Mask fogging....why?

[shellbackdiver1]

Why do some people have problems with mask fogging? When I buy a mask I scrub it with tooth paste to get the manufacturing residue off. I do this for clearer vision...not to prevent mask fogging. Upon diving sometimes I spit it in (most of the time I forget), why, cause I was told to do it to prevent fogging.

Im doing my DCS now and spend lots of time in the pool with new students. Almost all of there mask are fogged when they surface. Sure they are using all of the latest and greatest stuff available at the LDS to prevent it. Is it due to attempting to breath via the nose?

Personally I dont think the type of mask has anything to do with it. Ive tried many, (Tusa, Oceanic, Mares and Atomic) and have no problems.

Thanks for your comments.

 

[Jason Ooi]

You should not vent from your nose easy to prevent mask fog

 

[shellbackdiver1]

I have no problem with fogging....my mask NEVER fogs. I am just curious on why other divers have this problem.

 

[H2Andy]

if the mags are fogging, they are not cleaning them well to begin with or not
using some anti-fog barrier (spit will do) or both.

 

[Jason Ooi]

Some diver ventilation from the nose.
second option is need remove lubricant from the mask try use lighter to remove it ....

I have no problem with fogging....my mask NEVER fogs. I am just curious on why other divers have this problem.

 

[diverdown247]

3 things:

1. Make sure they have cleaned (toothpaste) the inside of their masks as well. Most newbies don't know about this or think it's just a myth.

2. Bring Sea Drops or another antifog product with you and get them in the habit of treating their lenses.

3. Find out who in the class smokes. That may be a big cause of fogging due to the residue in a person's breath translating to the lenses through mask clearing. Contaminants will remain on the hairs in the nose as well as transfer from the lungs and deposit on the lenses which will cause fogging. I fixed this issue for a local diver recently, cleaned his mask...treated it and it was fine, until he lit up again.

 

[cmalinowski]

if the mags are fogging, they are not cleaning them well to begin with...

I agree. I got a new mask and cleaned it and put on defog. First dive it fogged on me really badly. I switched to my backup for the remainder of the dive and kept the new one in my pocket for about five dives. Then I cleaned it again. Used defog and it worked like a champ. I think it takes more than one cleaning. That's just me. Mine took a cleaning, about five long soaks in saltwater , and then another cleaning. I used softscrub (rinse very thoroughly) the second time I cleaned but that's because I was on a boat with no toothpaste...

Chris

 

[Airborne!]

Never assume that Newbies are properly cleaning and defogging their masks. I have seen classes where the DM or Instructor just goes around before the first dive squirting some stuff in the students mask and saying rinse your mask now. And when they bought the mask they were just told to rub some toothpaste on the inside to clean it. Nobody ever really taught them the why and how.
First thing is to make sure the inside of the masks are cleaned thoroughly and properly before use with toothpaste or soft scrub or the commercial stuff or whatever floats your boat. If they are using the commercial defog stuff they need to make sure they are following instructions and even then sometimes the instructions are wrong. I have had stuff where it said to put on and rinse immediately and then dive. I started putting it on, letting it dry, rinsing and letting it dry again, and it worked much much better. Properly cleaned and defogged a mask should not fog unless the mask is flooded repeatedly or the diver is a big time nose breather.

 

[Buoyant1]

Not sure how can prevent a mask squeeze by not venting from your nose once in a while?

If the "newbies" masks are fogging, maybe they aren't using the defog correctly, or thoroughly, or like Andy said maybe they aren't cleaned properly?

I've never had a whole lot of problems with it, I used to use spit until my cousin loaned me his defog. Now I use either the SeaVision stuff, or some diluted baby shampoo, rub rub rub, rinse, no problem!

I dove with a guy two years ago that just jumped in and took his mask off at depth, rubbed the lens with his thumbs and put it back on. No problem...and he didn't do it again the rest of the dive...second dive same thing...

 

[Sasquatch]

I did the toothpaste thing to no avail on a new mask. Had to use Soft Scrub and the residue was gone. I use the defog stuff just to be sure.

Also, my masks don't fog in warm water but are prone to it in cold water.