Mask Flood in Cold Water

[TMHeimer]

I check water temp. before each dive, so I know what I'm in for. Mask off/clearing skills seem to be a sore point for some. If it's 33F water I am fine with any mask off thing. I get more concerned with my hands getting cold, and occasionally my feet. It's bravado maybe, but cold water on the face is just a "so what" for me.

 

[dpaustex]

Not sure the water temperature makes a difference, or not. If water below 60, I normally wear a hood, so really only the front of your face is exposed.

I think the real issue is people don't make a practice of removing their masks. I do it on almost every dive (that I am leading), just so people remember it's "no big deal". I have noticed (in class), most people have difficulty if their mask is not "tall enough". This means the nose pocket should not be wedged against the nostrils, so when they put pressue on the top of the mask an exhale, the bottom skirt hangs on the bottom of the nose.

At the beginning of each trip series, I always practice mask removal on the check-out dive we always do on the first day. It's simply a good idea to do a quick skills run-through as a "just in case". Great confidence builder, too, and makes the following days dives much more fun.

 

[stevensamler]

I am not surprised at all - pardon the play on words. It certainly makes a difference for me.And, that (not removing the mask) is a key point (see below)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.

I regularly flood and replace my mask on almost every dive and spit out my reg then go to my octo and then back to my primary. Today after we made the turn i stopped my buddy and gave the i'm ok sign and then reached over and took his octo to breath on for a minute. I wanted to know how well it breaths at depth and then i returned the favour it never hurts to do a little practice off the cuff.

 

[Dam0]

My regular buddy and I have started doing this on a regular basis. With us both going down the tech route we felt this and other skills needed to be practised.

In the uk, it's always cold to some degree. Currently we're in 6 degree water in the local quarry, mask removal is really taking our breath away but something we're determined to get confident with. We tend to do this at 8 meters though.

The tips above are really helpful. I'm taking my mask of for seconds and breathing rapidly. I need to get to a point where I can breath relatively normally and a minute to two.

 

[xyrandomyx]

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.

The bit I highlighted in your quote above seems an important point to me. You're right, I should be practicing this skill regularly. But I've managed to get away with not practicing in the temperate water I'm used to diving in -- I'm still comfortable with the skill in that water. Cold water's an entirely different story.

 

[tdtaylor]

In our part of the world, when in a quarry, the surface air can be 95F, but it is around 40F at depth. That's a lot of change for the body. But practicing can get you over it. After practiced enough times, you can be prepared for the "slap in the face." I'll often let a little water leak in on our way down and clear just to ease into it. But after enough dives, you do get acclimated to it. I agree with Jim to splash a little cold water on your face, but sometimes that is just not possible in the summer.

More important in this specific situation is getting into your drysuit on quickly and into the water before you melt

 

[TSandM]

I think it's actually quite important for people who learn in warm water, to try this skill if they move to cold. I had a buddy with about 45 dives, generally a very reliable and solid diver, become completely irrational and panic when his mask flooded in 48 degree water. He had never practiced his mask skills after his certification class in Thailand, and the ice water on his face completely undid him.

 

[xyrandomyx]

I think it's actually quite important for people who learn in warm water, to try this skill if they move to cold. I had a buddy with about 45 dives, generally a very reliable and solid diver, become completely irrational and panic when his mask flooded in 48 degree water. He had never practiced his mask skills after his certification class in Thailand, and the ice water on his face completely undid him.

My experiment makes me think that it's not just important for those moving from warm-warm to cold-cold water -- any relatively significant shift in temperature might make a difference for some. I did my OW checkout dives in 57F water -- not quite 'cold', but certainly not Thailand.

---------- Post added December 18th, 2012 at 01:37 AM ----------

In our part of the world, when in a quarry, the surface air can be 95F, but it is around 40F at depth. That's a lot of change for the body. But practicing can get you over it. After practiced enough times, you can be prepared for the "slap in the face." I'll often let a little water leak in on our way down and clear just to ease into it. But after enough dives, you do get acclimated to it. I agree with Jim to splash a little cold water on your face, but sometimes that is just not possible in the summer.

More important in this specific situation is getting into your drysuit on quickly and into the water before you melt

We have a similar difference in temperature on hot summer days, but it's usually not quite so warm -- maybe 80F, a few degrees cooler if you're clever and get into the water before midday. We're on a peninsula, so there are two quite different strips of coast, one with colder water than the other. I usually stick to the warmer side, but the prevailing wind and swell means the colder side offers better diving (and fewer undive-able days) in summer. So I'm hoping to get myself ready to venture out onto the cold side soon to dive more often.

Aside from a drysuit, a large bottle of water for drinking and pouring on yourself is recommended gear, especially on shore dives where there's a long trudge from parking lot to shore in the heat.

 

[TMHeimer]

While I agree that one should be proficient in ALL the skills, I would doubt regular practise--ei. every dive-- removing/clearing a mask would be necessary. I would think it should not be necessary, regardless of water temp. I'm in a minority here. Although I had some trouble with a couple of other skills in OW, I almost questioned why mask clearing is even a skill. Pretty basic.

 

[TSandM]

Honestly, I end up doing partial clears often enough that it isn't an issue -- but if you have a mask that fits perfectly, you could go a long time without a full flood. A sudden influx of ice water can rattle an otherwise solid diver, if he hasn't had that experience before, or hasn't had it in a long time.