Impressions: The Triptych

(In Lake Steinberger See, BY/D)

The three shots combined in this triptych were taken by Peter von der Sitt and Marco Sattler from Sporttaucher Schwandorf during our New Year's Eve dive gathering at Steinberger See (BY/D). I then took some time to play around with the famous Gimp image tool in order to learn some new photo editing tricks. For instance, making silhouettes to separate image parts from the backdrop, blurring and adjusting the colors of the background, seamless blending, as well as some more small tricks.

Okay, psychologists (even those working in kitchens) may now analyze as they feel an urgent need. Yet the simple truth is: having extensensively come into contact with the museum landscape in Cologne (and they have a giant amount of middle age sacral art for sure) this is just a natural type of picture composition after all...

Impressions

Now that there are a few nice impressions about diving with full face masks are hidden inside my blog here it is: my highly subjective and not seriously meant «best of». As an additional bonus you get some background stories about how the shots were taken.

Enjoy!

And now for the impressions...

Xmas Specialty

Fishy Xmas.

Now that Christmas got rather wet I was in need of the proper specialty certification card in the true spirit of fishy Xmas. And in contrast to the media ignorants from C*M*A*S*H we here at PAYDI also have a proper, erm, «teaching» video. So enjoy audio-visual learning!

Xmas Specialty (watch on YouTube)

PS: Special thanks go to Adrian Uecker, the son of a very best friend of mine. He contributed this really beautiful and very appropriate work of art. When I saw it I knew immediately that my quest for a suitable motif had come to an end. It was completely clear what I had to put on that specialty card.

Tech Diver Specialty

Only for real Tekkis: the Tech Driver card.

For a long time I mulled over the question what all the tech divers actually do while they are on their long and deep dives. Just starring into a filthy nothing surely doesn't cut the mustard, right?!

Since this weekend I'm wiser: all those girls and boys just step into the waters, packed with their bottle collections, because they don't want to be seen totally immersed into playing with technical toys. So that's the reason for all those difficult to reach playing grounds!

No wonder that this specialty is met with so much broad interest. And all the dive organizations won't like to be late to this game... oh, does someone knows a lake with a bunch of Star Wars figurines and a Death Star, per chance??

Murner See UW Landscape and Life (Video)

Murner See UW Landscape and Life (watch on YouTube)

Full Face Mask Quick Removal

Source: German SCUBA diving magazine unterwasser 9/11, p. 98, story entitled «Vollgesichtsmasken [sic!] ‒ voll normal?» [«full face masks ‒ fully normal?», my translation].

In this blog article, I'm citing a checklist for full face masks from this story («Checkliste Vollgesichtsmaske» [sic!]), page 100, item #5, most important skills («5. Die wichtigsten Fähigkeiten»):

«Ablegen der Vollgesichtsmaske [sic!] im Panikmodus (geht ein einfaches Wegdrücken vom Gesicht oder muss man eine Vorrichtung (Bänder, Griffe etc) benutzen?»

[«removing the full face mask in panic mode (does a simple push-away from the face works or does one must use an apparatus (straps, handles etc)?», my humble translation, same errors as in German original]

Now, what is a «panic mode» in the context of handling a full face mask? Unfortunately, the magazine story from unterwasser never cares to explain this term. Maybe this «panic mode» is simply an awkward phrase coined by the story writer for an emergency situation under water? A situation which requires quick and straightforward reaction, but also advisedly handling? Where the equipment must not get into your way so you can safely mitigate the problem and situation?

In Good Sight the Mask Sight Is Top

What should I (as a SCUBA diver) think of test reports about full face masks in typical SCUBA diving magazines?

Source: test report «Ocean Reef im »Maskentest«» [«Ocean Reef in mask test»], published in SCUBA diving magazine tauchen 9/11, pp. 102:

«Bei guter Sicht, im klaren Wasser ist die Maske auch von der Sicht her top.»

[«In good sight, in clear water, the mask is also top when it comes to the sight.», my humble translation.]

No, I'm not making this up. Believe me.

Otherwise, this magazine test report lacks any rating with respect to the (Ocean Reefs) mask's performance under the usual bad sight conditions as found in our inshore cold and filthy lakes. Interestingly, the report really extensively describes the problem of distracting mask reflections under bad sighting conditions. Yet it avoids any performance remark like fleeing the devil. Thus, there is no concrete evaluation of the Ocean Reef full face mask in such bad sight conditions. I really read the test report many, many times; over and over again. But there's not even a single word about the Ocean Reef's mask performance.

