Masks cause drowning??

[Robert W]

There are no laws to stop people wearing these things in swimming pools it's just a bunch of health and safety biscuit munching idiots who are just creating barriers for their business.

I have heard several arguments why they won't let people use masks in ranging from the ridiculous idea that they are being used for voyeurism (don't go to a public pool ass hole!!!!!)
to we can't administer CPR if you have something covering your face. 'Er! Remove the mask perhaps'! *loses brain cells*

I use one of these fullface masks they are a new idea but absolutely no water can get in and even if it does it gets pushed at the bottom through a one-way valve


i'm currently getting onto the council and the local media about this because I'm sick of it.

 

[REVAN]

A mask can't make you drown. The laryngeal spasm will close off the throat if you try to inhale water. About 30 seconds past a blackout, the part of the brain that controls the spasm will fail and that is when a diver will actually drown. It doesn't matter if it goes in through the nose or mouth. With a mask on the nose is blocked, so less likely to accidentally inhale water. We can close our mouths to block that path, but we can't block our nose without plugging it somehow. The mask does that for you.

Bottom line: You are more likely to inhale water without the mask.

The pool bureaucracy doesn't want people using masks because you will use it to dive underwater, and they don't want you to do that. If you are using swim goggles, they'll suck your eyes out of their sockets if dive down. It is a good deterrent to diving and they know it. The rule is a play to take advantage of that fact to manipulate how you swim in the pool (i.e. - without diving).

 

[NAM001]

This all sounds silly, The schnozolla has more exposure to water with out a mask. As for Voyeurism. I suspect that may be more the cause than not. Some mother buys herself a little something she should not be in, or gets her little precious a thong biliki and then doesn't want the boys to leer at her. I swear, if adults want to cloth like that at a public juvinile populated pool they should expect to be stared at. Now couple that mask with a snorkel, a gopro and a face book account and that mask will surely make you die. Yep spring break at Podunkville swimming pool. whooo hooo look what mary sue got for her b-day. its 2,,,2,,,, 3 girls in one.

I can remember when a pool was fun to go to. Now you can splash dive use any swimming gear cause its all dangerous.

 

[Phil_C]

I don't know about the US, but in Canada I think most municipal pools prohibit the use of MFS unless the person is under instruction and the pool is rented for that purpose. Go figure.

Pretty much so in every UK pool I have been in, goggles are fine, but no masks, fins or snorkels.

I used to work as a lifeguard at a YMCA about 5 years ago.

We had the same no mask rule. Goggles were allowed, but no masks. We wouldn't even let kids under 18 use snorkels.

We told swimmers the same thing the OP mentioned, but in reality, it was the liability insurance company that required us to have that rule.

I'm guessing most pools that have this rule do so because their insurer requires it.

I suspect that it is an industry standard policy, and I can fully see that.

There are no laws to stop people wearing these things in swimming pools it's just a bunch of health and safety biscuit munching idiots who are just creating barriers for their business.

I have heard several arguments why they won't let people use masks in ranging from the ridiculous idea that they are being used for voyeurism (don't go to a public pool ass hole!!!!!)
to we can't administer CPR if you have something covering your face. 'Er! Remove the mask perhaps'! *loses brain cells*

I use one of these fullface masks they are a new idea but absolutely no water can get in and even if it does it gets pushed at the bottom through a one-way valve


i'm currently getting onto the council and the local media about this because I'm sick of it.

I couldn't disagree more, swimming pools are private places to which you have access on payment and on the condition that you comply with the owner/operators rules. If you don't want to comply you don't have to use the pool, it is that simple.

If you do enter, with the implicit acceptance of the pool rules that that implies, and then do not comply with the rules the operator is entirely within their rights to eject you, and they would not have to return your entry fee.

I belong to three clubs, two of them rent pools for training weekly, both pools have a strictly enforced no mask fins or snorkel rule, except during the private sessions we rent, and I have no problem with it.

In busy, unregulated pools abroad I have seen far too many people kicked with fins, people messing about with masks and snorkels who do not know what they are doing come up spluttering, and so on to believe that most people are sensible or considerate or know what they are doing.

P

 

[Phil_C]

I use one of these fullface masks they are a new idea but absolutely no water can get in and even if it does it gets pushed at the bottom through a one-way valve

.

This looks like a nice idea for beach/recreational use, but of course no good for scuba because unlike a conventional mask or custom scuba FFM it will not allow you to do a snorkel/regulator exchange. - P

 

[scagrotto]

we can't administer CPR if you have something covering your face.

Every time I've taken a CPR class I was taught that you're supposed to do CPR on a bare chest. Shouldn't they therefore require that all swimmers be topless?

 

[NAM001]

Pretty much so in every UK pool I have been in, goggles are fine, but no masks, fins or snorkels.



I suspect that it is an industry standard policy, and I can fully see that.



I couldn't disagree more, swimming pools are private places to which you have access on payment and on the condition that you comply with the owner/operators rules. If you don't want to comply you don't have to use the pool, it is that simple.

If you do enter, with the implicit acceptance of the pool rules that that implies, and then do not comply with the rules the operator is entirely within their rights to eject you, and they would not have to return your entry fee.

I belong to three clubs, two of them rent pools for training weekly, both pools have a strictly enforced no mask fins or snorkel rule, except during the private sessions we rent, and I have no problem with it.

In busy, unregulated pools abroad I have seen far too many people kicked with fins, people messing about with masks and snorkels who do not know what they are doing come up spluttering, and so on to believe that most people are sensible or considerate or know what they are doing.

P

I don't think that any one is questioning the rights of the pool owners on this. It is the insanity of the rule to begin with. Where else do you learn to do water activities other than in a pool. Some where some drunk jerk dove off a dive board into another dive board and now no pool have dive boards and be insured. Did the pool do this I doubt it. I am confident that it is the insurers that are driving this. And just like the position you stated.. Its our insurance company rules and if you want to do business you will do it our way or not at all. It only hurts the public that the pool is supposed to be serving. Now I don't blame the ins companies totally because some lawyer found a way to sue a pool for a client over a case of athletes foot. If masks were that dangerous we all would be 6 ft under.

 

[NAM001]

What would everyone do if the unchecked motives like that which has invaded the pool's of our country ran amuck. Little girls could not jump rope, play hop scotch ect. guys could not play stick ball or have inner tubes for fear of making a sling shot. Look what they have done to schools and recess. That is contributing to obease kids. Kids can't walk to school cause mothers think their little precious with get snatched. All this because some tabloid had an article about a kid getting snatched. Lets not forget about riding bicycles and Halloween costumes requiring labels saying that the superman costume does not allow the wearer to actually fly. I would hate to grow up in the environment we have made for our kids. What opinion of this fruitcake generation of parents will these kids have when they finally figure it out. The level of protections that are out there are insulting at best.

 

[TMHeimer]

My guess it's just some sort of liability. You can drown a lot of ways. Just don't use the pool and they don't get your entry fee.

 

[DandyDon]

Where else do you learn to do water activities other than in a pool.

I encourage first time snorkelers to take their gear to the pool for practice. Better there than the ocean to discover gear problems or personal inabilities.