Airway Control - Fog issues

[Diver0001]

Wear my mask at home while watching a 1 hour tv show. Practice airway control to see if I can keep my mask from fogging.


Suggestions please?

That's not a bad idea. Try visualization too. Pretend/visualize that you have a bad cold and your nose is stuffed up to the point that you can't breathe through it. You've probably had a cold like that in the past so draw on that experience.

Then give it time.

R..

 

[t-mac]

I don't think your fogging issue is related. As others suggested, you need to scrub the film off with toothpaste or the more expensive stuff. Then use some defogger and you'll be fine. I do the same thing as you and as long as I do this I'm fine if I scrub a new mask we'll.

 

[RJP]

I don't think your fogging issue is related. As others suggested, you need to scrub the film off with toothpaste...

1.) Scrub is the operative term - rub the hell out it, use lots of pressure, like you're trying to scrub something off the lens (you are)
2.) Use white paste-type - the colored gels just don't work as well
3.) Do the this SEVERAL times - once is not enough

 

[ADeadlierSnake]

1.) Scrub is the operative term - rub the hell out it, use lots of pressure, like you're trying to scrub something off the lens (you are)
2.) Use white paste-type - the colored gels just don't work as well
3.) Do the this SEVERAL times - once is not enough

You can also burn it off with a lighter

 

[g1138]

Close your soft palate and that will solve your issue right quick.

A bit of an anatomy lesson. The Soft Palate is the valve up and behind your Uvula, the dangly thing at the back of your throat. The soft palate closes off the airway between our nose and your throat. Your Epiglottis is the valve that holds your breath, located between your adams apple and lungs.

Having independent control over both will solve your nose breathing issue, and can eventually become second nature. IE you'll just naturally close the soft palate up when you want to keep air from escaping your nose, or when you don't want to inhale through your nose.



To accomplish this, follow this 2 part exercise.
Cover your mouth with your hand and breath out your mouth alone. You should be preventing this with your hand; no air should be coming from your nose (this means your soft palate is closed).
Quickly release your hand and air should escape immediately from your lungs. If it doesn't it means you were holding your breath (epiglottis was closed). Repeat until you get it right.

Part 2 of the exercise. Repeat, hand over your mouth, breath out, but prevent air from escaping.
Now with your hand still covering, and you still trying to breath out your mouth alone, quickly change to allow air to escape from your nose. You should feel a jolt up and behind your uvula. This is the soft palate opening and fluttering as air rushes past it. Your soft palate opens towards into your throat, which is the reason for the jolting feeling.

If there's no jolt, it means you held your breath (closed your epiglottis) then opened you soft palate and epiglottis at the same time. Remember you're shooting for independent control, so try again.

If you can do part 1 & 2 right, then quickly alternate between the two. You now have independent control of both your soft palate and epiglottis.
Now you can focus on which valve you want closed when you're in the water.

 

[Robert Gillcash]

When you are scubbing your mask, even with toothpaste, do it for at least 15 minutes. When the paste dries a bit put a few more drops of water in and keep going.
I tell all my students this and it's now a rare occurance when one of them manages to fog up - and then they admit they didn't do the toothpaste thing!
With this, and a spit and a quick - really quick, don't leave the mask in the water for longer than it takes to get water in and water out, don't let it sit inside.
And yeah, you gotta do this before every dive.

 

[TMHeimer]

Close your soft palate and that will solve your issue right quick.

A bit of an anatomy lesson. The Soft Palate is the valve up and behind your Uvula, the dangly thing at the back of your throat. The soft palate closes off the airway between our nose and your throat. Your Epiglottis is the valve that holds your breath, located between your adams apple and lungs.

Having independent control over both will solve your nose breathing issue, and can eventually become second nature. IE you'll just naturally close the soft palate up when you want to keep air from escaping your nose, or when you don't want to inhale through your nose.



To accomplish this, follow this 2 part exercise.
Cover your mouth with your hand and breath out your mouth alone. You should be preventing this with your hand; no air should be coming from your nose (this means your soft palate is closed).
Quickly release your hand and air should escape immediately from your lungs. If it doesn't it means you were holding your breath (epiglottis was closed). Repeat until you get it right.

Part 2 of the exercise. Repeat, hand over your mouth, breath out, but prevent air from escaping.
Now with your hand still covering, and you still trying to breath out your mouth alone, quickly change to allow air to escape from your nose. You should feel a jolt up and behind your uvula. This is the soft palate opening and fluttering as air rushes past it. Your soft palate opens towards into your throat, which is the reason for the jolting feeling.

If there's no jolt, it means you held your breath (closed your epiglottis) then opened you soft palate and epiglottis at the same time. Remember you're shooting for independent control, so try again.

If you can do part 1 & 2 right, then quickly alternate between the two. You now have independent control of both your soft palate and epiglottis.
Now you can focus on which valve you want closed when you're in the water.

Fantastic! Do exactly what this says! g1138: Thanks for putting it a little better than my "close that thingy in there somewhere" advice.

 

[RJP]

Close your soft palate and that will solve your issue right quick.

A bit of an anatomy lesson. The Soft Palate is the valve up and behind your Uvula, the dangly thing at the back of your throat. The soft palate closes off the airway between our nose and your throat. Your Epiglottis is the valve that holds your breath, located between your adams apple and lungs.

Having independent control over both will solve your nose breathing issue, and can eventually become second nature. IE you'll just naturally close the soft palate up when you want to keep air from escaping your nose, or when you don't want to inhale through your nose.



To accomplish this, follow this 2 part exercise.
Cover your mouth with your hand and breath out your mouth alone. You should be preventing this with your hand; no air should be coming from your nose (this means your soft palate is closed).
Quickly release your hand and air should escape immediately from your lungs. If it doesn't it means you were holding your breath (epiglottis was closed). Repeat until you get it right.

Part 2 of the exercise. Repeat, hand over your mouth, breath out, but prevent air from escaping.
Now with your hand still covering, and you still trying to breath out your mouth alone, quickly change to allow air to escape from your nose. You should feel a jolt up and behind your uvula. This is the soft palate opening and fluttering as air rushes past it. Your soft palate opens towards into your throat, which is the reason for the jolting feeling.

If there's no jolt, it means you held your breath (closed your epiglottis) then opened you soft palate and epiglottis at the same time. Remember you're shooting for independent control, so try again.

If you can do part 1 & 2 right, then quickly alternate between the two. You now have independent control of both your soft palate and epiglottis.
Now you can focus on which valve you want closed when you're in the water.

Or, a simpler way to think about it that I once heard and tell students all the time. It seems to work:

Breathe in like your are eating hot soup, breathe out like you are blowing out birthday candles. You don't use your nose for either of these two things. (And if you do, I'll pass on having a piece of your birthday cake!)

 

[g1138]

Or, a simpler way to think about it that I once heard and tell students all the time. It seems to work:

Breathe in like your are eating hot soup, breathe out like you are blowing out birthday candles. You don't use your nose for either of these two things. (And if you do, I'll pass on having a piece of your birthday cake!)

Well you can actually breath out both your mouth and nose simultaneously, which is what some nose breathers have a problem with. So enjoy that birthday cake.