Mask and Fin Retreaval NEED HELP

[ScubaCollin]

Hey guys, I'm stuck in my course where you have to dive down and put on your fins and mask, also you have to clear your mask and snorkel.

Now i have no problem getting down there. I just need some advice on what order to do it.

At first I thought it would be easier to go down put on my mask so i could see, but now i find myself waisting alot of time getting down to get my fins.

So would it make more sense to put on my fins first so i have a faster acent and decent? The only problem is that i might not be able to find my mask because i cant see to well underwater.

Help me out

 

[Boogie711]

Get the fins. You can still open your eyes underwater. You don't need to see THAT well to find a pair of fins and a mask in a pool.

 

[RICHinNC]

I dont suppose reach in your pocket and pull out your frameless spare mask just for this occassion is a possible answer???

Training and real life...always a difference

 

[ScubaCollin]

Better safe then sorry though

 

[Hallmac]

ScubaCollin once bubbled...
Hey guys, I'm stuck in my course where you have to dive down and put on your fins and mask, also you have to clear your mask and snorkel.

Question so I Know how to answer this one. Are you only diving for mask, snorkle, and fins or the intire gear. (ie. bc, tank, reg, mask, snorkle, fins, weight belt.).

Thanks for input.

Hallmac

 

[Aquatic Eagle]

This skill, like the underwater swim, is a mental skill. You are in a frame of mind that you don't belong there, you aren't meant to be there so you feel the need to breathe and get the hell out of there. When you get down there, keep telling yourself that you can do it, you can stay down longer. Make your body stay down there. This was a hard exercise for me to master also. I hated doing this exercise. Your body thinks it needs air before it really does. You can stay down there and hold your breath longer than your body tells you. Just stay calm and do it one step at a time, it's when you get in a rush that you start to panic and flee to the surface. This exercise really helps you get out of the bad instinct to flee. Personally, I tried many times to do this by putting my fins on first but in the end my mask worked first. This is mainly because I wear contacts and contacts+chlorine do not mix at all. If you think about it though, putting your fins or your mask on first, either way it takes up the same amount of time. I think putting your mask on first may help to calm you down because you can see clearly what's going on. Just remember to relax yourself before you dive down to don the gear, it will help a lot. Also you can practice doing underwater swims and stretch your limits a little bit and make yourself go a little further. Good luck to you and let us know when you master the skill.

 

[paulwlee]

This is a mandatory skill at my college dive club.
I see most people having better results by getting the fins on first. Some people end up clearing their mask on the way up.

There may be two things in play here. One is you have more air in your lungs before clearing the mask, which I guess makes some difference. The other things is once you start to feel out of breath, exhaling to clear a mask is easier to do than fiddling with the fins.

 

[Aquatic Eagle]

Good points there paulwlee. There are different ways to do things for different people. Go to the pool and try it different ways. It can be a hard skill to master but just keep at it and find the way that works best for you.

 

[DeepTechScuba]

Collin, this drill is normally taught as follows:

1) Surface dive, sit on the bottom of the pool, then slowly, in a relaxed manner, take off your fins, stack them at the bottom of the pool, then slowly take off your mask, place it on top of your fins, then slowy ascend, holding your breath the entire time until you are back on the surface;

2) Take four deep breaths on the surface, then do a surface dive back down to your fins and mask, grab them all at once, then slowly, in a relaxed manner, put on each fin first, then put on your mask, slowly, making sure you brush your hair back out of the way of your mask skirt, then slowly ascent exhaling slowly through your nose to clear your mask, while you press on the top of your mask with your hand;

3) Blast clear your snorkel at the surface, and continue to breath on your snorkel until you signal OK to your instructor and he/she signals OK back to you;

4) In the ITC you are also required to smile while doing all this!

The purpose of this drill is to teach you how to relax during a freedive, and to give you self confidence as a freediver, and to teach you how to be a freediver before you move onto becoming a scuba diver.

Good luck! You have an awesome instructor if he/she is requiring you to learn this drill in your Basic Open Water course. This drill is normally reserved for the ITC. And even in the ITC, there are instructor-candidates who have trouble with it.

 

[ScubaCollin]

My instructor is awesome, thanx for the advice all of ya

I think im gonna try the fins first.

Once again, thanx