Ashamed I can't mask clear!

[DivemasterDennis]

The answer, Diving Dubai, is simple to state, but work to do. Practice, practice, practice. Practice the skill as often as you can. It is an important skill to master, and mastery comes through repetition. You difficulty may be technique related, not just a mental block. When mask clearing is done properly it is much easier than your experience has been, and the mental block goes away. Remember to look up. Remeber to not hold the mask away from your face, your will let the water back in the moment you stop breathing out through your nose. There are other common errors, but mask clearing is a very individualized thing. Consider reviewing your video on the subject or even joining in a class that is working on the skill. If you have a good relationship with a local dive center, they should let you do that without charge.
Divemaster

 

[Bear Yates]

I won't lie to you. I've only been doing this since September, so I'm nowhere near being an expert. And from the get go I had an issue with this same thing. The only thing I found that works for me, personally, is that I breathe out through my nose the entire time. It's my personal preference, but I had a huge issue with the mask clearing part of my initial training because I would get the mask back on my face and then try to suck it back to my face only to end up snorting water. So this is what I did and it's worked for me pretty good well. Whenever I go out, no matter where it is, even in a pool, I take a few minutes before I ever get to any kind of depth just to do this one thing so that I know if it happens while I'm down I'm not going to try snorting up whatever body of water I'm in. In the end you have to find what works for you. Once you find it though, you'll run with it forever.

 

[TSandM]

Go somewhere where you can stand with your face in salt water, and flood and clear the mask over and over and over again, until you are bored.

Then take a snorkel and go snorkeling, and flood and clear the mask until you are bored.

Then go on scuba and see if you still have your phobia.

I have a thing about having a mask full of water on my face. To this day (ten years and about 1500 dives) it still bothers me. It took a LOT of time of swimming around with a deliberately flooded mask, to be sure I could cope with it when it came unexpectedly, and yesterday, I got a reminder that I probably need to revisit the problem, because it's been too long since I made myself do it.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I've had this issue with students before. TSandM will remember a former dive buddy of ours who freaked one time because his mask flooded ... and he had about 70 dives by then ... because he'd avoided the skill rather than practicing to overcome his phobia of it.

My recommendation ... that which works for those I've worked with, and helped this particular dive buddy overcome his phobia ... is to go stand somewhere in chest deep water and practice it in a place where you can "safely" do so through progressive repetitions. Start by putting your face in the water without a mask, reg in mouth, and breathing. See if you can take 10 breaths just standing there with your face in the water without a mask. If not, take your face out of the water when it gets too uncomfortable, give yourself time to get your head back in a calm place, and do it again ... and again ... until you can manage 10 breaths. Now put your mask on, put your face in the water and flood your mask. Repeat the process above until you can flood a cleared mask and take 10 breaths with it flooded. Now kneel down in the same place ... deep enough to cover your mask, shallow enough that you can stand up if you need to ... and practice flood and clear over and over and over. Stand up when you need to ... if the exercise starts to get the better of you. You're "rewiring" your brain, and that happens best with repetition.

Some folks are just more sensitive to the feel of water in their mask than others. The good news is that the brain adapts ... some of us just require more effort for that adaptation to take place than others. With practice, it'll become no big whoop ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[TSandM]

Hmm . . . where do you think I got the advice in my post above yours, Bob?

 

[crabbyfiddler]

I agree with others that mask clearing can be a bit of a pita. I remember my instructor laughing at me because I did a one handed technique...never occurred to me that it was not the norm. I work with my hands all the time, and am used to monitoring the way things feel. So, I feel if I am breaking the mask seal evenly. Most of the time now I just barely muss the seal and let a tiny bit of water in when I fog, which isn't that often. And I make it a point to futz with my mask right after I get in the water so I know I have a good seal, no rolled edges, no hair caught, etc.

I have one friend who lubes up his face with vaseline. He swears by the seal that it creates. Says he never floods when he laughs or makes a facial expression.

You may never grow to like it, but practice can make it a natural thing that doesn't freak you out.

