The Horror of Mask Removal

[bermudaskink]

pm3009,

Some masks are easier to clear than others. Try a few different types if possible. The ones with low volume will a be a lot easier to clear (less water to get out) so you might want to invest in a nice low volume mask. I reccomend a TUSA mask. Mine's a Tusa Platina and is really easy to clear in one slow, moderate breath

 

[solodyver]

I dive here in the Northwest,which means the water is 48 to 52 degrees. Mask clearing really does suck when the water is that cold. I hate it so much that I do everything I can to avoid getting it removed. Including putting the mask UNDER my hood.
This works rather well. Anyway, what I am getting at is ,I start my rebreather training in December, and ofcourse, one of the skills is,,,MASK CLEARING. Damn!!!!

Looks like its time I sat in about 20 feet of water and practice, practice, practice.
Thanks for some of the Ideas People ......

 

[d33ps1x]

Mask clearing seems to be one of the awkward things for most new divers to get around.

Since people have a habit of always kicking me in the face and breaking my mask seal I've gotton lots of practice at this one.

As far as exhaling for clearing. Forcefully works fine for me and going slow doesn't seem to benefit things anymore. Cressi Sub Horizon takes half a lungful to clear from full flood. Once massive blast and all good.

 

[VTernovski]

ChrisM once bubbled...
Agreed, this was my biggest bugaboo, but with lots of practice it goes away. Having contacts makes it difficult too.

My greatest sans mask accomplishment was in my DIRF class, where we had to follow a cave line, thru a kelp forest, without masks, while sharing air (and without losing a contact, even swimming with eyes open). Felt pretty good after that one.
Chris

I have no problems removing my mask and openin gmy eyes... in fresh water. in salt water, however, I hate it, it eats my eyes and all I want to do after I put my mask back on is to scratch my eyes... argggg! Any other opinions on opening eyes in salt water?

 

[d33ps1x]

Opening eyes underwater sucks in general. If someoneone kicked my mask off and I had to fix it and could do it by feel I wouldn't bother opening them. Not unless I really need too which considering how useful eyes without a barrier of air are underwater is rarely.

 

[seaangel]

I concur that mask removal, flooding and clearing seems to be the number one fear for new divers. Also, for divers that do not practice skills or dive more than occassionally.

I was not afraid of removing my mask or clearing it during my pool sessions, didn't really love it, but knew I had to do it. So I muddled through in the pool and could do all the return demonstrations. Then in OW checkout I was asked to be first and boy did I blow it. After the initial inability to clear on the next dive I was fine. The best advice I got was from the Assisting Instructor, he told me to close my eyes and think through the entire procedure what to do. Visualize with eyes closed, move slowly, to not rush and breathe relaxed through my regulator, and open my eyes once mask cleared. I did and whalla it worked perfect.

Now almost 3 years later and 150 + dives, I flood my mask every dive and clear it. I have had it kicked off partially, and even had a strong current pull my mask off completely. I have not panicked just took care of it. I feel prepared to take care of it and it is just a natural part of diving to me.

We practice air sharing and regulator exchanges regularly when I dive too. Removing my regulator is absolutely not a problem. Last time when I did I even had to breathe with my buddies upside down until we could get repositioned. That was interesting. But, I did not feel panicked or scared I just purged it, took a breath then removed it, untangled the hose that caused it to be upside down, put it in my mouth and started breathing again. We both laughed about it later. She said it looked really funny at the time and didn't know it I realized it was upside down. I told her I understood, her signals and knew, but I also knew how to breathe with it upside down. (My instructor had taught us how to handle this too.) With the exhaust on the ScubaPro regulators as they are upside down all you do is tilt your head down toward your chest, it will operate just fine.

I find that once learned skills, especially after practice they are still there in our recall. Staying calm allows us to use them better. Staying calm is really the hard part.

 

[scuba_katt]

I too hated removing my mask during my OW class several years ago, and even today as a Rescue Diver, I avoid doing it, not because of the whole water up the nose thing... but because I wear contact lenses!

I am legally blind without the aid of glasses or contact lenses, so its pretty damn important that the slippery little buggers stay in my eyes... The price of losing one (ie $$$) does not bother me, because I use daily disposables which means, that if I was to lose one, its the equivalent of losing about AU$2.00, rather than AU$100-AU$300 for long-use lenses.

My problem is the whole, upon removal of my mask would I have to sit there like Blind Freddy with my eyes squeezed tightly closed and hope that my dive buddy will be my "seeing eye dog" back to the boat, or would I try opening my eyes to the itchy salt water and risk the loss of one of my lenses to the big blue?

Anyone else have this problem!?

Cheers
Katt

 

[cantlogon]

won't see this. First, as with a lot of things in diving, whatever works for you, works for you. As an instructor with close to 5,000 dives now, I have to take off my mask/teach it all the time. What works best for ME, and most of my students, is to 1) have your face slightly down when you flood the mask....just like swimming the crawl stroke, if you're face down, you don't get water up your nose. 2) take a BIG breath...through your mouth, of course...and SLOWLY AND CONTINUOUSLY exhale out your nose. This can be done while either a) pushing in at the top of the mask, as is shown in most training videos I've seen or b) the way I find works better, slightly loosening/opening the lower part of the mask. Once you get good at it, you can open the mask out far enough to get a finger in and scratch your nose, whatever...but just slightly loosened is best for beginners. Keep you face slightly down, while exhaling, until almost all the water is gone...then, as you STILL exhale, slowly raise your face slightly upwards to get out the remainder of the water. Make sure you begin exhaling JUST before loosening the lower edge of the mask, and CONTINUE to exhale until just AFTER "closing" the lower edge once you've gotten all the water out. A mistake I sometimes see is divers clearing the mask ok, but then leaving that lower mask skirt "open" after they've finished exhaling....allowing water to get back in.

A couple final points: 1) all you're doing is putting air into the mask to DISPLACE the water....if you take an upside down glass full of water with you, (underwater) and breathe a few bubbles of air into it, you'll see that the bubbles force the water out just fine....and they bubbles aren't "forcefully" entering the glass.
2) your lungs are a lot bigger than the inside of your mask. As long as you remember to take that big breath BEFORE trying to clear the mask, you should have plenty of air to clear the mask easily....I know I can do it a dozen or more times on a single breath.

Good luck, practice in a safe, shallow place until you DON'T worry about it...that's the only way it will ever become 2nd nature and you'll be able to do it safely if your mask is flooded accidentally during an actual dive. Most of the serious/potentially serious "diver bolting to the surface" situations I've seen have been from divers getting a bit of water into the mask & panicking. Diving is safe....divers are dangerous!

Chris
www.letsdiveguam.com

 

[cattrax]

I always have a spare mask under my right harness strap by my right shoulder. I practice by removing my spare mask and putting my hand through it so it is on my left arm. Then I remove my mask from my face while blowing gentley through my nose. I put my spare mask on without the strap , take a deep breath and blow out my nose while tipping my head back till its clear and then put the strap on. Then I do it again and stow the spare on.

You can't practice this enough because you won't be expecting it when someone does knock your mask off.

 

[blackice]

When I was doing pool sessions for my Deco courses we did a drill to test bouancy skills, it involved taking off your mask under water and maintaining your position in the water.
At first it's funny feeling the bubbles on your face, but after a while you become calmer and there is a peace about it. As you can't see anything it's all about feeling the increase and decrease in pressure on your ears.
A good exercise to practise and see if you can notice the change.