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Switched to a full face mask on a shallow harbor job and came up with a headache I did not expect
I mostly do shallow harbor work around Baltimore, usually 20 to 30 feet, and I have been diving a standard hard hat with a band mask for years. Two weeks ago I picked up a full face mask to try on a dock inspection, thinking it would be easier on my jaw and keep the water off my face in the cold. The first 40 minutes felt great, but by the time I came up I had a dull headache behind my eyes and felt worn out, which never happens on a job that shallow. I checked the exhaust valve and the regulator, and the mask has no real problem I can find. My guess is I was fighting the mask seal more than I noticed, or my neck was at a bad angle because the mask sits further off my face. I went back to the band mask the next day and felt fine, so I do not think it is a pressure or health thing. Has anyone else had a full face mask leave them with a headache on shallow work, and did swapping the lens or adjusting the strap angle fix it?
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willowr964h ago
That bit about "fighting the mask seal more than I noticed" tracks with something I read from a dive medic a while back, that jaw clenching and holding your head stiff against a mask can give you that behind-the-eyes ache even at 20 feet. The full face mask sits further out, so your head has to work harder to stay level, and the strap angle can pull your neck forward without you feeling it in the moment. Worth trying a different lens angle or loosening the straps a touch, since most of the time it's posture and strap pull, not the valve.
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