Loading…
9
My Kirby Morgan band mask failed at 40 feet last Tuesday
I was doing a pipeline inspection off the coast near Galveston when my exhaust valve just stopped working. Water started seeping in around the face seal and I had to abort the dive in under 2 minutes. Turned out a tiny piece of grit had lodged in the valve seat. Has anyone else had this happen with the band masks or am I just unlucky?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
xena_fisher493mo ago
I used to think the band masks were bulletproof until I picked up a speck of sand in my exhaust valve at 55 feet near Port Fourchon. @patb86's experience is exactly what happened to me, and after that I started doing a full valve flush on the surface before every single dive.
4
patb863mo ago
Had that happen with my old KM Bandmask off the coast of Louisiana a few years back, same exact thing. Little fleck of sand jammed the exhaust valve and I got a face full of water at around 30 feet. Totally threw me off for a second, heart rate shot up. I actually switched to a different brand after that, one with a simpler valve system that's easier to flush out on the surface. But yeah, you're not alone, those tiny bits of grit are a real pain in the neck.
1