Mask clearing worries

[Wild Woman]

I imagine you are an expert at clearing your mask since May, but this may help someone else. I am working on certification right now and had similar difficulties. I found that it helped a great deal to place my mask over my face first (as if I was trying the "breathe in and see if it stays on without the strap" trick) before putting the strap on. I also found that I needed to exhale just a tiny bit from the time the water entered my mask until I was ready to clear the mask. When you tip your head back to clear your mask, if you aren't exhaling slightly, the water runs right into your nose (and down your throat and into your mouth). If you don't feel that you'll have enough breath left to clear your mask, breathe in through your regulator before you tip your head back to clear. My instructor told me that some expert "clearers" can have just one little air bubble in both nostrils but most have a few bubbles escaping during the process. It does indeed also help to remember that you can always breathe even without a mask. You could dive without a mask if it wasn't necessary to see!!! A neoprene strap rather than the original one also makes getting the strap over your head more easy. Here's to snuffling!

 

[Wild Woman]

I imagine you are an expert at clearing your mask since May, but this may help someone else. I am working on certification right now and had similar difficulties. I found that it helped a great deal to place my mask over my face first (as if I was trying the "breathe in and see if it stays on without the strap" trick) before putting the strap on. I also found that I needed to exhale just a tiny bit from the time the water entered my mask until I was ready to clear the mask. When you tip your head back to clear your mask, if you aren't exhaling slightly, the water runs right into your nose (and down your throat and into your mouth). If you don't feel that you'll have enough breath left to clear your mask, breathe in through your regulator before you tip your head back to clear. My instructor told me that some expert "clearers" can have just one little air bubble in both nostrils but most have a few bubbles escaping during the process. It does indeed also help to remember that you can always breathe even without a mask. You could dive without a mask if it wasn't necessary to see!!! A neoprene strap rather than the original one also makes getting the strap over your head more easy. Here's to snuffling!

 

[dirkpitt]

lots of good info in this thread, thanks in advance to all. I'm having a hell of a time clearing my mask. my OW is this weekend and I'm not sure I can do it. I was able to do it in the pool (both flooding and complete mask removal) but with great difficulty. I'm practicing now in a pool with a snorkel. my problem is, when my mouth is open (on a regulator or a snorkel) I can't seem to redirect air to my nose! I know it sounds weird, but I've tried time and again and it always comes out my mouth. it's like I have a block (mental or physical!). anyway, if anyone has experienced this first hand in terms of the difficulty exhaling thru the nose, please let me know. I really don't want this relatively minor drill to keep me from being certified!

cheers,
john

 

[learn-scuba]

dirkpitt once bubbled...
<snip> my problem is, when my mouth is open (on a regulator or a snorkel) I can't seem to redirect air to my nose! <snip>

John --

Try this... bring your tongue to the roof of your mouth and then pull it toward the back of your throat so that it seals off the back of your mouth as you exhale through your nose. It should "shut off" the flow of air out of your mouth since you can't close your lips. That, to me, is the easiest method. However, if that one doesn't work, the backup method is to stick your tongue into the mouthpiece of your snorkel or regulator to prevent the air escaping from your mouth that way.

Hope one or the other works for you and cudos to you for taking the time to practice skills outside of class. Don't be afraid to tell your instructor you're having trouble, either and do not ever force yourself to complete any open water dive (or skill while in open water) that you do not feel you are prepared to do.

 

[MAGELLAN]

Relax, take your time. Everybody's in a hurry these days. Just practice a little bit soon, it'll be second nature. If your leaving your mask on, blow a little into the mask through your nose and then pull the top forward allowing the mask to fill from the top. Next, relax, water isn't going to hurt you at this point leave the water in your mask and practice breathing with the mask full. Finally, press gently with your index fingers at the top corners of the mask and blow out through your nose, and angle your fact to allow the water to fall out from the bottom of the mask. Just practice, we all get water up our noses that's part of the fun

 

[dirkpitt]

I think I finally found a mask clearing method that works for me. My neighbors probably think I'm a weirdo since I've been going to the pool the past few nights with a snorkel and mask, snorting away! Anyway, after much trial and error, this is what works for me - your mileage may vary:

breathe in deeply
fill mask from top
exhale, breath in deeply again
press top center of mask with right palm
with left hand, hold one nostril closed thru mask, exhale
hold other nostril, exhale

This method, however convoluted it might sound, is the only one that works reliably. You'll recall my problem was exhaling thru my nose while on a reg/snorkel - it always came out thru my mouth, not my nose. This way, with half my nose blocked, for some reason I can consistently exhale thru my nostrils, albeit one at a time.

I'm going to try this again tonight to make sure it wasn't a fluke, but I think I might be able to get thru my OW cert with this method. Thanks to all for the suggestions and support!

Cheers,
John

 

[learn-scuba]

John --

So long as it works reliably, you're probably okay with it. My only thought/concern would be that you're going to have problems with that if/when you start carrying things like dive lights, wreck reels, cameras or anything else of that nature around with you.

I'm not telling you to abandon something that you've found to work for you. I'm simply suggesting you keep experimenting and see if you can come up with a hands free method that works, too.

And, once again... my hat's off to you for putting in the personal time. I wish you were my student ~smile~

 

[dirkpitt]

Just wanted to let everyone know I completed my Open Water dives over the weekend and am now PADI certified! Thanks for all the words of advice from direct replies and other messages regarding this topic on the board. It took a lot of practice, but I managed to figure out a mask clearing method that works for me. It got me thru the partial and full mask fill drills and the complete removal and replace (all on a platform at roughly 25'). By the 4th OW dive I was actually starting to feel comfortable with all the gear on and got down to 57'.

Cheers,
John

 

[saltwater taffy]

The very best advise I got when I first started diving was on how to clear your massk. Beleive it or not, but many people have a tough time exhaling out their nose. If you put your tongue on the roof of your mouth and gently blow, all the air will come out your nose. Do not do it forcefully. Remembery, nothing, terrible is going to happen to you if you do not get all the air out on the first breathe. The key is to relax. Hope that this helps.

Best of luck to you!!!!!

 

[clownfishx2]

My wife had the same problem, since she panicked when the water touched her face. She practiced swimming in the pool without her mask on the surface while breathing through her regulator. After a few times, it worked!