Tricks to combat fogging

[stuartv]

This will start an entirely tangential discussion, but ever since my wife and I both got Seavision masks, we have used their prescribed defogger, and neither one of us has ever had a problem.

I have been diving since 1985, and up until the Seavision's; if I ever had a mid-dive fog up, the slow leak of water into the mask method suggested above has been the go-to solution.

My masks are Seavision masks. If I didn't rinse their anti-fog out well enough, I would end up with stinging eyes. I don't have that problem with baby shampoo, and it works just as well (for me).

 

[Lorenzoid]

. . . Some people use diluted baby shampoo which works ok but is a hassle to carry around. I use "Sea Gold Anti Fog Gel." I have not yet encountered a dive shop that doesn't stock it. A little bottle is $7 and will last until you lose it.. . .

Why is baby shampoo a hassle? I bought a huge bottle for a few dollars and have been using it to refill a travel-sized bottle. It will last hundreds of dives. I dispense a little full-strength baby shampoo onto the mask lens, rub it around, swish some water to create a lather, and rinse. I have seen dive boats with a spray bottle of pre-diluted shampoo, but there is no need for a diver to carry one of those around when it's easy enough to swish water in the mask.

 

[ibj40]

My masks are Seavision masks. If I didn't rinse their anti-fog out well enough, I would end up with stinging eyes. I don't have that problem with baby shampoo, and it works just as well (for me).

I can't disagree. Sometimes I get concerned that I rinse the mask too much before putting it on, for the same reason you cite.

 

[Nosnhoj]

Spit... the greener, the cleaner!

 

[Neilwood]

My mask got a toothpaste scrub when it was bought and gets a spit every dive - not had any great issues with fogging.

Any time I have slight fogging (due to temp changes etc), I open the seal a fraction, let a trickle in, slosh it about a bit and clear it. Easy.

 

[admikar]

Before every dive, I just spit on the inside of the glass, rub it in with my thumb

How unhygienic, who knows where that thumb have been?

Scrub the heck out of the new mask with plain Soft Scrub (not the one with bleach). Sit in front of the TV and scrub scrub scrub for 15-20 minutes. Let the scrub dry a bit, rinse, and repeat. Do this 5-6 times.

TWO hours of scrubbing? OK, best case, over an hour? I'll take lighter approach. Actually I did, now rinse, spit and rinse. I do cool my face before putting mask on. Sometimes, if it fogs, I just let some water in, slosh it and clear it out. Never had to do it more than once during a dive. I clean it with liquid soap every few months.

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

Here is our take on the prep for a new mask: