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Mask Buoyancy Problems

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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G.P.

New Member
Sep 11, 2016
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Hello,

I just started freediving this year
I have a normal diving cressi mask. (nothing really special)
But i have problems diving down because my mask always pushes me up.
This means i can't dive deep without using fins.
Also, when i use my fins i can dive to the depth i want
but when i swim to the surface. I ascend way too fast.

is there something i can /need to do to prevent this from happening?

Is this a common problem for all masks or should i use a particular type of (freediving) mask.

I've seen some clips on YouTube where people dive with masks and without fins.
They still manage to dive deep. and ascend with normal speed.

Thank you for all your help,
 
Your mask may or may not be good for free diving but your overall buoyancy is controlled mainly by other things (wet suit thickness, how much air you breathe in, how fat you are) You can adjust this to your satisfaction by adding and removing weight on your weight belt.
 
ok next time i will certainly try freediving with a weight belt.

but I still think another mask can also make a huge difference.
look at the guy at 1:15 of this clip. No fins, no wetsuit or weightbelt, just a mask.
.
 
Hey mate,
When you dive what are you wearing? Neoprene is an extremely buoyant material and quite easily affects your buoyancy, the more you wear, the more weight you will need. Freediving with a weight belt is a must, it allows you to easily reach depths but when you do, make sure you make yourself positively buoyant in the first 7-10m as there is a huge risk if you try to overweight yourself of blackout. Also if you over weight yourself, it'll be easier going down but harder coming back up, so there is no real advantage there :).
As Allan Madick said, it all depends on what else you are wearing and not your mask unless your mask is crazy big, but I doubt manufactures would make one that big as no sane person would buy it.
if you don't mind me asking, what brand/make is your mask? and is it a low volume mask? could you post a picture?
Cheers
Rock Shooter
 
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Unless your mask is huge it shouldn't really be an issue at all. Low volume freediving masks are less buoyant, but the main reason for using them is that it requires less air to equalize them at depth.
 
here are some photos of the mask i use. It's a mask from Cressi.
front.jpg
back.jpg
side.jpg
 
Although that isn't an ideal freediving mask it shouldn't cause any issues imho. I started out with masks at least that size as a kid and I never felt buoyancy was an issue.
 
Nice mask :p

Cressi is a very reputable manufacturer!
It doesn't appear to be a low volume mask from the pictures but it certainly doesn't have that much to effect someone diving too greatly. The only problem with is is when you start diving deeper and you have to equalize your mask, with a high volume mask this will take more precious air.

That's just my opinion, that mask doesn't look quite big enough to make a difference but without trying on the mask I might be wrong!

Keep us up to date,

Rock Shooter
 
I highly doubt the mask is the cause of your buoyancy issue. I would advise you take a freediving class where you will learn everything you need to know about masks, buoyancy, use of weight belts, safety etc.

Btw the guy in the video seems to dive exhaled which drastically reduces buoyancy, more than any mask ever could ;)
 
Sweet!
Although this isn't that much neoprene it will still make a difference. The only way to combat this (really) is to wear a weight belt with a few weights on it.

Rock Shooter
 
yes i always wear a 2,5 mm neoprene wetsuit. @Rock Shooter

You'll need a couple of kgs of weight on your belt to compensate for the suits buoyancy. Probably 2-3 kgs, start with 2 and see if you need a bit more. You want to be positive (float) when above 5-10 m depth. When going deeper you will sink as your suit and lungs are compressed.
 
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