Please Help! I need to get over this fast!

[The Logic Theorist]

I had the same problem. I was able to be ok breathing without the mask on by practicing for a few hours (literally) with a snorkel, but I never did manage to be ok with putting the mask back on and clearing it unless my eyes were closed. I can sit all day with no mask on underwater and my eyes open, but putting the mask on with water in it makes me feel claustrophobic. I close my eyes, put the mask on, clear it, and open them.

Maybe that will help.

 

[bottlecap]

His dive instructor suggested renting a tank. Put it in the bath tub filled with water, straddle it, then practice breathing with mask off. (Well now THAT would have been the photo for the Christmas card!)

 

[Rhone Man]

Bath tub, snorkel, keep your nose pointed down.

Worked for my wife.

 

[spectrum]

One more vote for the bathtub. Start in comfy warm water and let it cool as you go. Belly down, knees at the drain. Repetitive exposure is the key.

Pete

 

[Winterpeg]

I can't believe so many other people had this problem. Stick with it!! I thought I would NEVER pass my OW because of this one skill. My local dive op let me practice this again and again in the pool and refused to take me out to the open water until I felt comfortable. They said if I wasn't 100% confident in the pool I would never do it in the open water and I would scare myself out of ever doing it. They were so right. I got a very patient instructor who spent an entire pool session on this one skill. The trick that helped the most was to look down at the bottom when the mask is off - that way the bubbles go around the sides of my face and not up into my nose. Also, keeping my eyes open seems to make it less disorientating, and I found I could do this even with my contact lenses in (they do NOT come out). I practiced near the surface until I got the hang of it and then I swam around and around the bottom of the pool without the mask. Then I took the mask on and off and on and off at least a dozen times .... until finally my eyes burned from the chlorine but I felt secure. And I passed it in the open water!!

 

[salth2owannabe]

Swim in the shallow end with your nose plugged and leave your mask on the pool deck. Take your fingers off your nose occasionally until that feels more comfortable. Get your mask and do the same, just opening it a little at a time and let water in. When that is comfortable remove your mask while swimming around and practice clearing it. Just remind yourself mentally that even if you get a little water in your nose you can take care of it under water and clear it through your reg. The mental aspect is 85% of it. Practice this everytime you can get into the pool.
Good luck.

 

[Prostar]

One more vote for the bathtub. Start in comfy warm water and let it cool as you go. Belly down, knees at the drain. Repetitive exposure is the key.

Pete

And work yourself slowly to the deep end.

 

[Draq]

If you can't get over feeling panic without holding your nose, then be sure you have a reliable way to remove and replace your mask AND hold your nose. Like everyone said, practice is the key. I would think you want to practice with a reg under the surface rather than in a tub, or with a snorkel, but I don't know this from experience.

Can you find a pool to use and maybe take an experienced friend or instructor? Get comfy on the bottom and remove and replace a bunch of times?

If you can't find a way to handle this, be very careful in future diving. At a minimum, stay close to a buddy and have a plan. If you do overcome it, and you probably will, I suggest you practice this somewhat often while diving so you remain comfortable with the feeling.

Don't feel bad, I think this is very common. Recently on a dive my nose had gotten runny and goobered up the inside of my mask and I couldn't clear it out enough. I pulled off the mask to "rinse" it out better and replace it. The nearby divemaster leading the dive swam over to me as fast as he could, grabbed my BC straps and held onto me. Startled the heck out of me. (I couldn't see this, it was described to me later). I guess I should have warned him, but it didn't seem like a big deal at the time.

He later told me that so many people panic and bolt if they have a flood or lose a mask, that he didn't know what I might do.

Good luck and hang in there.

 

[lahalbo]

Just to add my 2 cents.

Mask clearing and removal was a huge mental stumbling block for me before I started lessons. I would actually almost have an anxiety attack thinking about having to do it.

One thing that the instructor had me do was to go to the 4' deep area near the ladder and go down to my knees and just stay there breathing through the regulator, then when I was comfortable take my mask off but hold my nose, then after I was comfortable with that stop holding my nose and breath through the regulator to get used to the feeling of the bubbles on my face and no mask.

When I did this I came up once when the water went up my nose, but like the instructor said, that will only happen once. haha So I went back down and started over and knelt there breathing through the reg for about 3 minutes until he tapped me on the shoulder.

I had to do that again a few lessons later when we were doing the anchor line exercise. We had to follow the anchor line that was hooked between the 6' and 14' depth along the floor of the pool, take our mask off, go back up to 6' then back to 14' and put the mask back on. I was very very nervous about this, but he had me go back to the shallow end to get familiar with not having my mask on again.

I just had my underwater problems "test" last week and the instructor took my mask off and I just kept it off the rest of the test because all I wanted to worry about was my air.

Just keep practicing and you'll get to where it is not as scary as it once was. I wouldn't say it ever becomes fun but you will get used to it over time.

I'm scheduled for my OW cert in a couple of weeks.

 

[Air On]

As pointed out...

Keep you nose angles so the flat(er) part of the bottom on the pool or body of water (nostrils) are level to the bottom, then blow a little bubble out your nose and try to keep a positive pressure in the nose.

With a snorkle in your mouth most people tend to tuck their chin down and have the nose angle right.

If you find yourself sucking in through your nose a little, try putting your toung against the roof of your mouth and suck against your tounge when you inhale and see if it helps?

The first time I did a mask removal I was looking up like I did, like when you do a clear... the water went right up my nose into my mouth choking and gagging me a little.

It took me a moment to adjust... gagging on a little water... to get the nose angle, nose positive pressure and breathing on the regulator without forcing myself to inhale. You can cough through the regulator pretty well I have to say...lol

Now keeping your teeth clenched to hold the regulator as you cough on water going the wrong way... THAT's a trick...lol

Once you get the ballance of pressures inside your head and you body understands what you want its not bad after that.

Practice, practice...

Now there are rair cases of people who physicaly cannot breath with water against thier face.
The water can enter the tear ducts or the sinuses can't stop the water with pressure.
They had a Navy SEAL show on some time ago, one of the things they had to do what put on a mask full of water on the side of the pool and just breath. One of the guys couldn't do it. The water would just trickle into his sinuses and start to dround him.

Can you just fill a mask full of water put it on full and sit up while you breath through your mouth while in the tub?