Girlfriend has some concerns with breathing underwater.

[dallaskincaid]

No, she definitely wants to do this. I'd never coerce her to do something she doesn't want to do... For one, she is way to independent to be coerced into anything , and second, it would just be a recipe for disaster.

I think she will be fine, but I thought it would be helpful to get some comments from others so she would realize she isn't the only one.

 

[danpass]

Someone here posted a picture of themselves in their house with their mask on half-filled with water.

I think that is a great acclimatization method.


Tell her you know someone who can take their mask off at depth to blow their nose lol (that was me this past weekend), I'm sure many can do that.

 

[spectrum]

dallaskincaid,

She's the only same one in the bunch so kudos to her! Think about it for a moment... you spend your whole life being taught not to breathe with your face in the water to avoid drowning. This is really beat into some people. It's perfectly normal for a diver candidate to need a little reprogramming in the sink, tub, pool or pond. Gentle gradual acclimatization in a comfortable no threatening environment will get her past this in a jiffy. Same deal if the flooded mask bothers her. She can get all she needs with her mask and snorkel though it would be splendid if you could get her out skin-diving.

Pete

 

[PfcAJ]

You don't need to go to a pool to do that--a good sized sink will do.

Yes, tell her to stick her head in the sink. Sounds like a great idea.

RIGHT after that, go to your bedroom, get your pillow and a blanket out of the closet, and sleep on the couch.

 

[tracydr]

(a) even if she breathes normally, she can only breathe thorugh mouth with mask on, so tell her try not to think about it (b) there is another Breathing Yoga technique called the KapalBhati (google it), done at faster pace will automatically put her into 'breathing through mouth' rhythm

That was somewhat helpful to me. Learning to separate nose and mouth breathing.

 

[DukeAMO]

Yes, tell her to stick her head in the sink. Sounds like a great idea.

RIGHT after that, go to your bedroom, get your pillow and a blanket out of the closet, and sleep on the couch.

Actually, I got past my mask-off breathing issues doing just that - filling the kitchen sink with water, putting the snorkel on with no mask, and slowly getting used to breathing through it with my face under water. Comfortable? No. But it works.

One other tip - in classes they tell you to clear your mask by looking up, holding the top of your mask and blowing out through your nose. That's fine, but you only have to look up a little. If you look up too far you'll get water in your nose.

 

[Dive the World]

So, I've finally talked my girlfriend into getting certified. The problem is she is having a tough time breathing only through her mouth and not her nose while underwater. Any suggestions for her so she will stop worrying about drowning herself!

Is she generally a nervous person? a worry body? Then you might not want to push her too much.

Individuals find it a lot more easy to snorkel on the surface because you are not far away from all that wonderful air.

My wife kinda enjoyed snorkeling - but she is generally worried about being deeper because it is "far away" from all that air on the surface.

so nice and easy is the way

 

[LowDrag]

One thing I found on the mask clearing is to exhale small bubbles slowly. When I went thru OW my instructor showed us that doing it this way instead of blowing hard and fast. My former instructors never said anything about going slow. I found that it really made a difference at quickly my mask cleared. Kinda goofy but I am always amazed to watch the water level in my mask drop when going thru a clearing drill...

 

[boulderjohn]

One other tip - in classes they tell you to clear your mask by looking up, holding the top of your mask and blowing out through your nose. That's fine, but you only have to look up a little. If you look up too far you'll get water in your nose.

That's because most instructors teach the skill with the diver on the knees. In that case, the mask is already in the correct position for clearing.

If the diver is actually in the correct position for diving (horizontal), tipping the head back is very much necessary.

 

[RonFrank]

I am surprised to learn there are divers who nose breath after OW and never learn to dive without a mask. Do not be a nose breather and learn to flood your mask. Why? People have died UW because they lost a mask and panicked. Do not be that diver.