Certification

[ScubaThor]

In my humble opinion, the key to all of this isn't so much physical as it is mental. You'll never be able to complete the mask clearing/off or breathing without a mask skills if you aren't comfortable with being under water, surrounded by water, immersed in water....most instructors will take the time to work with you and will do what it takes to get you comfortable. It seems to me like you are trying to overcome your mental objections more than anything. Get comfortable with being in the water, and the rest is a breeze.
The test is pretty easy too...again, have your instructor spend the time to make sure you get it all. Afterall, that's what you are paying him/her for.
Anyway, bottom line, this is supposed to be fun, not hard.
Good luck and I'm sure you'll be fine.
T

 

[scubasherry]

I had to stand in the shallow end of the pool with just up to my nose in the water breathing thru my reg for a good half hour. I had to keep trying and practicing.
Then I would kneel in the shallow end and fill my mask and empty it. Fill it and empty it till that became ok.
Then I took it off and put it back on. Not a very pretty sight but I eventually did it. It takes alot of concentration. It took me almost 2 hours of playing around and practicing before I was ready to try it in the deep end.
Just go at your own pace. Start easy, finish strong! I did open water in 56 degree water. That is a shock to get that cold water on the face durning a mask removal. But it is possible to do it. Good luck!

 

[scubasherry]

Oh and my husband told me this to help me not be so scared. If you panic when you take your mask off during your check out dives just plug your nose. At least this can buy you some time to calm down, think and react. Then unplug, replace the mask and clear it. Good as gold. I would say this is not a way to get around learning how to breath underwater without your nose - but just a back up plan incase of panic. Better to plug the nose than shoot to the serface.

 

[asaara]

You need to have strong swimming skills and this includes being able to breath through your mouth without nose plugs. They will require you to take your mask off and put it back on so you will not have a nose plug. If this is something that you can't do you shouldn't be scuba diving. Masks can fail and even fall off your face. What will you do at 50 feet if your strap breaks or you get water in your mask? You need to know how not to inhale through your nose.

If you lose your mask, there's a really simple solution, and you already know how to do it from learning how to equalize...it's called taking two fingers and holding your nose. Still leaves you one hand free to grab a line, etc., and since you're not going to be able to see as much, you're probably going to be hanging out just in the general area of everyone else until someone with a mask finds you yours, or ascending, rather than, say, taking pictures, which is usually easier with two. If you get bored, then you can...surprise!...try and practice breathing through your mouth only. If you lose your mask and your reg at the same time, as you're commonly told to do in classes, it hardly matters if you'd like to look for your reg with both hands, as you really shouldn't be sucking anything in anyways if you don't have one in your mouth, for obvious reasons... ;-)