Mask Clearing (long)- problems and success story

[jstuart1]

I just thought I would post my experience with mask clearing to see if it would help someone else.

Background- I ablsolutely HATE water in my face! My dear hubby laughs with me over this. I like to swim but without goggles and a nose clip I only swim on top. See my web page in my profile for more info (surf kayaking). Anyway when i first got the desire to do this hubby asked about the water in face issue. I told him that if I was going to do this, and I was, then I would just have to work it out. The first weekend I had my snorkle gear, I crawled into the cool hottub (I'm a bit big for snokleing in the bathtub :11: ) I practiced breathing through it then began to learn to clear my mask. I had already watched the OWC video twice so I had an idea how to do it. After an hour or so in the hottub, wen to the neighbors pool and did some more. I could do it about 80% of the time but when I missed UP I CAME!.

Pool Session #2- Half mask flood and clear = 1/2 drown Judy TWICE! and Yep UP I CAME though I did try to fight to recover before comming up. I seemed to be having a couple of problems 1) Breathing through nose with reg in mouth seems to be more difficult than doing so with snorkle. 2) That sudden rush of water over eyes and nose caused brain confusion and breathing lock up. I was scared to breath because I couldn't be sure where I would breath from (nose full of water or mouth full of water). 3) I was trying to do it the way the instructer showed which was not to pull bottom of mask away a bit. I think I keep my mask to tight for that as I still don't like water in my face and I had already somewhat taught myself to do it by pulling the bottom away a little while breathing out. 4) I would breath out very forcefully to HURRY and GET the WATER OUT so that I didn't have enough air left to pause and let brain decide where to breath from. After 2 failed attempts, when the instructor and I went down for the 3rd try, I gave her to stop signal and ok to let her know that I was going to take my time and do this when I was ready. I took a couple breaths from the reg and exhaled trying to relax and plan my attack. I closed my eyes and partially flooded the mask but purposely did not immediately clear it. I took another couple of breaths from the reg to prove I could still breath from it that just because my nose was under water I could still breath. Only then did I try to clear my mask and it WORKED!.

Full mask flood and clear- 3/4 drown Judy but ONLY ONCE! I had let myself get in a hurry thinking that I had done it once partially flooded and was now a pro. NOT! Also felt all the same things as above. Though this time I was able to stay a little longer under caughing my head off in the regulator before comming up. Biggest problem this time was being in a hurry, brain didn't switch to breathing through nose until I was almost out of breath and didn't leave enough for a pause before switching back to mouth. Second try I did the same thing that was successfull the first time. I didn't hurry, made my plan and kind of scrunched my lip toward my nose to remeber to breath out through it. It worked.

Mask removal and replace- Guess what I followed what worked before using the stop and ok signals and I did the skill without problem. I want to practice this more and plan to do so at each pool session more than swimming laps in the pool to get more comfortable at it. Slow and easy is the key. Don't do it until your ready.

 

[Bretagne]

In our club, as we have a lot of pool time, they teach us exercises which are not required for the certification. One which is very useful once you have understood how to clear your mask is to go in the water with a giant stride, and the mask in the hand, not on the face. That way you are obliged to breath through the regulator several times before you begin to clean the mask: put the mask in the proper orientation, put it on the face, remove hairs from below, check that all is in place, then empty the mask, and you can use as much breaths as you want to do it. Of course, you won't begin by this exercise, but it increases a lot the comfort of mask clearing.
The first times, we do it with a backplate only, so we are heavy and stay kneeled on the bottom. Then we do it either with the BC (do not forget to empty it before trying to manage the mask, the pool is only 2m deep!) or just with fins and snorkel, no weights (need to swim underwater to compensate the positive buoyancy, other wise you arrive at the surface with a full mask).
I do not necessarily recommend you to do it, but I would say that the key is to take several breaths with the mask full without even trying to empty it, then to try to empty it slowly (as it seems that you have understood).

 

[EVEYPR7]

Hi, I'd like to tell you my experience in mask clearing also. A dive master in the Bahamas showed me that I should flood my mask, then take a deep breath, pause,and with my lungs full, take my pointer and middle fingers with each hand and press each one to the glass on the very top of the mask just under the eyebrow and blow very gently through my nose until it cleared and guess what it worked like a charm. I am so greatful to him, cause now I don't have this fear clinging in the back of my mind and I can actually relax and really see the beauty in the deep.