pdhenry
Contributor
Deviated septum, I think.
Mask skills
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That may be a hinderance as well, not sure what a deviated septum does to the passageways.
Re nose plugs--personally, I wouldn't recommend anything like that. The airways (and ears) being completely open is important for equalising both descending and ascending.
I would guess the problem of water in the nose only when taking a mask off has to do with water rushing in on the face all of a sudden. RJP's advice on going slowly would seem to fix that. But regardless, it's still a matter of finding a way to intentionally open and close the airway at will. Practising airway stuff when not in water (there is no pressure of water entering) makes sense.
lavachickie
Contributor
Many have had similar problems, and gone on to overcome it. I know I did! 
Practice practice practice. You're doing the right thing, and the advice you've gotten here is all good.
I certified but remained uneasy about this -- seems I wasn't fully blocking my nostrils, and would inhale a little water every time. Finally another experience diver suggest I practice with a snorkel.
I went to my hottub to work on identifying that movement at the back of the throat/top of the pallate, then went to the pool to practice a few times. I took a pair of swim goggles -- the type that cover eyes only, not the nose -- and repeatedly cleared my mask, next moving to taking my mask off, putting it on, clearing; and finally took the mask off and put the goggles on and then swam around the pool breathing in/out of the reg without anything blocking my nose.
Even today, I practice this skill to remain comfortable at the dive site sometimes.
If you are certifying in cold water, keep in mind that the "hit" of cold water is a bit more jarring than warm pool water. Some will reflexively suck IN when this occurs.
Eventually, you'll get it -- and you'll also get comfortable with a little water in the nose, too. Because sometimes it just happens. But it's ok. It's annoying but not dangerous, and once you train your mind to that, you just blow out and go about your business. Don't forget you can always help yourself out a bit by putting your hand to your nose and blocking your nostrils for the first breath in, just in case -- you'll want to wean yourself from that behavior, but it's a good first step.
It was quite some time after I felt I'd "gotten over" my issue that a group of us were at Flagpole in the Hood Canal, and at about 110 feet cruising around with the cloud sponges, we had all crammed into the underside of this big knuckle to look at an octopus. As we all back up to move out, someone did a nice helicopter turn in front of me, then gave a mighty kick that struck me square on the side of the temple, knocking my mask completely off and making me see stars! I just happened to catch it in my left hand, and was happy to realize that I'd fixed myself back up and cruised on cursing for three minutes before it even dawned on me that I'd handled a situation that at one time would have stressed me without even a second thought. You'll get there!
The advice of going slow is perhaps the best. It applies to EVERYTHING in scuba diving. And if you think you're going slow enough... then slow down some more.
Practice practice practice. You're doing the right thing, and the advice you've gotten here is all good. I certified but remained uneasy about this -- seems I wasn't fully blocking my nostrils, and would inhale a little water every time. Finally another experience diver suggest I practice with a snorkel.
I went to my hottub to work on identifying that movement at the back of the throat/top of the pallate, then went to the pool to practice a few times. I took a pair of swim goggles -- the type that cover eyes only, not the nose -- and repeatedly cleared my mask, next moving to taking my mask off, putting it on, clearing; and finally took the mask off and put the goggles on and then swam around the pool breathing in/out of the reg without anything blocking my nose.
Even today, I practice this skill to remain comfortable at the dive site sometimes.
If you are certifying in cold water, keep in mind that the "hit" of cold water is a bit more jarring than warm pool water. Some will reflexively suck IN when this occurs.
Eventually, you'll get it -- and you'll also get comfortable with a little water in the nose, too. Because sometimes it just happens. But it's ok. It's annoying but not dangerous, and once you train your mind to that, you just blow out and go about your business. Don't forget you can always help yourself out a bit by putting your hand to your nose and blocking your nostrils for the first breath in, just in case -- you'll want to wean yourself from that behavior, but it's a good first step.
