Maskless vision?

[EastEndDiver]

I just make bubble goggles if i have to see small things underwater without a mask.

You and I must be the only dinosaurs that were taught that................way back when .

 

[TMHeimer]

I believe that about the SB member with near perfect maskless vision. Refraction is a weird thing. When nearsighted my whole life I could see perfectly underwater snorkeling--the mask's refraction, etc. After Lasik (2 weeks before I got OW cert. age 51), I could now see near perfectly topside, but gauges uw were a bit fuzzy, unlike my snorkeling experiences before Lasik when I was considerably nearsighted. Who knows--everybody's different. I can see all I need to now diving, due to marking stuff on the gauges

 

[macado]

I can read my gauges / Shearwater. I've tested it but it sucks and hurts my eyes in salt water. I do wear contacts so the likelihood is my contacts would be lost so I keep extras on the boat.

Having said that, I mitigate this tiny risk by always carrying a backup mask. It's such a small low volume mask that it really doesn't take up much room. Either in drysuit pocket or my neoprene dive shorts.

Only had to use it once for "real" when the rubber skirt on an old mask was ripped and I didn't really notice it so my mask kept slowly flooding so I swapped it out.

Otherwise my backup mask has "saved" far more people than myself on the boat.

 

[BenjaminS]

I can't see at all when I have my mask off. My eyes automatically shut because of anxiety. At that point I establish negative bouyancy and switch to my backup mask. I have to establish negative bouyancy or else I float like a cork because of increased breathing rate.

 

[TMHeimer]

I can't see at all when I have my mask off. My eyes automatically shut because of anxiety. At that point I establish negative bouyancy and switch to my backup mask. I have to establish negative bouyancy or else I float like a cork because of increased breathing rate.

Good procedure, I think. Maybe dealing with why your eyes automatically shut is a dive problem?

 

[GreggS]

I'm far-sughted so I can't read my gauges even with a mask if I don't gave vision correction. So if I lose my main mask with prescription lens, I have a a back-up with a magnifier in one lens. I, too, am uncomfortable opening my eyes in salt water, but could if I had too for what good it would do.

 

[Vulkanman]

Chlorine in pools irritate my eyes and plug my sinuses, seawater not at all, but my vision is blurry and I have a tough time finding my mask if it gets dropped.

 

[KDAD]

Don't mind the mask off at all in rhe pool. I can usually see to the other end. I am definately getting used to it being off in salt water.

I once did a dive in the ocean in what ended up being pretty good visability conditions. Upon splashing the mask must have rode up onto my forehead because I decended to at least 40 fsw before I even noticed that it was on my face. It only occurred to me as I thought it looked a little too blurry.

 

[Rilelen]

I'm extremely near-sighted and wear contacts....refraction IS weird, I can actually see okay underwater without my contacts if I have a mask on. So if my mask fell off, I assume my contacts would also be lost, which wound render me (legally) blind...but that's what my spare back-up mask is for. I doubt I could read a dive table with it, but I can certainly read my gauges and fingers! And like someone else mentioned, I keep spare contacts on the boat, just in case.

 

[Steve_C]

Well enough to survive and do what I have to. Not so well that I enjoy it.

Did a second dive two years ago. Got back on the boat thinking the viz had gotten a lot worse. Crew was laughing. Was preoccupied talking to a suddenly new instabuddy and had grabbed the wrong yellow mask next to me. Instead of my prescription one I had used a nonprerscription one.