Mustache causing a slow leak in mask...

[chesch]

You all couldn't be more wrong! Ever held a cup upside down underwater? Hair on the head causes leaks, wrinkles, bad seal on you forehead cause leaks! But something on the bottom of the cup / mask won't cause a leak! I have been diving with some kind of facial hair for 37 years! So unless you swim upside down all the time don't blame your hair!

So how does this cause a leak? The only way to leak is to have Air escape from the top of the mask!

Papa Bear,

Your logic is slightly flawed. The physics of an upside down cup holds true ... but that doesn't fully translate to a mask situation. Your mask isn't oriented in the same direction as the opening to the cup. If you were to always look vertically (at the surface) and have any openings to the mask pointed directly downward then this would hold true.

What happens if you were to alter your cup physics experiment? Put a full seal on the cup with the exception to two small slits oriented near the bottom of the cup, but not at the lowest points. Some water would be able to seep in this way. Maybe not a lot, but some water would be able to make it in there under the pressure...

 

[Papa_Bear]

Maybe its my camera, but I don't swim along with my head down! I swim looking where I am going! That way I see it before I run into it! With my head up and looking forward the skirt UNDER my nose is on the bottom of my mask! 37 years of diving with 4297 logged dives and my face hair has never been a problem! If I turn up side down it might leak a little weather or not I had hair on my face! Same principle when you clear a mask without a purge!

 

[jsf35]

In through the mouth, out through the nose. I seem to switch every 6 months between facial hair and clean shaven. I don't (won't) do the vaseline/ gel thing.
Water ingress in the mask where it sits on the mustache is a fact of life. If you get in the habit of exhaling through your nose, you will be in a constant state of mask clearing.
Works for me.
Cheers,
Scott

 

[Westbound]

I have a mustache and have had success by just trying different masks.

 

[Arizona_SVO]

Maybe its my camera, but I don't swim along with my head down! I swim looking where I am going! That way I see it before I run into it! With my head up and looking forward the skirt UNDER my nose is on the bottom of my mask! 37 years of diving with 4297 logged dives and my face hair has never been a problem! If I turn up side down it might leak a little weather or not I had hair on my face! Same principle when you clear a mask without a purge!

The spidey senses are telling me that occasionally during your dives, you look down... But it is good to see you are really excited about telling us.

The simple fact is there are so many variables in this equasion, what works for one may not work for others. Good to hear that you do not have issues, other folks do... the OP simply wants ideas and has gotten some good ones. On another note, I'll bet you have some amazing photographs with all that experience though.... This is where my envy comes rising to the surface.

 

[muddiver]

The best remidy that I have found is a full face mask

The mask seal goes around the face instead of just the eyes and nose. Also has a purge for those occational leaks or regulator removals.

 

[MichiganScott]

Try a full face mask.

 

[billsreef]

Since I'm lacking hair on the top of my head, it's the mustache leaking. Just shaving a very small bit off the top does the trick nicely. If I forget, well I just got to keep clearing the mask

 

[Papa_Bear]

Since I'm lacking hair on the top of my head, it's the mustache leaking. Just shaving a very small bit off the top does the trick nicely. If I forget, well I just got to keep clearing the mask

Thank gd I thought it might be the wrinkles on your forehead! Have a friend take a picture of your face and see where it is leaking! Where you see bubbles you will see a leak!

I am excited about all aspects of Diving!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have been for 37 years!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[billsreef]

Thank gd I thought it might be the wrinkles on your forehead! Have a friend take a picture of your face and see where it is leaking! Where you see bubbles you will see a leak!

I am excited about all aspects of Diving!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have been for 37 years!!!!!!!!!!!

That area of the forehead is still nice and wrinkle free I can actually feel the water leaking past the mustache. Plus when I remember to trim that little bit, the leak goes away Since I'm also generally looking down at the various life on the bottom, the whole skirt is the high side, kind of like holding the cup right side up so it can fill with water :lol: