I am scared of diving without a purge mask!

[Nemrod]

"I know I know...But I just checked my log book and I have actually only done 39 dives. Is it okay for me now to be a little bit scared?"

Actually no. What might happen if you are down say 60 feet and get a little bit of seawater in your nose? Depending upon a purge valve to prevent water from getting in your nose is very scary. OK, what do I suggest?---get in a pool with a mask and flood it over and over and intentionally stick your nose in the water and suck WATER right up into your nose--over and over until you get over the fear--I am serious. On the other hand, some people have certain inate fears, for me it is certain stinging insects--it is irrational and uncurable--my solution is I stay away from them. N

 

[whitedragon13]

When I was trying out for special ops, there were a couple friends of mine who were, "dirty, nasty nose breathers" and couldn't clear their masks without gagging and rushing to the surface. Here's a trick:

Fill your mask 1/2 way in the sink/tub/shower and wear it. Watch TV with it on, take a shower with it on, just as long as it has water covering your nose. This will teach you not to inhale water through your nose while breathing through your mouth. The second step is to speak while your mask is full of water. .

This will work, plus you won't have the added fear of being under water. Once you hammer the nose breathing shut, you can work on doing it in the pool or whatever.

The SOF instructors I used to train with used to have us fill our masks, lie on our backs, and recite our name, rank, etc while pouring water in our mouths. Cures the nose breathing QUICK

 

[FreeFloat]

When I was trying out for special ops, there were a couple friends of mine who were, "dirty, nasty nose breathers" and couldn't clear their masks without gagging and rushing to the surface. Here's a trick:

Fill your mask 1/2 way in the sink/tub/shower and wear it. Watch TV with it on, take a shower with it on, just as long as it has water covering your nose. This will teach you not to inhale water through your nose while breathing through your mouth. The second step is to speak while your mask is full of water. .

This will work, plus you won't have the added fear of being under water. Once you hammer the nose breathing shut, you can work on doing it in the pool or whatever.

The SOF instructors I used to train with used to have us fill our masks, lie on our backs, and recite our name, rank, etc while pouring water in our mouths. Cures the nose breathing QUICK

LOL

That would work!

 

[luvspoodles]

When I was trying out for special ops, there were a couple friends of mine who were, "dirty, nasty nose breathers" and couldn't clear their masks without gagging and rushing to the surface. Here's a trick:

Fill your mask 1/2 way in the sink/tub/shower and wear it. Watch TV with it on, take a shower with it on, just as long as it has water covering your nose. This will teach you not to inhale water through your nose while breathing through your mouth. The second step is to speak while your mask is full of water. .

This will work, plus you won't have the added fear of being under water. Once you hammer the nose breathing shut, you can work on doing it in the pool or whatever.

The SOF instructors I used to train with used to have us fill our masks, lie on our backs, and recite our name, rank, etc while pouring water in our mouths. Cures the nose breathing QUICK

Wow, what a great idea. I am definitely going to do this. Thank you for the encouragement.

 

[luvspoodles]

Which agency did you do your OW with? This is one of the skills which has to be mastered in PADI OW and without mastery a student shouldn't be signed off. It worries me that you say you have been to 105 feet yet you have this significant issue about a very basic skill. Use whatever mask you prefer but I think you should go back to confined water and work with an instructor to master the skill. The others are right - what happens when someone kicks your mask off at 105ft?

No, my instructor shouldn't have signed me off. I did do mask removal though a few months later in Mexico and it was scary but I did it. I had forgotten my cert card and I had to show all of my skills before they would let me dive. I told him I had never done mask removal and so he made me do it several times. So I can do it, but I am uncomfortable with it. It gets better with every dive, and I wasn't even thinking about it during my AOW. But, it still bothers me. So, I am not totally freaked out about it but uncomfortable. I guess I shouldn't have said that I am scared. I am uncomfortable.

 

[luvspoodles]

You mentioned earlier something about being afraid of accidently inhaling when of if your mask was off. Even with the mask off you can inhale through the regulator with no problem.

If you are afraid of inhaling through your nose when the mask is off that really isn't a big issue. During the rescue portion of the OW courses I frequently get water up my nose if the student doesn't remove my mask when its partially flooded. It does burn a little and it can make causing coughing and a little choking sensation(similar to getting a drink "down the wrong pipe") but thats about it.

In your mind you are letting it be more of an issue than it really is. Find a good instructor and arrange for some time in a pool to work on this. With proper assitance you can get past this in pretty short order if you have the desire to do so.

Thank you. It is nice to know what would happen if I did inhale water. I thought that my lungs would immediately flood and I would be a goner!

 

[luvspoodles]

I can't think of any agency that does not require taking off the mask as a basic skill.. If you didn;t do it your instructor was violating standards and should be reported to whatever agency your card is from.. this is a skill that must be mastered and the instructor is letting divers go on their own without an absolute essential skill...

Its not a question of if another careless diver kicks you in the face its when.. There are alot of scary divers out there and this skill is as important as being able to breathe from a regulator.

If your AOW instructor was aware of this problem, he/she should have worked with you on it because you should never have been allowed to go deep before mastering this.

California isn't an excuse, year round the temps aren't that bad in most parts of california (the north can be a bit chilly).. I remember when I was certified way back when.. the water was a balmy 35f degrees.. There was no doubt when you removed you mask..

I got my OW and my AOW with Naui and PADI. Yes, my instructor violated the rules, but whats done is done and I did not know it at the time. Since then however, I have immersed myself in diving and diving education, and I now know that I should have been made to do this. My AOW instructor however was excellent, and had to pick up the slack of where my first instructor had left off. Believe it or not, until my AOW I did not know how to set up my own equipment! We did work on the mask clearing, but I still have that fear. I know that from of the responses to this thread some think I should not be diving...When I said that I was "freaked out" that statement was too strong. I have a little fear about it. However, after admitting it and reading what people have written here, I already feel better about it. I am a calm diver, and am not as crazy as I made myself sound. As I said before, with every dive I feel stronger. I am admitting my fears so that I can get help.

 

[fmw625]

Mask clearing was hard for me in class, but I mastered it. Since then I use this skill every time I dive. No big deal.

Mike, did I take your signature or did I take yours.

 

[whitedragon13]

luvpoodles, have you tried watching TV with a mask full of water yet?

 

[Mako Mark]

Poodles......... do you get water in your nose when you are in the shower?? if not why not,, are you scared of whashing your hair??

You shouldnt be right? so get in the water and spend 30 mins to an hour breathing in shallow water WITHOUT a mask (you could do this in the bath with a snorkle). once you have mastered no mask breathing, apply this to mask clearing.

In the event that you ever feel paniky while underwater because water is entering your nostrils. HOLD YOUR NOSE. you shold be able to avoid this, but rather than panic, holding your nose will stop water going up it.