First time out with my new gear- Questions about weight and my mask.

I used my new freediving gear for the first time today in freshwater.  My gear worked great with the exception of my mask.  I have the Sporasub Samurai low volume mask.  I could not get the mask to seal well against my face.  I made sure my hood was not interfering with the seal and even tried cinching the mask strap way down.  When I tightened the strap way down the hard plastic on the mask pressed hard against my face and caused me pain.  Do I need a different mask?   My other question is about weight.  I was using 22lbs in freshwater today and it seemed just right.  I was positivley bouyant above 15 feet or so.  About how much weight am I going to need to add when I go to saltwater?  I want to head to the ocean in 2 weeks if the conditions are good.  Hopefully I can tag along with someone else. 

I'd say not to add any weight, but bring along 3# just in case.  You want to be extra bouyant while you're learning, then work your way down once you are comfortable.   There can be lots of awkward moments working with gear, ect, and you want to float well enough that you aren't spluttering around. 

The ocean tends to be a fair amount rougher than a lake, and you'll need a bit of extra bouyancy to keep you at the surface when wind waves and swells go by.

Regarding the mask, you might need a different mask.  Different masks fit people differently.  I traded with a buddy last weekend because his dry snorkel came ungasketed and that stupid mask squirted saltwater directly into both eyes about 8' down on every dive unless I made a serious concious effort to keep positive pressure in the mask through my nose.  Man that sucked...

Travis,
The best way to test a mask is to hold it to your face without the strap; inhale through your nose constantly and let go of the mask. It should stay firmly in place with constant suction from your nose without inhaling any extra air from the sides. Shake your head a bit side to side while you are doing this. If it stays in place then this is your mask.
A mask is like any gasket, tighten it too much and it won't perform well. If you can stand the cold, depending on where you were diving, put the mask on without a hood. Go deep enough to where the water is just over your head and play with the mask to see what works best. Start with it as loose as possible but still allowing a decent seal, then come up and tighten it one notch, then try again.
Make sure there is not a crease anywhere along the sides from storage.
If you feel like driving to Placerville this weekend feel free to come on over. I have several different masks you could try to see what works best for you. Plus trying them out in a hot tub is a lot easier than a ccccold lake.
Also if you wanted to do anything to your kayak I have a full shop with everything you need. A lot of lakes nearby too.

Make sure you shave the area under your nose where the mask seals against your upper lip.  I've had masks that just will not seal there even with a day's beard growth. If that doesn't work just try a different mask.

if your samurai mask is not sealing right is it when you are making facial expressions underwater like taking in a lot of air and having puffed cheeks or is it when you are relaxed? another thing is to make sure the strap is not too tight as this is one main cause of leaky masks. the strap is basically there to hold it on your face and not to be torqued down too tight and make it seal. also be sure to compensate with air as you dive down so the mask does not squeeze and distort on your face and lift an edge. this will also cause a leak.

this is how i do it:

go to water
put mask on face
put strap over head (not tight, just comfortable, dont want to feel this part)
before diving down, puff some air into the mask
while diving down allow some air to enter the mask to compensate for squeeze

dont forget to avoid smiling at fish and friends while down there, that can also cause a leak.

samurai mask is a good mask and nice that its real low volume however the edge and skirt of the mask is thin and not a lot of surface area. once you gte a system down it will be great. i know a lot of guys who really love the mask. the omer abyss is basically the same mask and my wife loves it.

i have bad eyes and use a generic mask with a seatec black skirt with prescription lenses. not really low volume but i can see something sometimes. my eyes are pretty bad.

as for weighting yourself, if you were good in freshwater you might try adding a couple pounds of weight for starters. if you are going deeper you'll want to add even less weight. because you dont want to fight negative bouyancy if you are down deeper. its a real workout coming back up. when you get the jacknife down and start your dive properly you can dive with even less weight and be more comfortable. or even try the freshwater weight in the ocean. when you start the dive jacknife and kick only when your fins have completely descended below the surface. you might be surprised that that is all the weight you'll need. then when you get to the bottom , do your hunting and are returning to the surface you can clasp your hands together and streamline your body and you'll just float up with not much effort. only increase the weight if you are fighting to get underwater or your legs are floating when finning at the surface. creating a lot of splashing.

john

Thanks for the input guys, I think I will try to loosen my mask strap first.  I had it pretty damn tight