Need help about Mask...

[Murat]

Hi.....

When i dive down to 8-9 meter the mask starts to compress my face. When i am in 15 meter it becomes irresistable. I feel that my eyes gonna pop off... Thus i blow air from my nose. I think thats what you call mask equalizing. But when i reached the 15 meter i already blow three times to mask and four times ear equalizing. So i left no air reserve for bottom time. My Technisub Look mask has big volume. I though this is normal but when i was in dive shop yesterday, i heard from two experianced speros that they never need to blow air to theirs mask. They said its because of i tightened the strap too much but thats not the case coz i tried both tight and loose strap setup. But it still hapens. BTW theirs mask was OMER Abyss and Technisub ( i am not sure about the model of it but may be luna or something but definetely doesn't has lower volume than mine)

What you think? Is the problem mask or me?

 

[efattah]

You can always use fluid goggles which are filled with saline and do not need to be equalized!

Or try a lower volume mask like the sphera.


Eric Fattah
BC, Canada

 

[Murat]

Hi Eric,

Those fluid gogles too complex for me. I am just beginner spero. They are too expensive too and don't have dealer here.

So you mean low volume mask will not compress my face or it just easier to equalize??? The guy with OMER Abyss told me that he never need to be blow air into the mask coz his mask never press his face. Is this possible?

Thanks...

 

[unirdna]

Murat,

The mask strap tightness has little to do with what you are experiencing; the 'eye popping' sensation is a function of reduced air pressure in your mask. While we're on the subject, I would recommend having your mask strap as loose as possible (without being so loose that propulsion rips it off). This will save on face pain and headaches.

Any low volume mask will suit your needs just fine. I can think of three reasons why you may feel out of breath at 15m.

1. You haven't yet mastered how to fill your lungs to the max.....this probably is not the case.

2. When you equalize your mask, you are using more air than you need to, and consequently, you're losing air out the sides of your mask......this is a more likely possibility. To remedy this, you need to practice letting less air through your nose. Remember, you don't need to inflate the mask; just give it enough air to take the pull off your eyes. You should not be 'blowing' air out your nose; rather, you are 'giving' the mask some of your precious stash.

3. You are not yet used to the feeling of water pressue on your lungs.....a very likely possibility. At 15m, they have been reduced to less than half of their original volume. This sensation shocked me the first time I felt it as well. It felt as if my air had secretly been sucked out of me (btw, this sensation continues, it just kicks in at greater depths as you improve). In time, you'll get used to this. Eventually, you'll think of it as the water giving you a 'hug' .

There are dozens of masks that will suit your needs. Personally, I put more weight on how the mask fits, than its internal volume. I think most divers would agree.

I use the superocchio. Jon uses the falco/sphera. Anderson like the bigeyes. Sven uses a plunger and a fish bowl...... Everyone's choice is different because everyone's mug is different.

Good luck .

Ted

 

[feign]

I like the minima, the wide skirt on it is very comfortable. I also have the superocchio, but find it not as comfortable though it has more peripheral vision. The problem is there are few stores that are stocked with freedive masks so you can try them all on.

 

[ivan]

hi

Murat my abyss requires hardly any noticable equalizing for me, I just swim down and I think a little air creeps out of my nose when equalizing my ears which is automatically equalizing your mask.

Have you ever done a dive without a mask, I did a 10m no fins dive with no mask and it is soo much more comfortable having the water flowing over your face then having a mask on. You should try it and see how much difference you get without having to equalize your mask.

cheers

 

[Murat]

Originally posted by unirdna
Murat,


2. When you equalize your mask, you are using more air than you need to, and consequently, you're losing air out the sides of your mask......this is a more likely possibility. To remedy this, you need to practice letting less air through your nose. Remember, you don't need to inflate the mask; just give it enough air to take the pull off your eyes. You should not be 'blowing' air out your nose; rather, you are 'giving' the mask some of your precious stash.


Ted

Yeah ted... That what exactly i do. I blow air from nose until few air bubles flow throug out of the mask. Until the reach of the fifteen meter i do this three times. When the water become deeper i had to use more air than previous. So it seems i waste much of my air to equaize the mask. But when i blow little air i still feel uncomfortable but of course better than eye pop out. When i fill the mask copletely with air and let few air bubles to outside of the mask i feel like i have no mask on my face. So you are saying i have to blow less air??? But if i do this shouldn't i need to do it more frequently so there will be still air wasting???

 

[Murat]

Originally posted by ivan
hi

Murat my abyss requires hardly any noticable equalizing for me, I just swim down and I think a little air creeps out of my nose when equalizing my ears which is automatically equalizing your mask.

Have you ever done a dive without a mask, I did a 10m no fins dive with no mask and it is soo much more comfortable having the water flowing over your face then having a mask on. You should try it and see how much difference you get without having to equalize your mask.

cheers

Hey Ivan,

When i equalize my ears i block my nose holes with my index and thumb finger so no air creeps from nose. How do you do that??? Do you use no hand equalization???

