It sounds as if you are just not comfortable yet & may need to take a little more time. Here is the way I teach my students,... & this can be done just as easily with a snorkel. Get into the shallow end of the pool in water just above your waist. First bend over & put your face in the water,... You can just straighten up if things aren't working out just use the mask & snorkel to breathe,... relax. Then take the mask off & just use the snorkel. Tuck your chin into your chest as far as you can & breathe just like you would as if you have a horrible head cold & can not breathe from the nose. Eyes open or closed, doesn't matter. Do this until you can hold for a minute or so. Get used to water on the face without a mask while breathing. Then practice alternating exhaling through the nose & mouth (DO NOT inhale through the nose! It won't be pretty) this will help you to understand airway control. Once to this point, put the mask back on. Flood it from the top (not the bottom, or it will go up your nose), once again tucking the chin to the chest anytime water is against the face. To clear it either push straight back on the top of the mask frame or *very* gently tip the mask to loosen, not break the seal on the face on the bottom side of the mask. Under no circumstances should the mask skirt leave your face, or else water tends to flood back in from beneath & go up the nose. As you straighten the head, exhale through the nose only (press the tongue against the back of the roof of the mouth). Tip the head back just a bit as you continue to exhale. If you have not cleared it, then drop the head & tuck the chin, BEFORE you finish exhaling to prevent water going up the nose. Take another breath, just like was done when breathing without the mask & attempt to clear again. do this in very shallow water until you are comfortable with it, before moving deeper. Take baby steps, a little bit at a time. Repeat it over & over,... preferable with your instructor watching you, to make sure bad habits are not started & perpetuated.
Don't worry about how everyone else is doing. YOU are what matters. Some of us (yes even me) take a little longer to learn the coordination. There is no real time line for people to learn things. I would suggest a one on one discussion with your instructor. Tell him/ her of your concerns & frustration. If you truly want to do this, be prepared to take the time to get comfortable,... it is very individual. You may have to go extra sessions & there may be additional costs, but don't let it stop you. Under no circumstances should your instructor pass you along to do your Open Water dives until you are comfortable with ALL your skills. My instructor did that & I spent a week learning to clear my mask when I started to learn technical diving,.. yes, I was a diver & could not clear my mask! I was able to fudge it during my dives,.. but I was no where near comfortable with it.
