I finally chose Kirby Morgan over a lightweight bandmask for deep stuff

I spent about 6 months going back and forth between my old Kirby Morgan and one of those lightweight bandmasks for deeper work below 100 feet. Everyone kept telling me the bandmask was the future and so much easier to move around in. So I rented one for a week on a job near Port Fourchon to really test it out. Man, after three days I switched back to my KM. The bandmask was fine for light work but the coms quality was worse and my ears felt weird on the ascent. I guess I stick with what I know works especially when the job pays per dive. Has anyone else tried both and landed on one?

2 comments

2 Comments

elliot_king10d ago

Ha, wait til you have to fix a bandmask coms midshift. Nightmare fuel.

-1

patricia_lee10d ago

Have you tried keeping a spare cable tie on your wrist for exactly this kind of thing? I learned that the hard way after spending twenty minutes in the dark trying to rethread a busted earpiece. Honestly, half the time it's just the connector pin getting bent, so I always carry a little multitool now too. If you can't fix it quick, sometimes just swapping the mic side with a backup is faster than actually repairing it. I mean, it's still a nightmare, but at least you're not crawling around on the floor for an hour.