Mask Clearing....

[bill-da-ho]

At the end of my dive yesterday, we did mask clearing exercise and reg purging and an ooa exercise. I hadnt done a mask clear since last year in OW class. We had done this in open water. But I hadnt done it befor with a hood on. Ha, My hood blew up Like a baloon, it was different tho, I'm glad I did this, cuz it did seem a little more difficult to get the mask cleared, might just have been out of practice tho, decided to do this because I nearly lost my mask due to another divers fin the last time out. Im not blaming the other diver,, my face was too close to his fins apparently. anyhow, anything different I should know about for clearing a mask while wearing a hood?

 

[tstormdiver]

The major thing about hood & mask clearing is to make sure the hood doesn't slide under the mask skirt when you beak the seal. If it does, it tend to leak. I'm trying to figure out why, if you are exhaling through your nose, & if your head is tilted back, as you clear, how air was getting into your hood, but then I've seen some strange thing happen also.

I also have a big problem with air gong into the hood & blowing it up. I usually must take a red hot screw driver (usually a Phillips head) & punch a few holes in the hood. The hot screwdriver will melt & seal the edges. This does affect the hood's insulating properties some, but it allows an escape for the air. I'm not sure, since you did not really mention so, but also be aware that if you are also wearing gloves, it will mess with your dexterity, making even the simplest tasks a bit more difficult.

 

[Soggy_Diver]

This used to happen to me.

Normally, the top edge of the mask skirt sits under the front of the hood; the bottom edge of the mask skirt is outside the hood. It sounds like you might have bubbles going up under the top edge of your mask into the hood, or maybe that you are pulling the hood out a bit when you clear and bubbles are blowing back in under it.

Try checking that:
-the top edge of the mask is against your forehead when you clear
-you are looking up a bit so that bubbles can flow forward away from your face
-your are using a minimal amount of air to clear the mask; if you try clearing it in "slow motion", you will see that it only takes a fraction of a breath to totally clear it

The other thing that some people do is use a small hot nail to melt a tiny hole in the top of their hood to let bubbles escape. Lets in some water, but not much.

 

[spectrum]

bill-da-ho

When gloved you don't have much finesse with layering you face seal and mask skirt. I grab pinch of hood with each hand and pull it up to let the mask skirt find my face.The face seal of the hood will then slide down over the skirt.

Just having the mask off of your face will change the bubble dispersion and may get some in the hood. That's where the vents come in real handy.

If you are getting a lot of air in the hood while actually clearing you may be trying too hard. You want to be adding air to drive the water down and out of the mask. If you are aggressive it will blow out the top of the mask skirt and inflate the hood.

Pete

 

[bill-da-ho]

I was wearing the lobster claw gloves. I always have my dive buddy check my mask/hood to make sure all is in the right place befor diving. Now that you mention it, I was aggressively trying to clear, more than likely due to the fact it was cold, and caught me a bit off guard ( the reason I wanted to do this exercise in the first place, I'd rather deal with it in practice than to find out the hard way)
I just tried the red hot nail to create a vent,, but I burnt my head in the process...........JK
Thanks for the info. I intend on continuing this practice each dive, takes just a few seconds, and I'd like it to be second nature.

 

[Garrobo]

Get a mask with a purge valve and you won't have this problem.

 

[DandyDon]

Mask with a purge valve: new problems.

Some hoods & beanies already have vent holes in the top. I have seen air escaping those with every breath on one diver. I used a skinny screwdriver heated on the stovetop to poke holes in mine.

 

[Peter Guy]

Since we do our OW dives in cold water, we have the students practice this in the pool -- with their gloves on. It does take practice and sometimes takes a little bit of time to make sure the hood is over, not under, the mask skirt.

I tend to want to have my hood over my mask skirt to minimize the amount of skin directly exposed to water -- I also tend to exhale through my nose every 3rd breath or so (just habit). This means I often have air in my hood -- which generally makes my head warmer! What's wrong with a little balloon head anyway?

 

[jjhill]

I was wearing the lobster claw gloves. I always have my dive buddy check my mask/hood to make sure all is in the right place befor diving. Now that you mention it, I was aggressively trying to clear, more than likely due to the fact it was cold, and caught me a bit off guard ( the reason I wanted to do this exercise in the first place, I'd rather deal with it in practice than to find out the hard way)
I just tried the red hot nail to create a vent,, but I burnt my head in the process...........JK
Thanks for the info. I intend on continuing this practice each dive, takes just a few seconds, and I'd like it to be second nature.

Next time take the hood off before punching a hole in it. You might find it less painful. lol

 

[Ashmai]

I was told that when you get a hood, lay your mask on it and draw a chalk line around the mask edges. Cut it out, so the mask imediatly touches skin when you put it on. I dove with a hood cutout this weekend, and it worked great. My partner didn't have it cut to her mask, and had the same issue the whole weekend.