Mask on Forehead reliable distress signal?

[ahava]

There is no right or wrong on this issue. Its all a matter of personal choice. But as an instructor I will give my students my opinion of where their mask should be and the reasons why. During their training I expect it to be there. After they are certified they can do as they wish. I also would never give my opinion to other certified divers or students without being asked for it. Unless I saw immediate or a definate safety issue.

 

[anth]

A mask decreases your field of vision.

Hey Walter!

Thanks for directly answering my point. My logic was that your field of vision with your mask on is actually greater above water than below. If my FOV is acceptable for the underwater portion of the dive, it's acceptable above water for a few moments.

I see your points. While I'm not opposed to others removing their masks from their face (and repositioning it wherever you happen to please), I just couldn't be bothered and tend to leave it in place till I doff my gear on the boat or beach. Either way, not a big deal, we should all be able to comfortably surface without a mask anyhow, as well as comfortably swim for a considerable distance without gear.

In my first post in the thread, I should have used "discomfort" instead of "uncomfortable," as that would have been more precise and may have ruffled fewer feathers.

Cheers,

Anthony

 

[waterbearer]

I think if you're distressed you should take your mask off, write "I am Distressed." with a black Sharpie, put a float on it (to make sure it doesn't sink) and throw it at the nearest person/place/thing you can identify in your panic. Seriously guys.

 

[KY_BOB]

I just completed my O/W cert this weekend. I found it a lot more comfortable to put the mask on my forehead when floating around that around my neck but my instructor said that I owed him a 6-pack of beer every time that I did it. If he had collected my debt, he would have got several cases.

I don't see the harm in it but I'm a newbie.

 

[DiverBizz]

When I look at the diver with MOF I don't assume they are distressed, I watch them just as I would any other diver in the water. BTW: PADI open water book under the section of Problem Recognition -"Red Alert! Panicked divers, fearing drowning, typically struggle to hold their heads high above the water. They usually fail to establish positive bouyancy , and spit out their regulators and shove their masks up on their foreheads." I wish the basic standards and other issues such MOF were the all taught the same. I realize that each agency has different things that attract a person to them but MOF=nothing=sign of panicked diver=distress ... oh forget it.

 

[Tigerman]

Personally I dont think there is any single thing you do that consitutes distress on its own.
Sure, ripping the mask off (and then the most natural direction is upwards) can be ONE sign of distress, but I cant think of any situation where someones really in panic they only do a single thing that show it, especially while diving..

 

[cruiser]

Mask on the forehead doesn't indicate distress to me, but it is a good way to lose your mask to the murky depths.

If someone is flailing arms, yelling, spitting and sputtering, that's distress.

 

[texdiveguy]

I rescued 2 near drowning experienced divers at a local pond.....both still had their masks in place when I reached them, their was know question these two divers were in major distress....mask on or off. Not every troubled diver throws their mask up or off once hitting the surface....old wise tail.

 

[DiverBizz]

I need my mask to see when I surface so I keep my mask on my face. If I am need of assistance I will try to remember to spit out my reg. and flail around. I know that when I helped a diver in need he was not following any of the distressed diver signs except not responding to "are you OK?". I think that the OW classes teach the common signs of distress so that the divers are aware of at least the basics.

 

[tc]

Seems to be a consensus that MOF is NOT a reliable indicator of distress.


Oh, and I got 100!