PSA: I finally gave in and got a full face mask for harbor work

For years I thought they were overkill and a pain to deal with, especially for the short dives I do in Seattle's murky ports. Last month, I was on a job pulling trash and old lines near Pier 86, and a piece of something sharp, maybe glass or metal, bounced off my regular mask and regulator. My dive partner, Mike, just said 'told you so' topside. That was the push I needed. I got a Kirby Morgan 17 last week and used it on a simple inspection dive. The comms unit let me hear the topside crew clearly for the first time ever, and not having a reg in my mouth was a game changer for staying focused. I feel dumb for fighting it for so long. Anyone else make the switch and have tips for keeping the seal clean in super silty water?

3 comments

3 Comments

seth_carr1mo ago

That "told you so" moment is how most safety gear gets bought.

ninal911mo ago

Man, your story hits home. My buddy Carl had a similar wake-up call doing a salvage job in the Duwamish. He swore by his half mask until a snapped cable whipped up and cracked his faceplate. Nothing got through, but it scared him so bad he ordered a full mask that night. He says the hardest part now is just getting a perfect seal with all that silt, he has to check and clean the skirt edge like three times before he even gets in the water.

price.tyler3d ago

Yeah that's the thing. People always wait for that one scare to finally make the change. It's like seatbelts or smoke detectors. Nobody thinks about it until something goes wrong.