flooding the mask

[luvakumal]

I am looking into getting certified and will probably start the first portion of the training in about a week One of my concerns is the flooding of the mask during the open water dive portion of certification. I am planning on completing the second portion in Mexico at the end of April. My eyes are very sensitive and I'm worried about the salt water aggravating them. How do people handle the little bit (or more) of salt water that would get into their eyes during this portion. My eyes have a tendency to water a LOT after I get a drop of saltwater in them. Any suggestions or is it just something you deal with?

 

[The Surly Mermaid]

Do you close your eyes when you flood your mask? If not you may want to consider keeping them closed during this exercise in salt water. It will reduce the amount of salt in your eyes. I dive with contacts so I'm careful to shut my eyes when I do any mask flooding or removal. My husband has your same "eye issue" and he just keeps his eyes shut and has no major problems......at least with the eye issue.

 

[Bratface]

Just keep your eyes closed as suggested above. Salt water does sting but you will be ok if you shut your eyes until your mask is completely cleared.

 

[don Francisco]

It's not the mask flooding excercise you should be worried about. In the real world of diving masks flood for a number of reasons & it's crirical that you can manage a flooded mask as just one more inconvenience to be dealt with & corrected. Closing your eyes during the excercise will definitely get you through it more easily, but what happens when you get a surprise flood at 60 feet?
I don't mean to discourage you, because you can get past this. Your eyes will tear & burn, but you can build up your tolerance to it by exposing them to the open sea at the beach for a few seconds at a time, working up to the point where you can just work through it.
I speak from experience, I have sensitiave eyes & allergies, and sometimes my eyes burn for over 5 minutes after getting a drop of seawter in them, leaving me the choice of taking off the mask to rub them a little (of course this doesn't work) or using willpower to just wait it out.
Don't let this be an obstacle to diving, but don't dive un less you're prepared to deal with all of the contingencies you might reasonable expect. Remember surprise can lead to panic & panic leads to injury.

 

[iceaxe]

I don't know what kind of certification you're going for but mine required me too swim with my buddy without a mask on for 30-60 seconds. He had us open our eyes, it actually wasn't that bad at all. I've had my mask knocked off my face at depth so I'm glad I got that bit of training--I'll even do it to pose for pictures...see my avatar.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

It doesn't sting as much as shampoo in your eyes. Don't sweat it. It's a minor thing and as long as you don't obsess about it you won't even notice. Eyes closed works.

 

[Oceanna21]

I'd say that it's just something that you have to deal with. It's pretty minor compared to all other skills you have to accomplish. As for your eyes watering, I'd say that's a pretty good indication that your eyes are working fine. After all, tears do the job of washing away debris, salt water etc etc

If you're afraid that you might not see through the tears, just take extra precautions such as making sure you're not near any coral formation, swift currents etc. Or get a buddy to hang on to you

You'll be fine with practice. If you want, just do a couple of mask clears during each dive, whether or not it is necesary, just to keep in practice and to get used to the sensation.