full face mask

[Matthew White]

How do,
I have been looking around for a fool proof full face mask and safest procedure to switch for decompression.
The switch block method is appealing for warmer waters and there are other methods avalible, i have herd of an exprimental model that has interchangable second stage into the skirt, from discussions around some dive confrences, apparently the mouth peice remains attached to the second stage and is inserted like a normal mouthpeice and can be quickly removed for donation OOAS,again i can see some tecnique and gear configuration re-arranging to remain a team usable system.

has anyone used or experianced a full face mask in any dive level?
keen to sort out a comfortable practice pattern for me and team.http://www.ocean-discovery.org/forum/images/icons/icon13.gifhttp://www.ocean-discovery.org/forum/images/icons/icon14.gif?

[Fredrik Isakson]

I talked to Jean Michel Costeau. He And CB-Gorman developed some kind of fullfacemask that works in somewhat the way you describes. It´s a commercial product and it´s around for sale. It´s not that cheap and i guess that could be a problem. The reason why developed it was that Jean Michel had some kind of incident with the AGA-mask and there after refused to use it. He sees it as a hasardous equipment. This mask supposedly solves the safety issues with the AGA- mask. Possibly this could be something for you.:)

[Matthew White]

Can you recall the brand name of the mask available?

Anyone have any issue with a team member using this system....?

[Richard Lundgren]

Anyone have any issue with a team member using this system....?

Hi mate,

Any device, tool or equipment that changes the way that a diver as an example donates or switches gas will not be optimal within a team hence not what is commonly referred to as DIR.

To have “one” diver in the team using full face mask, switch blocks and different procedures would not be desirable, practical or safe.

I have used full face masks for commercial oriented work dives and for me the only advantage using these is the communication system, between divers and surface. On the negative side I always tend to build up more CO2 and the OOG technique along with gas switches makes it highly impractical for technical diving.

These are my personal reflections regarding full face masks and my intention is not to completely throw them under the buss but they have as I mentioned proven to be impractical for the type of diving that we perform.

Take care,
Richard Lundgren

[Fredrik Isakson]

The brand name is Gorman, maybe i spell it wrong. the same brand that makes diving helmets for commercial diving. What Rickard says is probably true but in some cases it can be useful. Like when your doing tv-segments under water. This mask allows you to use better communication and still use more than one regulator and be able to share gas.

[Richard Lundgren]

Fredrik has a point that sure is valid for the type of documentaries that mr Costeau et.al, www.oceanfutures.com (http://www.oceanfutures.com), are producing. They need to talk to the audience to ad an extra dimension to the film. There are other applications where the use of full face masks are desirable too, usually for light commercial work.

Take care,
Richard Lundgren

[Matthew White]

Thank`s for the input.
i understand that surface support beyond the Tech limits used amongst
limit any real purpose,so i will shelve the idea for now.

Matt.

[Deep6]

Well, you CAN actually buddy-breathe off an AGA mask, but it is the most un-DIR like thing I have ever seen underwater... :D

[Matthew White]

:eek: Sounds like a narcosis enduced event? least of all,........ would have seemed so?

[Deep6]

Ha, ha... believe me, you ain't buddy breathing for long on one of those if you are narc'ed! ;)

[Matt Duke]

Ha, ha... believe me, you ain't buddy breathing for long on one of those if you are narc'ed! ;)

We tried this back in the dark days....

The AGA has a habit of spraying salt water at 100kmh up your nose! So buddy breathing is:

Pass mask, Purge

**cough**
**cough**
** Brreeeeeeath**
**Cough**
** Breeeeeath**

Pass mask, Repeat

:D

We had one guy who used 2x12 and backmounted 7l for deco. He had a custom switch block with 3 taps. Each was "Ergonomically" different, and hence he felt he had good control over deco swithes.

One day I was diving with him and on decent at about 35m and I heard him shout "Ohhh F**k" into his AGA, and then frantically turn a tap or two on his switch block. Afterwards he swam up to me and said, "Turned the wrong f**king gas on"

Ahhhh they were the days...

[Deep6]

Ha, ha... that certainly brings back some memories. Tried buddy breathing with a KMB-18 as well, and I'm still not sure how I survived...

I'm not claustrophobic, but it is a strange sensation ramming your head into that neoprene sock while your lungs are starting to ache for air, wiggling your face into place, and then patiently waiting for the purge valve to blast all the water out of your mask - and given your patience at this point you would be blowing a freezing hurricane into your grill, eyelids flappin' in the breeze - and then try to breathe in slowly or suck the water right back into your mask!

Inevitably, the first breath would always be accompanied by a spray of misty water, causing the aforementioned caughs, and just as you go for that second, oh-so-needed breath, the wide, bloodshot, panicked eyes of your buddy stares into you mask begging for his turn as he 'assists' you with removing the hood... causing a vicious cycle of gas-starvation that tended to fry your nerves...

No wonder the instructors thought we were idiots, it's not like it was a required (or even realistic) exersize... :D

[Ola_K]

No wonder the instructors thought we were idiots, it's not like it was a required (or even realistic) exersize... :D

One of my funniest memories of fullface mask diving was actually provided by my instructor at the time (I wont mention names but those who know me and know who I did my training with might be able to figure it out ;)).

We where doing a quite simple shallow training dive in Spåresund outside Västervik on a nice early spring day, there where still some peices of ice flowing around so the water temp was a bit refreshing.

Because of the cold the instructor decided that he wanted to stay all dry and chose to go with a fullface mask (can't rember what type it was). Of course the rest of us just had to jump in and hope our faces would numb as soon as possible ;). As you can imagen there was a few words mumbled about fairness etc. but we soon got on with the dive.

About half way into the dive justice was done, when we suddenly heard aloud noice over from the instructor and when we looked over only saw a cloud of bubbles instead of his head, yes, his precious fullface mask had frozen and was totally free flowing :D. He had to shut down the reg and switch to back up reg and mask, you should have heard the yelp he let out as he pulled of the mask and got hit full in the face by the near 0 degree water. It was classic and I'll never forget it :D

[Matthew White]

Almost Always with my funniest times diving are in hyndsight,after the effort to gain control and restore the pulse rate,.......actualy the few bad calls i have experienced are not mentionable as the instructor on the dive you encounted,Though i bet it was hard to contain the smiles in everyone's eyes on the dive mentioned.

[diverinblack]

http://www.kirbymorgan.com/products/m48.html