Is it safe to wear a nose clip while scuba diving?

[davehicks]

Defogger, is great...to a point.

I have the same issue as the OP. Keep in mind, nasal exhalation is warm, moist air hitting a cold glass surface. Defogger does not, cannot, prevent condensation completely. It works by reducing the surface tension of the water on the lens thereby preventing micro droplet condensation, what we call fog.

Eventually if you keep breathing out through the nose the total humidity in and through the mask will reach a point sufficient for condensation to occur, perhaps even unnoticed at first. Once that happens it will overwhelm the anti-fog and eventually rinse the AF away from the surface of the lens.

If you continue breathing out through the mask via the nose then as the air escapes you will have small "leaks" that allow seawater to come in and remove more defogger. Clearing the mask further exacerbates this process.

And then you start doing the fill and clear and remove the rest of your defogger.

The best way to reduce the greatest cause of fogging is to not breathe out through the nose. And certainly that is a skill we can learn. I know I am able to exercise that skill. But I can also say that when I'm in the "zone" my natural tendency is to use my nose, so much so that I don't even realize it until I have to clear my mask, lol.

This is so wrong. The humidity in every mask is going to be 100% everytime. Exhaling into a mask will not fog it in a clean mask.

I dive CCR and i have to exhale into my mask all the time to release excess air in my loop whenever I go shallower during a dive to maintain proper loop volume. No fogging.

Clean your mask properly. Never touch the glass with fingers which transfers oils. Apply defog or saliva with a toothbrush. You will have no more fogging.

 

[TMHeimer]

Yes, any baby shampoo does the trick for me. I get noname. I apply it a week or more in advance of the dive-- you probably can put it on even much longer than that before the dive.

 

[A Bajo]

I am very used to exhaling through my nose generally but especially in the water because I do a lot of swimming. The constant mouth breathing during scuba is annoying but I would not use a nose clip. You just need to practice. Do you really want to always have to find your nose plug before every dive? Plus the mask equalizing issue is there.

 

[Fishdip]

I am a natural nose breather and sometimes find that my mask gets fogged up, probably because I inadvertantly breathed out my nose. Is it ok to wear a noseclip?

I almost always breath out my nose and have no issue with mask fog

 

[joshua.d.vise]

Sometimes, I keep a tiny bit of water inside my mask, and if it gets fogged up, and can look straight down. The water "wipes away" the fog.

 

[eponym]

learn to control your airways
as teamcasa said, it comes with practice
meanwhile,the steady exhale of warm air on an ice cold glass surface...
could cause some "fogging" issues!!
enjoy the learning
have fun
yaeg

I once taught an OWD/OWSD class sporting swim goggles because I had to loan my mask to a student. I didn't experience any problems not breathing through my open nose. As JY said, control. Maybe practicing with open nose in the water would help?

 

[uncfnp]

This is so wrong. The humidity in every mask is going to be 100% everytime. Exhaling into a mask will not fog it in a clean mask.

I dive CCR and i have to exhale into my mask all the time to release excess air in my loop whenever I go shallower during a dive to maintain proper loop volume. No fogging.

Clean your mask properly. Never touch the glass with fingers which transfers oils. Apply defog or saliva with a toothbrush. You will have no more fogging.

I don’t know the physics but breathing out through the nose definitely contributes to mask fog, for me personally and according to a PADI contributor

• Don’t breathe out of your nose. It may take time to adjust to solely breathing in and out through your mouth, but exhaling through your nose is a common cause of mask fog. Focus on how you’re breathing to see if this might be one of the culprits.

Tips for Preventing Mask Fog

All divers have experienced mask fog. This problem is often just an annoyance, but can turn into a hinderance for having a fun, safe dive.

blog.padi.com

Another one…

Change some habits​

• Don’t breathe out of your nose!! I personally believe this is the greatest issue leading to mask fogging. The warm moist air from your inner body if perfect for creating condensation. When you first start diving it may be difficult to do however take some time to adjust to solely breathing in and out through your mouth. Exhaling through your nose undoubtedly cause of mask fog. Focus on mouth only breathing and you will go a long way to having less fogging issues.

Why Does My Dive Mask Fog Up | Aussie Divers

We teach partial mask clearing in the Open Water course to handle fogging by adding some water and clearing it, a perpetually foggy mask can still ruin a dive

www.aussiediversphuket.com

Three and it must be true!

Don't breathe out of your nose! If you keep breathing out of your nose your mask will continue to fog up regardless of what we tell you to do below!

Dive Mask Care - The Scuba Doctor

How to look after, care for and maintain your diving/snorkelling mask.

www.scubadoctor.com.au

 

[Damselfish]

We’re all natural nose breathers, or should be. Most people don’t breath out through their nose a lot while diving, but there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to. I do it occasionally just for the heck of it.

I don’t think a nose clip is a great idea, since you need to be able to equalize and clear your mask. If your mask fogs, do something to solve the fogging problem directly.

 

[uncfnp]

Oh, and I forgot. Cressi makes a mask specifically designed for this…

CRESSI FOG STOP SYSTEM New Patent Pending



FOG STOP system. A thin silicone membrane around the nose acts as a deflector, so that the warm air coming from the nose, when compensating for external pressure, is not concentrated directly onto the lenses, thus reducing the tendency to fog that is commonly found in small volume masks. This membrane also has the function of stabilizing the mask on the face, which remains firmly secured, regardless of the possible movements of the face or the effect of pressure variations.

 

[eponym]

I'm sure someone in this thread has already mentioned the open-flame method of burning the manufacturing grease and silicone buildup off the inside of the glass of a new mask. I've done that for scores of students who showed up for their first class with a brand-new and never-cleaned mask and I have never had a mask break or otherwise fail. It's a lot quicker than using toothpaste or commercial mask cleaner. Rinse off any soot, which is the burnt residue. Then a very thin application of defog, no rinsing.

! Caution - keep the flame a few inches away and moving and keep it away from the edges of the skirt.

I can't assume responsibility for anyone who adopts this method without coaching and practice.