BTW i think to buy OMER Abyss but afraid of their vision area. What you think is its vision so bad compare to the other masks or its worth it???

Cressi masks three times more expensive here. Don't think to buy them... Cressi big eye is around 80 euro or something..

 

[tuomo]

Hi Murat.

I've tried the abyss, aries and big eyes. Money wise i would defenetely go for aries if it fits you. The difference in internal volume does not matter all that much, but the field of vision is much better in aries and big eyes.
The abyss is very good mask with low volyme but with fairly narrow field of vision. The aries 45 would be a good compromise depending ofcourse on the price tag.
If you can try them out before purchasing.

When i'm descending the air escapes automaticly to mask withouth pushing it there. This however this does not happen while equalizing my ears, but separately. try to avoid pushing your air to the mask, but instead let some air 'slip' in to the mask. Then the mask should suck enough air and you could avoid making the bubbles come out of your mask.


br.

Tuomo

 

[unirdna]

Murat,

Using less air shouldn't make you have to equalize your mask more often. The goal, of course, is to equalize the mask; without overinflating it. I only equalize mine 2 times, diving to 30m. Truth is that the deeper you go, the less you have to do this. This is because air does not compress equally at all depths. I'm not sure exactly how to state this, so here is a more analytical description.... At 10m, the original volume of air is cut in half because the pressue has doubled (1 ATM to 2 ATM). The next time the pressure will double will be at 30m (4 ATM). And the next time at 70m (8 ATM). *Someone jump in here if any of my numbers are off*. The good news is that at greater depths, you need to equalize your mask less frequently. The bad news is that any air you waste/lose at a depth of 30m is worth 4X as much to your lungs/body as the amount you actually see escape. This is why I think it is very important to learn good technique.

A way you could practice controlling the amount of air you use is to fill your lungs to the max; then, allow only small bursts of air to escape through your nose. You should be releasing the air, not blowing it out. When I equalize my mask, I use multiple, short bursts of air until the pressure is ballanced (still takes only about a second or two). I don't simply open the floodgates until it spills over. Performing this will most likely create a sound in your throat similar to someone blowing up an air mattress. I think that since I equalize hands-free (BTV), I have an advantage over those who need to pinch. Using any of the popular 'pinching' techniques may make the method I described more difficult, since the throat position and diaphram tension may be very different for equalizing your ears vs. your mask.

If this all fails, you might be well off to use a method similar to what Ivan uses.... While using whatever pinch method, loosen your grip just enough to allow some air to escape into your mask. I imagine that with practice, you could learn to regulate the amount effectively.

Ted

 

[icarus pacific]

Originally posted by unirdna
I use the superocchio. Jon uses the falco/sphera. Anderson like the bigeyes. Sven uses a plunger and a fish bowl...... Everyone's choice is different because everyone's mug is different.
Ted

Seeing as where your head is, how the Hell can you get a Superocchio up there? :t

Hey, you got a PM.

 

[Murat]

Thanks guys.... I'll try to use smaller amount of air with lower volume mask.

 

[ivan]

hi

Murat be careful with the abyss the field of view is quite small, actually to me it feels like my vision is really limited, but you cant have everything so I sacrafice vision for less volume.

I use the normal equalising method but simply loosen the grip a little and let some air into the mask.

cheers

 

[donmoore]

Murat,
It sounds to me like your eyes are a little more sensitive to negative pressure than most. I say this, because like Ted said, you shouldn’t have to equalize your mask as often and with as much air as you are having too. Maybe it’s also the mask not fitting as well as it should. My SAMOURAI mask sometimes presses in my temple area and the pain seems to radiate all over my face.

Most people seem to be able to adapt to pressure changes once they get used to them so maybe some more time with moderate negative pressure would help. You could either do repeated shallow dives with any compensating or you could put your mask on at home and suck some air out through your nose and leave it for a while.

I like to pre-pressure my mask at the surface by blowing in until just a little escapes. Then I go ahead and do my breathup. This gets me a little further before I need to equalize it.
Good luck,
don

 

[Murat]

Hi...

I was in dive shop today and see Technisub Luna mask. It seems has low volume and fit my face well, comfy too... What you think about that mask?? Any experiance?

 

[Murat]

Nobody has that mask ? ? ?

 

[Memo]

I've checked its pictures and it seem cool. If you feel comfortable with it, its the best one for you.

ps: I bought cressi-sub focus just today but I have to wait for a log time to try it

 

[Murat]

I bought it Will try it tomorrow morning.

 

[Memo]

damn! I bought mine but no chance! I better try it in the bathroom!

 

[breathe]

One thing I have found useful to combat mask squeezage is on my second to last breath (last exhale) before diving, i blow out of my nose and mouth. That fills up the mask with air so it is kind of floating on your face. There is still a good seal, but just enough air so that one more breath would break the seal and force bubbles out of the sides.

I find this stops me from need to put more air into it, except the occasional little squirt around 15m.