Today's lesson, courtesy Mother Ocean

[TSandM]

I went diving Wednesday morning and spent several minutes while we were on our way in flooding my mask and swimming with it flooded, and then clearing it the way Mike told me to do it. I still don't like swimming with a flooded mask one little bit, but my dive buddy didn't even notice I was doing it, so I must have been managing reasonably well. Just something to keep doing until it doesn't bother me any more. Lose the rattle, as Mike says.

 

[mac_diver]

After reading this thread, most responses are related to a flooded mask (not surprising since that is what lead to the panic situation). However, the question that comes to my mind is what is my weakness that I need to work on before it happens for real. We all have something that we are uncomfortable with. This is the skill we should practice the most.

edited for grammatical error.

 

[TSandM]

That's why I started a thread about what your "rattle" is. Mike's remark about my knowing what to do to solve my problem had I not gotten rattled really struck home. I think many of us have a "rattle" or a weak spot, and they really should be worked on before the ocean finds out what they are

 

[fairybasslet]

I went diving Wednesday morning and spent several minutes while we were on our way in flooding my mask and swimming with it flooded, and then clearing it the way Mike told me to do it. I still don't like swimming with a flooded mask one little bit, but my dive buddy didn't even notice I was doing it, so I must have been managing reasonably well. Just something to keep doing until it doesn't bother me any more. Lose the rattle, as Mike says.

Glad Mike's suggestion worked. I only found this thread today and was going to suggest the same thing. (Glad I read the whole thread before answering )In fact, I was taught to "look up" when clearing my mask, so I never close my eyes when clearing. I really think that closing your eyes caused your disorientation.
When I was in Thailand, I was having a whole lot of trouble with a new mask. My first dive, I could hardly see anything the whole dive. I would deliberately flood the mask because I could see better with the mask full of water. LOL

 

[TSandM]

Closing my eyes didn't cause my disorientation. Opening them to a flooded mask did! I can't explain it, but I do okay (at least for a while) swimming with my eyes closed. It's having them open and not being able to see anything useful that rattles me.

 

[rjpv]

I feel you... when I see a fin loom up in front of me ready to kick something off, I grab my mask... I can easily retrive a displaced reg, but if I lose my mask I am much less of a happy camper!

 

[JahJahwarrior]

I'm wondering, how does anybody open their eyes under salt water? I'm ok in a pool or fresh water, but if even a little bit of salt water gets in my mask, my eyes start to burn. ?

 

[TSandM]

That's interesting -- I've found the salt water doesn't bother my eyes NEARLY as much as a chlorinated pool does. The cold is a little hard at first, though.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

In warm water, I can swim in salt and freshwater without a mask with no problem (and the colors look brighter). In cold water, say below 50 degrees, opening your eyes underwater is much harder and it is really not comfortable for me at all. I have had a few times were I could not get a mask to seat (i.e., clear) and it is always related to the hood. I have found that, if I give a couple of tries and the mask doesn't seat, the best option is to take the mask completely off (including the mask strap), calmly pull the hood back a little and then put the mask on. There is something about completely removing the mask and re-seating it that makes the problem go away.