It was quite some time after I felt I'd "gotten over" my issue that a group of us were at Flagpole in the Hood Canal, and at about 110 feet cruising around with the cloud sponges, we had all crammed into the underside of this big knuckle to look at an octopus. As we all back up to move out, someone did a nice helicopter turn in front of me, then gave a mighty kick that struck me square on the side of the temple, knocking my mask completely off and making me see stars! I just happened to catch it in my left hand, and was happy to realize that I'd fixed myself back up and cruised on cursing for three minutes before it even dawned on me that I'd handled a situation that at one time would have stressed me without even a second thought. You'll get there!
The advice of going slow is perhaps the best. It applies to EVERYTHING in scuba diving. And if you think you're going slow enough... then slow down some more.
Breathe in like you're sipping hot soup... if you've never snorted the soup through your nose, you can control your airways and eliminate inhaling through your nose.
The other thing a student once confessed to doing was filling their mask with water at home and sitting around with the mask ON half full of water... just to get used to their nose being in water.
---------- Post added February 3rd, 2014 at 10:41 PM ----------
And you're STILL going too fast!
Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.
The other thing a student once confessed to doing was filling their mask with water at home and sitting around with the mask ON half full of water... just to get used to their nose being in water.
---------- Post added February 3rd, 2014 at 10:41 PM ----------
The advice of going slow is perhaps the best. It applies to EVERYTHING in scuba diving. And if you think you're going slow enough... then slow down some more.
And you're STILL going too fast!
Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.
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If you can breathe with the snorkel and without the mask, you have mastered the art of isolating your nose from your mouth for breathing.
So, if you are having problems taking your mask off underwater, one of a couple of things is true: If you are doing this while kneeling, and you have your head tilted back, water WILL run into your nose and down into your throat, because there is no way to prevent it. If your head is upright, try tucking your chin just a little when you take the mask off. Better yet, don't do it kneeling, but instead, do it in a prone or semi-prone position, where you cannot physically tilt your head up far enough to allow the water in.
The other possibility is that you are sufficiently unnerved by removing your mask that you have a momentary glitch in your nose-mouth breathing discrimination, and you are briefly trying to breathe in through your nose. This should go away with sufficient practice, since you KNOW how to do it already.
So, if you are having problems taking your mask off underwater, one of a couple of things is true: If you are doing this while kneeling, and you have your head tilted back, water WILL run into your nose and down into your throat, because there is no way to prevent it. If your head is upright, try tucking your chin just a little when you take the mask off. Better yet, don't do it kneeling, but instead, do it in a prone or semi-prone position, where you cannot physically tilt your head up far enough to allow the water in.
The other possibility is that you are sufficiently unnerved by removing your mask that you have a momentary glitch in your nose-mouth breathing discrimination, and you are briefly trying to breathe in through your nose. This should go away with sufficient practice, since you KNOW how to do it already.
halocline
Contributor
I would start with getting to the point where this is no longer the case. Maybe you just need more time in the water without your nose plugged, no scuba gear at all. Then your ideas of starting in shallow water with the snorkel, then regulator, both without mask, will work great. Eventually you can toss your mask in the pool deep end, dive down to get it and put it on/take it off like it's nothing.
There's a big gulf between being able to force yourself to barely perform a skill and that skill being easy to perform, with lots of repetition in between.
As a contrast to some of the more detailed suggestions, mine is very simple. Stop thinking about the removal and replacement. Just do it. You have proved to yourself you can "go maskless" underwater. I suspect that not much water is getting your nose, just enough to "not feel right." Repetition is best for achieving a comfort level with mask skills. Park yourself in the shallow end of a pool before or after your next class and repeat the skill a dozen or more times, one after the other, while saying nothing to anyone. Seriously, give it a try, and I believe you will past any "nose water" issues you may have.
DivemasterDennis
DivemasterDennis
fnfalman
Contributor
I can say this much, as it was my own experience, you suck water in your nose once or twice nice and deep and you won't do it again.
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