problems with mask fogging

[Trisha]

A word on perscription masks -- follow manufacturer's directions on initial cleaning/defogging. Some masks are prone to scratching.
After following the orange blur that was my husband around the lake, I finally broke down and did the following:

Use Sea Buff to clean the lens.
Use Sea Gold -- one drop, lightly smear on inside of lens, swoosh in water but do not touch! This works for the rest of the day.
Dunk my head in the water to cool down my face before putting on mask.
Sometimes I get some fogging -- too much nose breathing. I just add a tiny amount of water and let it slide over those areas as needed during the dive, then add a bit of Sea Gold before my next dive.
My spit is not PADI-approved, apparently.

 

[H2Andy]

Andy, I'm not trying to have an argument with you.

well, crap... what fun is that?

sorry, i'm just messing around with cha

 

[menemsha43]

Baby shampoo diluted with some water is what I prefer. The one time my masked fogged on a recent trip was when I put sunscreen on my face before the dive.

 

[PlanoDvr1]

Sea Gold, Sea Gold........

I am a fogger. Can't help it, I just eminate heat from my face. So much so that if I get really embaressed my glasses steam up. So, with this being said....Sea Gold. Put it on 15 minutes before you get to the dive (clean mask before you put it on) and then light rinse, slip it on and dive, dive, dive.....

 

[Scuba65]

Baby shampoo is the best thing. I was just in Bonaire and for some reason my mask kept fogging up...one of the guy's in our group gave me baby shampoo and said that that worked the best...well, darn it was..that's all i used for the trip and my mask never fogged up once after that.

 

[Rastaman]

My only input to the original post is to make sure that you are using toothpaste to clean the new mask. Many things that pass as toothpaste today are not really toothpaste. They could also be leaving an unwanted film on the mask as well. I carry in my dive kit a tube of plain toothpaste (not gel or cream) without any additives. This I use to clean my old mask or a new mask and my dive slate.

 

[A.G.Pennypacker]

I have a friend who is having a really bad problem with his mask fogging up repeatedly during dives. He has tried everything from cleaning it with toothpaste and also using defog and spit. He was so frustrated during our dive trip last week. He couldn't see anything during the entire dive and there was so much to see. Does anyone else have these problems? Anyone have any suggestions? I have no problems at all with fogging. I sometimes get a little leakage...but that's about it. He says he is constantly using the little bit of water that gets into his mask to help clear the fog...but that gets exhausting and he ends up sucking down alot of his air due to his frustration. PLEASE HELP!!!!!

Pam

I think most masks fog because of two factors: one, sublimation from the silicone skirt on the glass (leaving a film of silicone on the
glass itself. two, imperfections on the glass itself (microscopic crenulations and that prevent the water vapor from sheening down the mask). The quality of the glass must be perfectly flat do allow water vapor to drip in a sheet. Any dirt , oil or residue of silicone will cause water vapor to form in droplets on the
inside of the mask, from the obvious difference of temperature and humidity between the inside of the glass and outside. This is what causes the mask to fog. The real trick to clean the inside of the mask as best you can to allow the water vapor to sheen down the mask instead of forming droplets around dirt and oil. Not all masks are created equal, some will have silicone in the skirt that will sublimate more than others (more of a tendency to go from solid to gas).) Not all glass is created equal, some are produced at higher standards than others i.e, more planar. The better quality of silicone and glass will naturally produce less fogging. IMHO use softscrub first to clean the inside of the mask, and more than once. Then use a commercial cleaner, i.e., sea gold, 500psi, time and time again when tested they do a better job than good old fashioned spit, it is just result of empirical testing. Smear the mask well on the inside, let it dry, rinse once well and dive. If the mask still fogs, try a dry cleanser, but be careful not to sratch the glass in the mask. If done gently it is very effective at removing silicone residue. If that doesn't work, ditch the mask you have already wasted too much time on that one.