Clearing Mask Question

[H2odiving]

Hi
I am one open water dive in to completing my OW diving certification. One of the major problems I am having is clearing my mask. It takes 2-3 tries and then it just fogs up as I am clearing it. I don't mind having to clear it so many times, but I hate the fogging. I was reading up on some threads that discussed fogging and one of the things mentioned is don't breathe through your nose. Well how do you clear your mask without breathing through your nose? Also, how do you equalize your mask without breathing through your nose? It is just so frustrating because after clearing or equalizing my mask, I spend the rest of the dive in a fog. I will try all the cleaning advice with toothpaste, mildly abrasive cleaners, etc but, I don't know if any of this will help as long as I have to blow so hard and so many times to clear my mask. Does anyone have any suggestions? Is this a normal occurrence?

 

[swmarc]

buy some anti-fog its pretty cheap and available on ebay. I have problems with fogging as well even sunglasses I wear fog up.

 

[Dive Junky]

Use a little baby shampoo as mask de-fogger. Works great.

 

[The Kraken]

It's not really baby shampoo, it called "Kraken Spit", but some sod stole the mixture and started selling as Johnson and Johnson's Baby Shampoo !!!!

Before your dive smear some on the inside of your mask and let it dry. Just before you dive, swirl some water around in the mask, but not so vigorously that you wash it all off.

Should last for a couple of dives.

In clearing your mask, remember, it doesn't take a lot of air to purge the mask.

You don't have to blow out 5 gallons of snot to clear your mask. Next time you practice it, do it as slowly as you can and you'll see how little effort and air it takes to clear.

Welcome to ScubaBoard and to the diving world.

As always . . .

Safe dives . . . . . . . . .
. . . and safer ascents !

the K

 

[kdove]

Once you get comfortable clearing your mask, if it starts fogging you can intentionally partially flood it...(you only need to let a very small amount of water in)
I do this, then tip my chin up and down once to "clean" the mask w/ water, and then clear it again. Seems to work for me. The de-fog or a healthy dose of pre-dive spit will work wonders too! I've found that after rinsing out the spit or de-fog it is best to leave some water in your mask until right before you put it on. After it is on your face don't exhale through your nose on the surface.

 

[spectrum]

H2odiving,

Yes you will be blowing air into your mask when clearing it but that should be very infrequent.

When you clear you ears you will usually pinch your nose and apply air pressure to your ears.

You will exhale slightly with your nose to alleviate mask squeeze if it occurs.

None of these should represent enough humidity to cause a problem with a correctly prepared mask. Be sure to read about cleaning, testing and defogging here.

If you are flooding your mask a lot in cold water while training you may eventually rinse the defog away and get some fog. This will not be a problem when left alone to really dive once certified.

Pete

 

[pir8]

Tricks for defog:
Start with a dry mask
You don't need a lot of the stuff
really rub it in
don't rinse it all out when yyou do rinse the mask.

 

[diveprof]

Did you clean your mask before use? Some new lenses have silicone on them. First, use a mask cleaner or toothpaste (not gel, but the regular stuff). Rub in and RINSE WELL. A good cleaning is important.Then use a defog. I'm partial to Seadrops now, but there are other ones out there including J&J baby shampoo. Still, I like sea drops better, but that's just me. Heck, my local dive shop sells it for next to nothing and it last for years... Folks get real crazy with their mask clearing. The "duh" moment when looking upward works well (when looking upward, press on the upper frame of your mask in the middle - the duh part- while exhaling). Works great. Blondes seem to have this process down better (hope my blonde wife isn't reading this)

 

[fisheater]

Yeah. What the diveprof said.

It's REALLY important to do that initial cleaning well. Take your time and get all that crud off of your lenses.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Also take a look at your mask clearing technique. It should take no more than 1/4 breath and less than 3 seconds to clear a fully flooded mask with proper technique. Ask your instructor or one of the DM's to watch and see what the problem is. Then have them help you correct it.