The
"MOTH" conspiracy Mask
On
The
Head
I have asked this question to many students and instructors alike, and have always gotten tons of different answers. When I took my initial dive training as a college coarse back in 1993, my dive instructor told us to never rest our mask on our head while on the surface, as it was the -
"International Sign on Stress and Panic" If caught doing this absolutely tabo act, we would be fined a 6 pack of his favorite beverage. If I remember correctly, I donated at least a case of Corona before completing my training.
My Instructor said
"This punishment is for your own good. Out in the Open Water, if someone see's you with your mask on your head, they will think your in trouble and jump in and try to save you. Because he was our instructor and we trusted his words, I never doubted him. I went on to become a Dive Instructor and taught my students the same thing for several years.
I do wonder though, is this right? Or is this just all a conspiracy to keep the dive shops fridge full of beer?
I can tell you, from my real world experience over the last ten years as a dive professional, I have seen two actual panic situations on the surface, and both times, both divers ditched their masks completely! Gone, to the bottom!
As well, I have seen hundreds of divers resting on the surface with their masks on their heads and
NEVER, NOT ONCE, SERIOUSLY THOUGHT THAT PERSON WAS IN TROUBLE. So, this got me to thinking, where did this all come from?
I looked back through my open water book, my advanced books, my rescue book, and my instructor materials, and couldn't find anything that said we should be teaching this to our students.
The closest thing I could find was that the mask on top of the head could be an indicator that the diver is feeling stressed. On the other hand, it could just mean the diver is completely comfortable to.
So, I'm interested in what you all really think!
International Sign of Panic
or
Conspiracy -to keep the fridge full of beer