Mask Flood in Cold Water

[xyrandomyx]

I can't remember the thread (it was an old one) or who brought it up, but I read somewhere on these forums that a flooded mask could cause far more anxiety in cold water than warmer water.


I really struggled with learning to clear my mask during my OW course. I ended up spending an extra day in the pool, mostly just practicing that skill. I also spent a considerable amount of time with my head submerged in the kitchen sink, breathing off a snorkel with no mask. I eventually got it right. I thought I was pretty comfortable with this skill.


I do most of my diving in water that's between 12C/ 54F and 15C/ 59F. I plan to get a drysuit early next year and do some more diving on the other side of the Cape Peninsula, where the bottom temperatures are generally between 7C/ 45F and 10C/ 50F (maybe a bit warmer if stay shallow or get lucky). Still not 'cold' by some standards, I guess.


So, I was very interested to see whether the colder water made a difference to my ability to deal with a flooded mask before doing more diving in that colder water. I decided to try removing my mask while snorkelling in that water. I'm not sure what the exact temperature was, but I'd guess at about 50F. I was unpleasantly surprised to find that it did make a difference.


It felt quite similar to the first time I'd tried to clear my mask in my OW course. I didn't panic, I managed to keep my head submerged (it was, afterall, in about 5' of water with just my head submerged). But I struggled to get myself to breathe in or out. I realised at some point that my lungs were far, far too full -- I had to force myself to exhale fully. After a minute or two, I managed to get my breathing to approximate some sort of normal rhythm. It took continuous conscious effort, though.


I wondered if it really was the cold water or if I'd perhaps just forgotten the skill. I haven't removed my mask completely since my OW course (I have dealt with partial floods and leaks, as anyone who dives does). So, I tried the same thing in the kitchen sink again -- no problem. And then I tried it again in the warmer water on the other side of the Peninsula (around about 60F). I felt a little bit awkward for the first couple of breaths, but after consciously exhaling fully and breathing in slowly, I settled into a natural rhythm which didn't take conscious thought.


Anyway, the point of this rather long post: divers that are used to warmer water might want to consider try out some of their basic skills in colder water before heading out on a more challenging dive in those conditions. I know that's probably good advice in general, but I was quite surprised at how much the lower temperature alone affected me. I also realise that this might be due to my own physiology, skills and experience, but I imagine I'm not the only person who'd experience a similar effect.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I always make it a point to put my face in the water before any dive without a mask. Or take a hand full of water and rub it on my face. Including on ice dives. We had to remove and replace masks underwater during my ice course. It was not that big a deal for me as I had previously had to remove and replace a maks in 38 degree water 90 feet down in Lake Erie. The key to maks removal and replacement in cold water is exactly the same as in warm. Concentrating on keeping the breathing rhythm the same. Don't take a huge breath in. If necessary start counting breaths - 1 , 2 , 3 - 1, 2 remove and replace , 3 , 1 , 2, 3,.

 

[Nwcid]

So lets take mask skills completely out of it. How does your face/body react to cold water on your face even in your mask? What happens to your breathing? What happens to your muscles?

I know what happens to mine the first minute or so. Is it the same feeling you are getting when you take the mask of just not as bad?

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Breathing tends to speed up if not conciously controlled. And it can be controlled. Muscles tense up. Then after a few minutes the face goes numb. But the key to controlling the entire body's reacrtion is to control the breathing rate.

 

[xyrandomyx]

So lets take mask skills completely out of it. How does your face/body react to cold water on your face even in your mask? What happens to your breathing? What happens to your muscles?

I know what happens to mine the first minute or so. Is it the same feeling you are getting when you take the mask of just not as bad?

Hrm. Well, if I'm swimming in that water in just boardshorts (which I do every now and then, on days when the air temperature is really high): breathing rate goes up, muscles seem to get a bit tense (and sometimes hurt a little) and I feel the urge to move around quicker than a fidgety child. It's never, however, produced any noticeable anxiety or inability to breathe relatively normally (although a little faster). So, I don't know, it seems different. I realise, though, that it probably shouldn't be that surprising -- still, I was surprised.

---------- Post added December 16th, 2012 at 07:25 PM ----------

Breathing tends to speed up if not conciously controlled. And it can be controlled. Muscles tense up. Then after a few minutes the face goes numb. But the key to controlling the entire body's reacrtion is to control the breathing rate.

