Clearing mask / breathing out nose problem

[ColSanderz8]

I've tried looking around forums to see if anyone else has this problem in particular, but I haven't really found any that matches my problem. During training my class was instructed to take off our masks and begin breathing in our mouth (via regulator) and breathe out our noses, and then dive while doing the same. Well this went well for me above water, but when I entered water I could no longer breathe freely from my nose and instead breathed out my mouth. I concentrated and could only breathe out short bursts of air from my nose. In the process I would end up breathing slightly out my mouth, freaking out, accidently breathing in partially with my nose, and also swallowing some air. I tried practicing with my snorkel in my bath-tub and at the pool but my nose just seems to lock up when trying to exhale underwater. I hope I'm not doomed :-\

Any suggestions?

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Welcome to scubaboard. You are not doomed

Keep practicing. You'll get it.


I understand what your instructor is trying to teach you, but to be 100% honest: With my mask off underwater, I do NOT exhale from my nose (unless I feel water trying to enter my nose). I just breath in and out through the reg, then once my mask is back on exhale through my nose to clear.

With my mask on, the only time my nose is "used" is to equalize the mask as I descend (exhale through nose) or of course to clear the mask.

Good luck.

 

[shoturtle]

Pinch your nose while breathing without the mask, there is nothing in the course materials that says you can not do this. My wife had the same issue, as she inhale she redonned her mask and clear it on the next exhale.

 

[fnfalman]

I don't understand the point of breathing through the mouth and breathing out the nose when the mask is off.

 

[Jeff Toorish]

Three excellent points.

The simple fact is, if you lose your mask underwater, for whatever reason, pinch your nose and breath through your mouth, at least at first. While gaining the muscle memory of inhaling through your mouth and exhaling through your nose is useful for clearing a mask, it is not terribly useful otherwise.

It makes good sense to be able to breath exclusively through your mouth because that is how we breath using a second stage regulator.

Try this, pinch your nose, inhale from your second stage, slightly exhale through your nose and THEN release the pinch --pinch again and repeat.

Jeff

 

[Diver0001]

I've tried looking around forums to see if anyone else has this problem in particular, but I haven't really found any that matches my problem. During training my class was instructed to take off our masks and begin breathing in our mouth (via regulator) and breathe out our noses, and then dive while doing the same. Well this went well for me above water, but when I entered water I could no longer breathe freely from my nose and instead breathed out my mouth. I concentrated and could only breathe out short bursts of air from my nose. In the process I would end up breathing slightly out my mouth, freaking out, accidently breathing in partially with my nose, and also swallowing some air. I tried practicing with my snorkel in my bath-tub and at the pool but my nose just seems to lock up when trying to exhale underwater. I hope I'm not doomed :-\

Any suggestions?

This problem is very common and easily solved. Press your tongue against the roof of your mouth just behind your top teeth when you start to exhale. You will automatically exhale via your nose.

BTW, you only need to do that to clear your mask. You aren't required to exhale through your nose when your mask is off although you're free to do so if you find that comfortable.

Good luck.

R..

 

[ROMO DIVER]

I am with the earlier comment about why the instructor would be asking you to do this. Do you have a problem exhaling through your nose to clear your mask? If not, I do not see any reason for your to do this. I have my students perform a no mask swim during pool but actually tell them not to get in the habit of breathing out there nose for two reasons. The first is that constant nose breathing will loosen the mask by increasing the pressure inside the mask and make it more susceptable to leaking. Also, constant exhalation throught the nose increases fogging of the mask due to the warm wet air being exhaled. The less you breath out your nose the clearer your mask will stay and the more stable it will be.

 

[Walter]

Read post # 3.

 

[Jang]

Some tips:

1. Tilt your head forward when you are doing the skill to prevent water from going up your nose.
2. Bubble out only a tiny bit of air through your nose when ever you get the tickle that water is trying to get up.
3. Practice at home with your snorkel only in the bathtub or sink and no mask just to get use to breathing under water with no mask.

 

[christo651]

I don't understand the point of breathing through the mouth and breathing out the nose when the mask is off.

That is the only way I can do a mask off breath, if I exhale through the reg without the mask on I will get water up my nose. I had this problem in class and needed extra time alone to practice and understand what I believe is going on. I could be wrong but for me during normal mouth breathing my glottis (I think the valve that allows nose or mouth breathing) is open for both sources of air. I am a nose breather normally. By inhaling through my reg and exhaling through my nose it forces the glottis to be a one way street instead of a two way street, at least in my nasal passages. Once I learned this I was able to do all required skills without the mask and gained alot more confidence underwater, I just had to get my head around it and develop some new muscle memory.