Breathing without a mask on.

[mattengstrom]

Tip your head to one side when you're doing this, like a dog cocking its head when it's listening to something. That way, if you exhale through your regulator, the exhaust will go up the side of your head instead of up into your nose.

It's the exhaust bubbles hitting into your nose that causes that tickly feeling and the reflex to breathe in.

 

[Grajan]

You need to point 'below_sea_level' at your mask clearing technique message (or republish it here).

My wife Janaki simply could NOT do this. The attachment is her after only two sessions of the "Walter technique".

Awesome.

 

[Walter]

......for those interested, it's the 3rd post in this thread.

 

[Finnatic]

I'm sorry if it wasn't clear.

Pappy asked why people come to this board for help when they should have obtained help from their instructors.

My answer is the vast majority of SCUBA instructors are doing their best to give that help. There are some who, frankly, don't care. Unfortunately, most SCUBA instructors don't know how to effectively teach people to dive. Some don't have the right makeup and will never be good instructors. A good deal of them could be good if they'd learn how to teach and then teach the basics they currently leave out of their classes. Simply put, the vast majority of SCUBA instructors are incompetent.

I hope that clears it up. [/Qote]

My instructor falls into this category. We chose the shop because it was the closest to us. Since we both work, we chose to avoid driving 1.5 hrs after work twice a week to (what we know now) was a superior class. BIG mistake. I could go on a serious rant here about the class (circus?), but what is done is done. If anyone out there is thinking about taking a class, please do your homework and interview as many instructors in your area as possible. Ask yourself if you want to be certified or if you want to be a DIVER. We now gladly drive the 1.5 hrs for ANY dving related need so as to avoid ever stepping a toe into that shop
again.

 

[delco]

I had the EXACT same problem in my first confined water dive (in the pool) and was so scared to go back for day two because of it. But, I sucked it up and went anyways. The thing that helped me was this....once you take your mask off, put your head down (this keeps the water from getting in your nose) and concentrate on breathing through your mouth. If you find yourself starting to choke, hold your nose for a second so you can catch your breath (remember you have a regulator to breathe). Then, let go and continue to breathe through your mouth. Keep doing this until you can easily do it without holding your nose. YOU WILL get it...it is just hard to break the habit of breathing through your nose!!

 

[LilJoRt6]

This was also the most difficult skill for me to master. Concentration is the key.......just remember--breathe IN your mouth and OUT your nose....keep a rythem and CONCeNTRATE---you'll be fine!

 

[peja]

This is not such a problem. You sould just focus on your breathing, and in my opinion you sould breath in and out on your mouth. You sould practise breathing just with snorkel on the surface.

 

[below_sea_level]

I got it! Yesterday I praticed this a couple of times and got to where I feel pretty comfortable doing it. I think it is easier to exhale through my nose though. My instructor says there is nothing wrong with exhaling through my nose and sooner or later I will feel comfortable exhaling through my mouth.:mean:

 

[Orlando Eric]

I spoken with people who said they had great problems mastering this skill. One of them told me that an exercise that helped them was to partially fill a mask with water and put it on. Others of course as mentioned here is the snorkel in the pool. I know of people who are newly certified divers who still have a problem with this skill and that, I would think, would be scary. you can really tell these people on cold water dives as they have the HEAVILY fogged mask and will not flood and purge.

 

[DEEPSEAWOLF]

It could be because I had a simpler instructor who took the book literally. I was trained in PADI, and am now helping my wife learn for her NAUI cert. I must say that NAUI is very thorough! I had those anxieties when clearing my mask, and having never used the look up methods taught before, I did just that, so much so that water ran down my throat through my nose and I nearly panicked.
My instructor had always said that your closest source of air is on your back, not a sixty foot rocket to the surface. He DID help me control the anxieties and I now am able to do the skills without a problem. Padi seemed to say to blow ALL the air from your lungs to clear the mask, but NAUI said, half a breath, warned that it may take multiple breaths and even says tilt head back slightly and explains exactly what happened to me if you go too far back.
There are many differences between the two schools and I am even considering switching to Naui because of how it explains WHY to do things the way you do.
I had an awesome instructor! I just felt the information in the book could have been more detailed. To give you an idea...
When I got my Padi book it had the book and a pamphlet on how to use the dive tables. My wife's NAUI kit had a book, an audio tape, a video,--- whch matched the book chapter by chapter---, and even though her book was half the size of mine, I feel it has a wealth more information.
I am still a new diver as I have only been certed for two years. To have a forum like this where people will show both sides of the coin i extremely helpfl to me. I get to see differing opinions and ideas that help immensely. Thank you from the bottom of my AL80! Just above the 800 psi mark that is.