200 commercial dives logged in the Gulf and I'm just now noticing something weird

I hit my 200th dive off Port Fourchon last week and realized I've been over-tightening my mask strap the whole time. Been getting headaches for months and it was just from smashing the rubber seal too hard. Has anyone else found a little tweak like this that made a big difference?

2 comments

2 Comments

johnson.eva15d ago

That "smashing the rubber seal" comment hit home for me. I used to crank mine down super tight too until I realized it was just pushing water into my ears instead of keeping it out. Loosening it by just one notch fixed my ear pain completely and I could finally equalize without fighting the strap. Little things like that make all the difference, especially on long days.

thomas.river14d ago

Three months of ear infections before I figured that out... felt like such an idiot when just backing off the strap by two clicks fixed everything. Glad you found the sweet spot too, makes those eight hour dives way more bearable.