I managed to do this: consciously controlling the breathing rate (while snorkelling at least, which I know is not the same as being maskless at 90 ft or similar). In warmer water, though, after just a couple of breaths of consciously controlling my breathing rate, it settles into a fairly normal and automatic rhythm. I was waiting for that to happen in the cold water, but it just didn't (well, not after about five minutes or so, or on my second and third attempts).

And it wasn't just that it was faster -- I found myself automatically wanting to hold an almost full breath in my lungs, had to sort of force myself to exhale. I associate that feeling with anxiety/ stress rather than just cold (although it was clearly triggered by the cold). I don't know. I know what the solution is -- practice some more in cold water. I thought perhaps another relatively new diver might also not have realised this was possible, though, and might learn a bit from my experience (and the comments that will surely follow).

 

[Nwcid]

My point is all the things you talk about are amplified the colder the water. When you body has all those reactions it can lead to anxiety, it is how our bodies work. Damn survival instinct. So when real cold hits your face "shocking" you one of of your body's natural instincts is to hold your breath. Here is a little more information on it, Mammalian diving reflex - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The easiest way to overcome things is to understand why it happens. Once you understand it you can work on ways to lessen the effects.

 

[tomfcrist]

Just eat some zani-bars before your dive, that should solve the anxiety issues....

 

[Tigerman]

You know that "AHhh<all motion and breathing stops here>hhH crap" feeling when you go into a shower thats way too cold or way to hot?
Well THATS what happens if you flood the mask when its really cold in the water. Once youre over that part, its just like in warm water.

Well except that freezing just in the mask area while the rest of the face is numb is a bit weird

 

[Peter_C]

Breathing tends to speed up if not conciously controlled. And it can be controlled. Muscles tense up. Then after a few minutes the face goes numb. But the key to controlling the entire body's reacrtion is to control the breathing rate.

To add to Jim's writing, I found I tend to inhale more air when maskless, and this changes buoyancy. Now I know when my mask is off I have to keep breathing normally and if anything exhale a little more to stay more neutral.

If the water is colder than 50 degrees, the ice cream headache that ensues can be brutal.

 

[Colliam7]

I read somewhere on these forums that a flooded mask could cause far more anxiety in cold water than warmer water. . . . So, I was very interested to see whether the colder water made a difference to my ability to deal with a flooded mask before doing more diving in that colder water. . . .I was unpleasantly surprised to find that it did make a difference.

I am not surprised at all - pardon the play on words. It certainly makes a difference for me.

I wondered if it really was the cold water or if I'd perhaps just forgotten the skill. I haven't removed my mask completely since my OW course

And, that (not removing the mask) is a key point (see below)

Anyway, the point of this rather long post: divers that are used to warmer water might want to consider try out some of their basic skills in colder water before heading out on a more challenging dive in those conditions. . . . I was quite surprised at how much the lower temperature alone affected me. I also realise that this might be due to my own physiology, skills and experience, but I imagine I'm not the only person who'd experience a similar effect.

As a general observation, no mask breathing u/w is one of the primary difficulties I see for OW students in general. Skills such as performing the CESA, completing an underwater navigation exercise, taking gear off and putting it back on underwater, and - of course - developing good buoyancy control and trim, all of these may challenge a student's skill and require repetition to acheive mastery. But, they generally don't induce panic. Sucking water (warm or cold) up the nose underwater can turn an otherwise comfortable, rational diver into a 'bolter' in an instant. I have seen that happen, more than once.

I am convinced, from personal experience, that the shock of facial skin / soft tissue being suddenly immersed in very cold water can 'take your breath away' to borrow a phrase, and cause you to inhale abruptly - forgetting to practice airway control (and only inhale through the mouth).

No mask breathing is, for me as a diver and as an instructor, one of the most critical skills. It should be practiced regularly after certification. During tech training, it was probably the single skill that almost caused me to say, 'To H... with it!' Today, I regularly go to local quarry, to what we call the 'Deep Hole' - 93 feet - and flood and remove my mask and sit there and breath for several minutes, just to be sure I can still do it. In warm water in the pool or in the Caribbean, it is a piece of cake. In 43 degree quarry water, it is a piece of something else.

You are not alone, it is not just your physiology. You may not have 'forgotten' the skill, but it sounds like you had not practiced it. If you are going to dive cold water, you should practice it, regularly, and in cold water. But, frankly, I think it is a skill that every diver should regularly practice.