The things the dive instructor forgets to mention!
The Question:
I have issues with my hair getting caught in the mask strap! What a hassle! Any suggestions?
The Question:
I have issues with my hair getting caught in the mask strap! What a hassle! Any suggestions?
The Answer:
While shore diving south of Newport Beach, I watched a woman diver standing knee deep in the surf, trying to get her hair untangled from her snorkel while her husband/dive buddy fussed about how long it was taking her to get in the water. He was trying to help her, but it was obvious she was a newbie and was getting stressed by the whole thing. I waded out with an elastic hair tie and a bandana and saved the day.
If you have trouble with your hair getting caught in the mask strap, and shaving your head is not a viable option, here’s my solution in three easy steps.
1. Tie your hair back in a pony tail with an elastic hair tie. Make sure it is higher, or lower, than where your mask strap sits.
2. To keep all the loose hair around your face from getting tangled in your mask, I wear a bandana tied like a headband - folded about 3 inches wide and tied tight at the base of my skull. I usually get it wet first for the best fit. This works for men and women, long and short hair. It keeps all the gear by your temples - snorkel holder, mask strap adjusters, mask hinges and unsecured strap ends - from getting caught in the wispys around your face that tend to float free underwater.
3. Unless you do have a shaved head, make sure you have a cover over the back of the mask strap - the neoprene almond shaped ones that most dive shops and sporting goods stores sell work fine. This keeps the strap from ripping the hair out of your head when you put your mask on or take it off.
I experimented with a number of different solutions before I settled on this combo. I tried stretch headbands of various widths, French braids, and wearing bandanas in an assortment of ways. I even tried a racing type latex swim cap, but when I ascended, the air inside expanded and I had a balloon conehead before it built up enough pressure to shoot off my head like an air propelled rocket. Yea, my dive buddy laughed, too.
So try these solutions to keep your hair, and your dignity, intact.
Spreading the word,
The Bandanavangelist
While shore diving south of Newport Beach, I watched a woman diver standing knee deep in the surf, trying to get her hair untangled from her snorkel while her husband/dive buddy fussed about how long it was taking her to get in the water. He was trying to help her, but it was obvious she was a newbie and was getting stressed by the whole thing. I waded out with an elastic hair tie and a bandana and saved the day.
If you have trouble with your hair getting caught in the mask strap, and shaving your head is not a viable option, here’s my solution in three easy steps.
1. Tie your hair back in a pony tail with an elastic hair tie. Make sure it is higher, or lower, than where your mask strap sits.
2. To keep all the loose hair around your face from getting tangled in your mask, I wear a bandana tied like a headband - folded about 3 inches wide and tied tight at the base of my skull. I usually get it wet first for the best fit. This works for men and women, long and short hair. It keeps all the gear by your temples - snorkel holder, mask strap adjusters, mask hinges and unsecured strap ends - from getting caught in the wispys around your face that tend to float free underwater.
3. Unless you do have a shaved head, make sure you have a cover over the back of the mask strap - the neoprene almond shaped ones that most dive shops and sporting goods stores sell work fine. This keeps the strap from ripping the hair out of your head when you put your mask on or take it off.
I experimented with a number of different solutions before I settled on this combo. I tried stretch headbands of various widths, French braids, and wearing bandanas in an assortment of ways. I even tried a racing type latex swim cap, but when I ascended, the air inside expanded and I had a balloon conehead before it built up enough pressure to shoot off my head like an air propelled rocket. Yea, my dive buddy laughed, too.
So try these solutions to keep your hair, and your dignity, intact.
Spreading the word,
The Bandanavangelist