To be fair, we should assume that the author of this test never had the chance to actually test this full face mask in real, open water conditions in a typical coldwater lake, such as Happurger Baggersee or Steinberger See. And thus the author simply cannot pen down and publish any real-world results in this respect.

Personally, I would like to vote for this test report to be awarded by tauchen itself this very year! Don't know the category, but I'm sure, tauchen could create a suitable new one, if necessary. After all, they are coming with all trades of award categories, so why not for the most, um, unordinary test report? So, where can I report this brilliant report for the Pulitzer?

Full Face Mask-Integrated Lamp

Am I brilliant?!
Source: supplementary
download to German SCUBA
magazine tauchen 09/11

«Am I looking blindingly brilliant, or what?!»

What might be intented as a joke my turn deadly serious in diving. But first things first...

In its accessory sortiment one manufacturer of full face masks offers a mask-integrated LED lamp. Does this make sense? At first glance, this seems to be an interesting idea: use the head space to built in a lamp.

»Mask Test«

To cite the title of a test report from the German SACUBA diving magazine tauchen 9/11, pp. 102:

«[...] im »Maskentest«»

[«... in »mask test«», my humble translation]

I double checked it: they really put the term «mask test» in quotes. That's really unusual and thus remarkable. Did someone here wanted to distance himself/herself from this «mask test»? Why should someone with tauchen surround the term «mask test» with (french) quotes? This term is fine, no need for quotes ... except if there should be a problem with the test as such, per chance?

On a sidenote, the proper standardized German term for a full face mask is «Vollmaske» (literally: «full mask») and not «Vollgesichtsmaske», this being a direct translation from the English term «full face mask». So I could immediately understand if tauchen would start to surround the term Vollgesichtsmaske with quotes instead ... but that's a different story.

Please Stop Breathing ... (Almost)

So what is the luxurious design of a full face mask worth? Worth when in case of an emergency situation under water, such as excess air in the legs of a dry suit I need to take care first of my free flowing full face mask instead of the main problem concerning my buoyancy getting out of control?

Ocean Reef Free Flows in Head Down Under Position

Source: Ocean Reef: PADI SPECIALTY COURSE IDM Instructor Guide

In this instructor guide Ocean Reef informs divers using its full face masks that these masks my start to free flow in a head down under position. And that divers need to adjust the exhaust valve, adjust the reg, and finally also adjust their breathing. Quite some things to adjust.

Peak Performance Idleness Specialty

And you thought that you got all the specialties available? Even the specialties specialty? Oh well, but then you still miss this one! At least it's a specialty card that's not so, um, static anymore... ;)

Scubapro Full Face Mask

In Brief

Scubapro full face mask, front view

Faceplate	flat, with protective frame
	tempered glass
Mask frame/ soft body	opaque
Respiration	mouth
Head harness/ spider	5 straps
Quick removal
Pressure equalization	flexible nose section
Defogging	same as half mask
Purging	additional purge valve
Surface valve	yes
2nd stage	screw coupling and adaptor; almost every 2nd stage as long as it mechanically fits
Redundancy	additional backup 2nd stage; shutoff?
1st stage	suitable for particular 2nd stage
Communication	optional

Cressi Full Face Mask

In Brief

Italian Classics: Cressi full face mask & clones

Faceplate/visor	flat, with protective frame
	tempered glass
Mask frame/soft body	opaque
Respiration	mouth
Head harness/spider	3 straps
Quick release
Pressure equalization	flexible nose section
Defogging	same as half mask
Purging
Surface valve	no
2nd stage	fixed or optionally fixed/removable; almost every 2nd stage as long as it mechanically fits
Redundancy	when 2nd stage is removable
1st stage	suitable for particular 2nd stage
Communication	no

Nitrogen Specialty

Everyone's a nitrogen expert!

Imagine this! Each ordinary air tank filling consists of almost 80% pure nitrogen. So, as there is so much of it in each tank ... shouldn't each one of you also be a nitrogen expert for safety reasons?!

Thanks to the absolutely fabulous PAYDI this is no more an issue. Thanks to all those blabla-aware projects, we are now able to train you to become a nitrogen expert.

And after the show, pardon, training, you can easily show off your newly earned ignorance to all your wannabe friends with this card. Acquiring knowledge cards is really so easy in the age of credit cards.

PS: Many thanks to Ludwig Nachtmann for this shot he did near Île d'Or next to Le Dramont (83/F).