My uncle told me to always carry a backup mask strap. Thought it was overkill until mine snapped at 60 feet.

3 comments

3 Comments

Your uncle is a genius. Mine broke on a night dive, just as we were leaving the wreck. Total darkness and my mask flooded instantly. Had to hold it to my face the whole ascent. Now I keep two spares in my BC pocket, one in the save-a-dive kit. Never making that mistake again.

amy_reed7923d ago

Yeah, @knight.anna, a buddy had his strap snap at 60 feet, just pure chaos. He ended up doing the whole safety stop holding the mask against his face with one hand.

felix_nelson8921d ago

That mask strap story is a real wake-up call. Read a diving magazine article last year that said mask failures are way more common than people assume. They recommended doing a quick strap check as part of your pre-dive routine, looking for any dry rot or cracks. A guy in the article had his snap just from the pressure change during a simple descent, no contact with anything. Makes you realize how a tiny piece of gear can cause such a big problem.