total noob question....hood/mask fit

[Anita Blake]

Ok I've bought my kit, doing my OW on Saturday, tried my kit on at home last night...

The face gap in the hood is too small for my mask, which I assume means the mask won't seal and will leak? I don't want to leave this until I go on Saturday as we are supposed to be straight in the water.

I can cope with looking like a demented spiderman, but a leaking mask? no! Can you give some advice please.

[Kirstie]

Trim the hole in the hood a bit until your mask fits comfortably and you can get your reg in your mouth without having to pull the hood down.

[David]

scissors :-)

its ok to cut the hole the right shape :-)

[ShinyD]

If it's just the 'skirt' of the mask (the bit that makes contact with your face and forms the seal) that's sitting on the edges of the hood then you don't have to trim your hood. I don't like hacking away at new kit with sharp edged objects

I've just got in the habit of running my finger around the edge of my hood and flipping the edge over the mask skirt. It's not that uncommon a practice.

You do, of course, have to practice mask removal/refitting with the hood in place to get into the habit of doing it in all situations...

Best of luck with the OW Anita - let us know how it goes

[Edit] I should point out (before it's done for me!) that this does add extra task loading should your mask become dislodged, but if practiced enough it should become automatic. I've done all my mask removal/replacement skills with a hood on and I practice it regularly in both pool and open water...

[celeronmanuk]

I like my hood overlapping my mask skirt. Else i'd get cold, brrrr!

[ShinyD]

Originally Posted by celeronmanuk

I like my hood overlapping my mask skirt. Else i'd get cold, brrrr!

Yup! Forgot to mention that! It does keep the cold water at bay

[al kennedy]

if you do cut, cut little by little, don't try to do it in one trim as you can't put it back if you take too much off! a little bit of overlap isn't too bad around the mask, as it'll reduce water flushing around your head and 'ice cream' headaches.

you may also want to check the hood fit when you have a reg in your mouth, i've had to trim two hoods cos they overlapped my mouth and made it very uncomfortable to hold the reg in. i cut mine so that the edge of the hood is just below my chin. i've seen others cut just a small semicircle out below their mouth (approx 2 inches across) so that the hood covers the lower bit of their face but doesn't interfere with the mouthpiece.

[Ding Dang Doo]

Best of luck with the OW on Saturday Anita!

I too run my finger around the edge of the hole whilst pulling the hood away from the mask.

Practise out of the water, so when you do your mask removal underwater, it'll be second nature to do it.

Let us know how you get on.

Pete

[Anita Blake]

Originally Posted by ShinyD

If it's just the 'skirt' of the mask (the bit that makes contact with your face and forms the seal) that's sitting on the edges of the hood then you don't have to trim your hood. I don't like hacking away at new kit with sharp edged objects

I've just got in the habit of running my finger around the edge of my hood and flipping the edge over the mask skirt. It's not that uncommon a practice.

Of course you wouldn't want to spoil your shiny new kit, Dave...and neither do I!

Thanks for the advice, it's easy to feel a complete prat when you are new to this!

I'm off to practice (in the privacy of my own bedroom) and see how I get on. Thanks guys!

[nigelH]

Originally Posted by Anita Blake

The face gap in the hood is too small for my mask, which I assume means the mask won't seal and will leak? I don't want to leave this until I go on Saturday as we are supposed to be straight in the water.

That's it. That's how they're supposed to be.
Put on the hood. Put the mask on and pull the hood out of the way so it goes 'inside'. You want as much hood as possible.

If you need to do a total mask remove make sure the strap is in away from your face so you can use your other hand to push the hood back. Once the mask seals pull the strap over your head. Some people wear the strap under the hood but that's not to my personal taste as I feel more water sneaking in that way but it might suit you.