 

[TMHeimer]

You can clear easily in the pool with eyes open--man I hate that chlorine. Are your eyes perhaps sensitive to salt water only? Maybe try to clear it with eyes closed? There is some good advice already given, but it seems to me you are right in that it's just mental. Maybe try to clear it in a salt water pool if available or some other way to do it in salt water besides the ocean? Haven't heard of this problem so I'm not much help. Of course I assume your mask is a good fit.

Not at all addressing your problem, but I have found my mask has never fogged (cold or warm water) since using baby shampoo as defog. There is also a way to "burn" your mask glass to prevent fogging.

 

[Diving Dubai]

I have a thing about having a mask full of water on my face. To this day (ten years and about 1500 dives) it still bothers me. It took a LOT of time of swimming around with a deliberately flooded mask, to be sure I could cope with it when it came unexpectedly, and yesterday, I got a reminder that I probably need to revisit the problem, because it's been too long since I made myself do it.

Post like this reassure me. I'm not the only one out there, its just you guys have got over the mental block. I will indeed get into the sea when it warms up a little and go do this. I have no excuse given the beach in only 15 min drive away. I'll try to man up over the weekend and do the clear drill next to the boat - given I'm on a 2 day cruise with my club and there are at least 5 advanced instructors onboard.

I forced myself to go swimming in the sea, out of my depth without a mask or snorkel and was fine with it (learning to back flip as a dive - not with gear I hasten to add)

It's more a dislike of the stinging and burning of the nose and eyes from splashes of water. When I do actually carry out mask clears (reluctantly) they generally go okay and I pat myself on the back knowing it wasn't as bad as I thought nd tell myself how stupid I've been. This is short lived as the reluctance is there the next time

---------- Post added January 27th, 2015 at 10:33 AM ----------

Of course I assume your mask is a good fit.

Not at all addressing your problem, but I have found my mask has never fogged (cold or warm water) since using baby shampoo as defog. There is also a way to "burn" your mask glass to prevent fogging.

Al my masks are great - I have 3 now. A standard size, a go-pro mask and a new low volume. All apart from the Go-Pro are Aqualung which have a knuckle hinge where the strap connects with the mask - this gives some latitude as to how you position the strap without it breaking the seal.


Regarding fogging - I too use baby shampoo, generally the only time I get a fog is if my mask isn't fully dry before I apply - either after the first dive in our "winter" or in the summer in high humidity when nothing dries. I know carry a micro fibre golf towel to dry my mask before applying

 

[AfterDark]

Clearing my mask was the single hardest skill I learned during training. It wasn't the water on my face, it was concern that I'd use all the air in my lungs to clear the mask and end up with a mask full of water and empty lungs. I don't how they teach it these days but we learned sans SCUBA, one lung full of air is more than enough to clear a mask and actually much less is needed. I was able to accomplish the skill but like you wasn't comfortable with it. I wasn't confident in my ability to do it right every time which imo is the way it should be.

That changed when I bought a used mask because I couldn't afford a new one. My new/old mask leaked from the top! I could watch one trickle of water run down the faceplate and contact my nose. This required clearing........often, all during the dive. By the end of the summer I was a Mask Clearing Jedi Master!

I learned how to clear my mask by rolling on my side without even stopping, successfully, every time. It became as second nature as breathing or finning. I used that mask another season before I could afford to replace it with a new one from Walmart! A $15.00 USD 3 sided glass mask that fit perfectly and never leaked ever, even after 15 years of use with the skirt all wrinkled and wavy, I still have it but I use a new expensive mask from the LDS my daughters bought me for a Fathers Day.

So all I can tell you OP is keep introducing water into your mask and clearing. After a few thousand times or so you'll get it.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

There is also a way to "burn" your mask glass to prevent fogging.

The "burn" method is only used to remove the protective coating they put on the inside of the lens during manufacture. A more traditional method to remove this is to use a non-gel toothpaste or other mild abrasive paste. Once that coating has been removed, burning the inside of the lens won't accomplish anything.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)