shops and someone duly returned it the next day - restores your faith in human nature when that happens.....

 

[Daiika]

DMjulie, for whatever reason you want to put it somewhere besides around your neck, I put it on my arm, at least above my elbow. As in Rescue class, you might need it later. But glad you got it back. I did drop my mask once last year upon exit. It was right in my left hand, I don't know why I opened my hand.

 

[Black_3000psi]

never happened to me and i will tell you why. My Instructor was very serious about such matters.your mask should remain in place untill the dive is "over" the dive ends when you are back aboard the boat or back on shore. she pointed out an article of a diver who had removed his mask and reg prematurly. he was no more than five feet from the ladder when the waves suddenly grew a foot or so taller first wave hit him right in the face. before he could recover a second then third wave by the time anyone noticed the problem he was already done for. it only takes a second to put yourself in a bad situation. in the above case. the diver was a superb diver. but as we sometimes do we become to comfortable and lax.it cost him his life. I thank Kerstin all the time for the way she trained me. and Mike (diamondhead divers) who took me on his boat daily. the one thing both of them hammered into my head is the one thing i hold most important. "its not enough to be a good diver. you need to be a smart diver." now its simply habit and im glad of it. for those of you who for some reason have to get their face out of the mask the moment you surface. all i can say is..... good luck with that. I did however have a shark "steal" one of my fins but thats a different story. and its a true story.

 

[reefduffer]

There is a better way. I have added a bungie necklace/leash to my mask, independent of the strap. Here's the thread where it was first discussed, including some replies that show this is not a crazy new idea, but rather a very old and accepted one, just not widely known or used. The last post has a picture.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/oceanic/209359-datamask-safety-strap-retractor.html#post3667546

I now have 50 or so dives on this, and really like it. The leash really never gets in the way, and my mask is secure, not just when I'm diving, but hanging around my neck before/between dives on the boat. I also use a bungied backup reg and the two necklaces play just fine together.

There is a better way. Just don't be afraid of looking a little different. I get "great idea" comments from other divers, never a "you're gonna die" comment.

 

[RICHinNC]

never happened to me and i will tell you why. My Instructor was very serious about such matters.your mask should remain in place untill the dive is "over" the dive ends when you are back aboard the boat or back on shore. she pointed out an article of a diver who had removed his mask and reg prematurly. he was no more than five feet from the ladder when the waves suddenly grew a foot or so taller first wave hit him right in the face. before he could recover a second then third wave by the time anyone noticed the problem he was already done for. it only takes a second to put yourself in a bad situation. in the above case. the diver was a superb diver. but as we sometimes do we become to comfortable and lax.it cost him his life. I thank Kerstin all the time for the way she trained me. and Mike (diamondhead divers) who took me on his boat daily. the one thing both of them hammered into my head is the one thing i hold most important. "its not enough to be a good diver. you need to be a smart diver." now its simply habit and im glad of it. for those of you who for some reason have to get their face out of the mask the moment you surface. all i can say is..... good luck with that. I did however have a shark "steal" one of my fins but thats a different story. and its a true story.

Ditto.

I dive NC a lot and have seen many a person come off the roller coaster boat ladder with out mask on and no reg in mouth. They spend the next few minutes sucking sea water and not enjoying it.

 

[kidspot]

So glad you got your mask back, it's nice having people return lost things ... I've never permanently lost my mask, though it's fallen off my face when the clips holding the strap in place broke (that's happened at least 5x) fortunately when you have an Rx mask you have good reason to leave it on from the time you leave the car (where your glasses are) until you get back there again

I'm also SO glad this was not the IIIXXVI MOF/NMOF thread bleeding over into the Hawaii ohana (that is what came to mind initially - lol)

Aloha, Tim

 

[twhi]

I'm with Black 3000psi on this one.

I once dove with a guy that tossed his mask into the boat
at the end of the dive, and then his weight belt.

After climbing into the boat he noticed the weight belt cracked a lens of his mask.

Not really a safety issue in this case,
but it's sometimes difficult to find a replacement for a favorite type of mask.
-

 

[DMJulie]

Thanks everyone for your replies to my post.

I usually do set the example and put the mask around my neck if it is not on my face. I even do this when I am leading snorkeling tours. I just didn't this one time, but I have learned my lesson.

There was another thread started about mask placement....neck, forehead....I now have a first hand experience on why 'around your neck' is a good idea.

Thanks again for your suggestions/comments.