are there multiple ways to clear a mask?

just wondering what your thoughts on clearing a mask are!

I like a clear mask...Sometimes I'll switch to my backup mask if needed to avoid excess clearing.

I prefer to look down, let in just a few drops of water and spread it around the glass by tilting my head, then exhale through my nose. You don't need to completely flood a mask to clear it.

Do people usually dive with a backup? I never really thought of doing that. I honestly dont have any issues clearing a mask. My mother, who has more than 300 dives, asked me to post up here to see if there are any interesting techniques to clearing or if the standard way is basically the only way!! Thanks.

Tilt the mask and allow in a little water. Look down and the water will clear the condensate off the glass. When looking forward tilt the mask out a little at the bottom and blow the water out of the mask.

Dirt on the glass is what causes fogging. Clean the mask with a detergent before every dive. Then apply de-fog. If you keep your mask glass sqeaky clean it will never fog.

Additional step for women: Remove all make-up (everything) from face before diving. The make-up will transfer through the water, attach to the glass, and cause fogging.

Tell mom about the make-up

Additional step for women: Remove all make-up (everything) from face before diving. The make-up will transfer through the water, attach to the glass, and cause fogging.

Tell mom about the make-up[/QUOTE]

Simple, good advice - forget any makeup or pay the price. Believe me....its not pretty.

Backup masks are usually carried as insurance against losing a mask, not necessarily because your mask is fogging or being hard to clear.

There are two basic ways to clear: look up and hold mask to forehead to let water leave between the skirt and the upper lip, or look down and let water leave through the purge valve.

Obviously, the looking down method only works if your mask has a purge valve. I'm comfortable with a little water in my mask, and will often clear looking down in my non-purge-valve mask. It leaves water pooled around the nose, which bugs a lot of people. However, it also acts as an incentive to breathe through your mouth, which is the proper way to breathe underwater. Breathing through the nose leads to air bubbles leaving the mask with every exhalation, and every time that happens, another drop of water has a chance to get in the mask.

Masks also often leak because of things caught in the skirt. Run a finger around the entire edge of the mask before you get in to check for hair or a folded over skirt.

If you have to clear all the time, there is a problem somewhere, and you should try to fix it.

Were you talking about clearing a mask, or defogging it?
Most of the above is good advice for defogging (JahJah answers your original question for clearing)...

As for clearing, there are multiple methods... I'm lazy, so my primary is a Sea Vision with a purge... just a matter of breathing out the nose, from any angle...
My backup is a non-purge Sea Vision, and just looking up slightly from prone, one finger with a little pressure on the middle/top of the frame, and blowing through the nose does the trick...

I was curious how the thread ran away with the defogging as well, thanks BKP.

I always dive with a back up mask .... you never know when something will try to steal yours...

30ft down .... self filmed.... just playing... interesting really that she knows that the mask strap is not integral to me...

YouTube - Mask clearing drills

Safe diving,
Ben "Seal diver"
www.youtube.com/bburville