seth_martinez21•15d agoProlific Poster

That moment I realized my mask was leaking for 3 years

Was doing a bridge inspection in Tampa last month. 30 feet down, visibility went to crap. Kept clearing my mask every 2 minutes. Buddy finally tapped me and pointed at a tiny crack near the exhaust valve. Had been fighting that mask forever. I just thought fogging was normal. Any of you guys check your gear with a flashlight before every dive?

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diana_moore7515d ago

I read somewhere that something like 60% of divers don't actually check their gear with a flashlight before each dive, which is wild to me. Your line about "fighting that mask forever" really hit home because I've definitely done the same thing, just assuming it was normal fogging when it was actually a slow failure. A tiny crack near the exhaust valve is exactly the kind of thing you'd miss without a good light, especially on a mask you've had for years. I started checking my reg and mask with a bright flashlight after a buddy of mine found a pinhole leak in his inflator hose that way. Now I can't imagine not doing it, it takes like 30 seconds and saves you from a whole lot of frustration underwater.