Clearing Mask

[amclaughlin200]

Hi all

New to scuba diving and have my open water certification.
Recently had a problem where mask kept filling, as soon as it cleared it filled. Got water up nose, coughed and had mild panic.

Regardless, I've found that when I have water in my mask / around nose I can't do a continuous exhale through my nose. Best is short bursts through my nose.

Any suggestions regarding improving this?

When no water in mask or around nose I can exhale as normal with one long exhilaration!

Thanks

If you can get some pool time it might not be a bad idea. Intentionally fill your mask with water and give it one of your short nose exhales or whatever you can muster. Then immediately pinch your nose closed as you stop the nose exhalation. This will prevent a bit of water from getting forced up your nose when the mask seals back to your face which is in my opinion what causes the choking etc. It will also help you to control the breathing through your mouth as sometimes we naturally have the tendency to slightly breath through our nose. See if you can just sit there and relax yourself while holding your nose and focus on your breathing through the mouth. Once you've calmed yourself and slowed your breathing to normal release your nose and see if you can continue channeling that breathing specifically through your mouth. If you're starting to see progress then skip the nose pinching part and just sit there and breath through your mouth with a mask full of water. It takes time and muscle memory kinda like riding a bike which is why id recommend renting some pool time just remember don't do anything alone. Once you're comfortable with water in your mask, clearing it becomes no big deal, as its no longer a panicky mess. And if your mask is just constantly leaking you need to probably follow the rest of the advice ive seen given in this thread. But I would recommend getting comfortable breathing with water in your mask along with fixing the leak problem.

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

No it will Not, and as your post shows you are talking through your hat

And that is not a good thing when all people want and want to do is help to seal their mask a bit better

As usual, you are the one that has no clue what your talking about. Stop giving people misinformation.

 

[Sebs]

I also have the problem of short bursts of exhalation rather than continuously exhaling through my nose. One tip I can give is to hum while you exhale. It somehow makes it easier. It's also something you can practice in a pool or bathtub at any time.

 

[Goonzodiver]

First of all, you should never lose control or panic.
I have always had the same problems (water in nose when clearing the mask) I solved them like this: I almost always use a swimming noseclip inside the mask. When I don't use it (for example when I did the PADI refresh), if I have to empty the mask I partially close my nose pinching it with my fingers and blow, this way I empty the mask and the water doesn't get in.

 

[LI-er]

First of all, you should never lose control or panic.

Oh, ok, now that you pointed that out, I can't help but wonder why there are so many cases of panic in this activity. If only people knew they shouldn't do that, the statistics would be so much improved.

 

[ch66nerja]

Thank you everyone for your constructive replies.
I've been practicing in the pool and getting comfortable with water around my nose while breathing through a snorkel, with mask full of water and without a mask. Hopefully this will stop me getting water up nose and / or panic whenever I do have a full mask in future.

When the mask is full I still can only exhale through nose in short bursts. Just a little water ... say 1/4 full I can do the full long exhalation!!!

The humming idea is interesting and what I'm going to try next - never realised you can only hum down your nose!

Also, got a new good fitting mask.

Obviously I've done many full mask clears to get open water and actually did it on an earlier dive on the day I had the panic. Looking back I think I tried a clear, it didn't work well, got anxious then rushed .... and things deteriorated from there. Plus the rented mask I had that day was hopeless and wasn't a great fit.

 

[Edward3c]

Yep usually the case with newish divers; they think the tighter the mask strap the better the face seal and it's just the opposite. The strap should be just tight enough so the mask doesn't fall off and let the water pressure do the sealing.

Spot on, I’ve found most mask issues are caused by over tightened straps.