Ways to Prevent a Scuba Diving Mask From Fogging

[skyvia]

A foggy mask ruins an entire dive. Fog blocks a diver's view of the incredible underwater world and impedes communication between divers. Fog can be dangerous. A diver distracted by a foggy mask can lose track of his buoyancy or his surroundings. It is possible to prevent any mask from fogging. However, new masks and used masks must be treated in different ways.
1. The Toothpaste Trick: Squirt toothpaste on the inside of the lens and rub it around with your finger or a soft cloth for a few minutes. The simpler the toothpaste, the better, so try to find a paste without bleaching agents and confetti. It may help to leave toothpaste in the mask overnight or to scrub the mask several times to allow the chemicals to react. Avoid using an extremely abrasive toothpaste or rough cloth, as these can scratch the inside of the glass.
2. The Flame Trick: Run the tip of a flame over the inside of the lens until the glass turns black, the flame will burn the residue off. A lighter or a tapered candle works well. Once the inside of the mask lens is totally black, wait for the mask to cool and wipe away the soot with a soft cloth. Repeat this process two or three times until it is difficult to get the glass to turn black. Do not allow the glass to become extremely hot, and do not attempt this trick on masks with plastic lenses (they will melt). Be sure to keep the flame away from the soft silicon skirt of the mask as it will melt with very little heat.

 

[spectrum]

Several scrubbings are almost always needed.

Once scrubbed or burnt the big omission most make is testing. Don't wait to ruin another dive with a foggy mask. Run some cold water or set-up a bowl of ice water to chill the mask in. Take the cold mask and being it to your mouth and exhale the deepest, steamiest breath you can muster. If the mask is dead clean there will be no condensation formed. This will quickly show your where to scrub or qualify the mask.

More on the topic can be read here.

Pete

 

[Doc]

1. The Toothpaste Trick: Squirt toothpaste on the inside of the lens and rub it around with your finger or a soft cloth for a few minutes.

If everyone did this once before every dive, SCUBA Board would collapse due to lack of traffic.

Think of all of the "my mask is fogging threads" you are about to kill, forever.

 

[Scott L]

We commit a relatively small water tight well on our private boat and fill with a baby shampoo/water solution then plunk our masks in well before our 1st dive and in-between subsequent dives for a thorough coating/rinse. Our masks have not come close to fogging since...

Most of my recently acquired masks manuals do not recommend using abrasive products such as toothpaste as they claim it removes anti-fogging properties applied during manufacture...

 

[robint]

And if your mask fogs during a dive.... flood the mask partially and then swish it around, then clear. It will clear off the fog for awhile, you may have to repeat during the day. I have had to do this several times when my masks decides to fog.

robin

 

[FuzzyNutz]

I put a good amount of my own spit inside the mask. Swirl it all over nice and good with your finger, rinse, and you're set! You can never run out or forget it at home either! haha. As mentioned above, if it does happen to get a little foggy, just let in a little water, swish, and clear... although I usually keep a tiny bit of water in my mask throughout the entire dive anyway. With these 2 tricks, I find retail products a complete waste of time and money.

 

[fnfalman]

It doesn't take but a couple of seconds to flood & clear a mask. If a diver's buoyancy is screwed up by then...perhaps that diver needs more remedial training in buoyancy control.

 

[Dyno Bill]

I heard that shark pee works really well............

 

[Guba]

I haven't bought (or used) mask defog in years. I HAVE used Johnson's baby shampoo as defog, and it works better than anything else I've ever tried, with near perfect results.

 

[chrispete]

I was talking with one guy who told me about a time when was desperate after his mask fogged in the middle of a dive. He took the mask off, licked inside of the lenses, and put it back on. He swore it worked. YMMV