HydroOptix mask defogging

[ArthurGerla]

Hi,

I own one of these masks, and love it dearly because of its wide view. However, it keeps fogging up. The Sea Gold that came with the HydroOptix only does the trick when applied and dried far in advance, and I've often switched to my regular mask halfway through the dive.

Regular spit works fine on my Mares Opera mask with prescription lenses, but when I tried the same on my HydroOptix the fogging was worse than ever.

I've read that some people use toothpaste (the white kind) to get rid of the production residue layer that causes the fogging on new masks. I suppose this has to do with the mild abrasive in toothpastes. I hesitate to try this on the HydroOptix because it is not made of glass but polycarbonate. Has anyone tried it? I'd like to hear about the results.

Thanks,

Art

 

[Rwhiting]

Hi Art,
I just got one of these masks, and took it out in the pool for a tune up dive (getting ready for Provo the week after next!). The instructions from Hydrooptix say specifically to use a non-gel toothpaste prior to use. There was no scratching of the lens when I did this. I used the Sea Gold prior to diving, and still had some mild fogging. The guy at my LDS recommended reapplying the defog, then redoing the toothpaste if the problem persists. Lots of others on this board have reported this problem. The good news, for me, was that if I let a little water in the mask, and let it swish around each lens, it took care of the fogging. Then you just blow the water out using the dual purge valves. For once I wasn't afraid to do this beacuse I didn't have my contacts on. I'm lucky enough to be a naked eye match for this mask (nearsighted, -5.0). The mask appears to be a little fussy, but the UW vision is so superior I think it will be worth it.

Are you a nearsighted diver? I'm wondering about whether it's worth it to bring along the cotrrecting "goggles" and mess with the attachment to the BC to hold them. I'm thinking I'll just bring the monocle, and hope I come up near the boat!

Rich

 

[ArthurGerla]

Hi Rich,

The instructions from Hydrooptix say specifically to use a non-gel toothpaste prior to use.

I can only find this warning about toothpaste in their FAQ. However, while googling for this info I also found the following tidbit right here on Scubaboard:

take some no tears baby shampoo and mix about 1/3 shampoo to 2/3 water
and squirt inside the mask. Swish around real good then pour out left over. DO NOT wipe dry....just let set and dry. Then on your next dive dont spit...just dunk once and you should be good to go.

This will be my next experiment.

Are you a nearsighted diver? I'm wondering about whether it's worth it to bring along the cotrrecting "goggles" and mess with the attachment to the BC to hold them. I'm thinking I'll just bring the monocle, and hope I come up near the boat!

I'm a bit nearsighted (-3.5 or thereabouts) so I don't bother with either the goggles, monocle or contact lenses.

But anyway, you did the toothpaste thing and didn't ruin your mask? I may yet try it then

Thanx,

Art

 

[Rwhiting]

Hello Art,
That FAQ is actually quite interesting! It contradicts the printed Mask Users Guide that comes with the mask. Here's what my written instructions say word for word:

"Prevent Fogging:
Manufacturing oils must be removed with a mild abrasive, otherwise fogging will occur. This scrubbing procedure is only performed when the mask is brand new, and when suntan lotions /oils coat the inside of the lens. Use an abrasive toothpaste (not gel) or mask scrub (e.g. McNeff's Sea Buff) on the inside of the lens - not outside! Use mild bare finger pressure (no brush!) and rub for about 30 seconds each on the left and right sides. Next, wash your mask in warm water with a non-abrasive cleaner such as Dawn, Joy or Pomolive dishwashing liquids. Then thoroughly rinse with warm water."

It also says to apply a dab of the Sea Gold before each dive - (I did it the night before), and it says (in capitals no less) that "It is OK to let the gel dry on the lens - just before diving, give the mask one QUICK dunk - do not rinse out all the gel!"

Anyway - yes, I did the toothpaste, and the mask remains crystal clear - no visible scratches. Now I'll try doing what the defogging gel recommends and see how it goes. Please keep me posted on your progress too.

Happy diving!
Rich

 

[ArthurGerla]

it says (in capitals no less) that "It is OK to let the gel dry on the lens - just before diving, give the mask one QUICK dunk - do not rinse out all the gel!"

This is in direct contradiction of the instructions on the flask. These guys have me stumped.

Please keep me posted on your progress too.

Allrighty. As luck would have it I'm going on a boat dive next sunday, in nice & cold sweet water. I'll get back to you then.

CU,

Art

 

[koi]

I have a HydroOptix mask and dive with it regularly in Monterey. The bottle tells you to rinse it off because it's not good for the eyes. My buddy once let it dry on her mask and forgot to rinse it off before diving. Well, some water got in the mask and I guess it reacted with the Sea Gold and it stung her eyes badly enough that we had to abort the dive.

However, maybe she just had sensitive eyes? Just a caveat... I use Salclear defogger myself, don't rinse and have no complaints.

 

[MrConclusion]

This may be a stupid question, but has anyone tried a "standard" defogging gel like "500psi?" One of my dive buddies uses this on her Hydrooptix (and I use it on my flat mask) and we never have any fogging issues. Her mask doesn't look scratched, either.

Here's a link so you can see the stuff, not that I am endorsing this particular store...
http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/ItemIndex_2/CategoryID_976/Context_974/Sort_SKU/DescSort_0/Filter_6%3d516/AQU5MD.html

 

[ArthurGerla]

has anyone tried a "standard" defogging gel like "500psi?"

Yeah. No joy.

 

[alaity47]

I've been using it for a year, and here are my observations:

- cleaning it first with a non-abrasive toothpaste did help
- I still had a lot of fogging for a while, even though I used the Sea Gold. Over time, the fogging has stopped being any more of a problem than with flat masks (don't know if I got better at dealing with the gel, or if the mask got cleaner)
- I too had the water + Sea Gold = OWWWWW experience. Not fun; definitely rinse.
- Ditto on the "no joy" with 500 psi. I also had no luck with spray-on Sea Drops, which was my defog of choice for flat masks (better than spit, although I was slow to be convinced!)

We generally do the following:

1. Clean with dish soap the night before diving; let dry
2. En route to the dive site, put a decent sized glob of Sea Gold on each lens; rub smoothly to coat. (Doesn't really matter how far in advance of getting wet you do this)
3. Before getting wet, fill the mask with water, give a good shake, and dump out.
4. After the first dive of the day, dry off with a towel and re-coat with gel.

One thing I found annoying early on was that there was always a little bit of water that I couldn't clear out of the mask, and it would usually pool at the bottom where I was trying to look. Over time, I've learned to tilt my head so that I can look out of a non-obscured part of the mask - and to use that little bit of water to occasionally rinse out parts that have begun to fog, or globs of Sea Gold that didn't get rinsed out properly on board.

This all sounds like a major pain, but it's become second nature, and I HATE using my old flat mask now! (Have done a few times on beach dives when I didn't want to risk the HO in the surf zone.) Stick with it; it gets easier, and is totally worth it.

And, for what it's worth, I'm near-sighted (-3.5 prescription), and don't even bother with the monocle or the mask cover anymore. I don't usually need perfect vision on the dive deck or on the surface of the water. I bring my glasses in a hard case in my dry bag, in case I need to see clearly between dives.

Hope some of this helps!

 

[ArthurGerla]

take some no tears baby shampoo and mix about 1/3 shampoo to 2/3 water
and squirt inside the mask. Swish around real good then pour out left over. DO NOT wipe dry....just let set and dry. Then on your next dive dont spit...just dunk once and you should be good to go.

I tried this, and it worked fine on the first dive. Not on the second dive though, as I didn't have the time to reapply & let it dry.

For the record: I used Zwitsal baby shampoo, a commonly available brand over here.

Art