Problems Removing Mask

thnx for that fantastic site . my question : when i try to make taking off the mask i can`t breath , i feel my throat closes , but i can stay along time without the mask under water , what should i do ?!!

Your question is somewhat confusing (hey I'm Canadian eh?) You seem to be saying that you can't breath underwater with your mask-off, but yet you're a certified diver. How can this be?

Sounds more like a comfort & anxiety thing than a medical problem, yet an important one to overcome. I think some very shallow pool practice might be in order then more deeper, but I hope you get better advice soon.

Try pinching your nose with your mask off, then breathe. If that works, do that for a bit so you get used to breathing with your mask off, then slowly try breathing without your nose pinched. The first time I took my mask off underwater, I had a hard time concentrating on breathing. When I pinched my nose I could breathe fine. I did that for a few seconds, then let go, I could breathe fine. I think I was thinking about my mask too much. Very easy to do it now.

But like DCBC said, how are you a ceritfied diver without being able to master that skill? I just got certified, and that was one of the skills we had to get down in the pool time, before we could ever get in the open water.

Mask removal is a inconvenience, nothing more. Practice in the pool or shallow water until it becomes second nature. You can do this.

I feel your pain. its awkward for sure. sometimes and yeah i am a geek, when i am driving i try to breath through my mouth and keep my nose out of it. its like reverse meditation. concentrate on your mouth breathing and try to "train" yourself to not use your nose. Its not easy its a natural reaction to want to use both....



hope that helps
ww

Your problem can be solved. Of course it would be easier to solve if you lived next door, but you can do it.

Never pinch your nose. It's a bad habit and does nothing to actually solve your problem. It can actually make it worse.

Often, important skills are left out of OW classes. Take your time and practice each step until you are comfortable before moving to the next.

Leave your SCUBA gear in your bag. You only need 3 things at the pool at this point. 1. Mask 2. Snorkel 3. Weight belt with weight.

At no point will you leave the shallow end of the pool.

Take your snorkel off your mask and put on your weight belt. With your mask on the pool deck, your snorkel in your hand and your weight belt on, get into the shallow end of the pool. You should be where when you stand you are no deeper than chest deep, waist deep is even better. Put your snorkel in your mouth and breathe from it. Now, bend over and breathe through your snorkel while you dip your face into the water. If you are comfortable, stay awhile until you feel natural. If you have difficulty, think about drinking through a straw while you practice the excercise. Remember, you can always stand up straight to end the excercise at any time. If you need to, you can slowly build up your time until you feel comfortable.

Next, practice dropping underwater, allowing the snorkel to flood and coming up to blast it clear, leaving your face in the water. Continue until you are comfortable

At this point, you have accomplished three important things.

1. You lowered your anxiety level by working in a no risk (shallow) environment.
2. You became an expert in no mask breathing.
3. You know you can breathe with a flooded mask.

If you are also having difficulty with mask clearing you can add the following drills. It's a good idea to add them anyway just to increase your proficiency.

Now, put your snorkel down and pick up your mask. Put it on and drop down to your knees. Break the seal just enough to allow a small amount of water in. Clear the mask. Do not pull out on the bottom, merely push in on the top while looking up. The biggest mistake most people make is not looking up. The second most common mistake people make is not exhaling through their nose. Keep your mouth closed. Repeat this until you are comfortable. Don't forget to stand up and catch your breath between clearings. Now, increase the amount of water you allow into the mask to about ¼ flooded. When you are comfortable with that level, move to ½, then to a fully flooded mask. When you've reached the point you can clear it easily every time, see how many times you can clear it on one breath. Keep working on it until you can clear it at least three times on one breath. After you are at this point, clearing your mask will be easy. You will have reached it in a step by step manner that was easy to accomplish.

Remember, you can always stand up if you feel uncomfortable.

great advise. I will follow it as well.

ww

First off, what you are feeling isn't uncommon. It's called "mammalian reflex", and is more pronounced in some people than others. It's something we developed as air-breathers that is intended to keep us from breathing when our nostrils sense water ... in other words, a survival instinct. It shows up in scuba diving as a sensation that our regulator isn't working properly ... but that's just your brain messing with you.

As other members have noted, this is something that should have been caught and corrected in your basic OW training ... it's one of the reasons you are taught to flood and clear your mask. That said, it's often the case that people will have less of a problem with it in warmer water than cold. I have sometimes had students in higher-level classes who learned to dive in the tropics and never experienced it ... but as soon as they remove their mask in cold water it becomes a problem.

I use a different approach than Walter ... but it achieves the same objective. The way I do it with my students is to start in very shallow water ... where you can stand up. Start by simply bending over and putting your face in the water with your mask on and reg in mouth. Take a few breaths ... then remove your mask. Continue breathing. When the discomfort level reaches a point where you are having difficulty breathing, straighten up ... take a few breaths above the surface, then try again. Continue doing this until you can take a few breaths with your mask off without discomfort.

Now kneel down and repeat the process ... only standing up if the discomfort level reaches a point where you really have to. For "extra credit", try replacing and clearing your mask rather than standing up ... it's good practice anyway. Continue repeating the exercise here until you can take several breaths maskless without a sensation of discomfort of anxiety.

It may take some time before you adapt your reflexes ... but you will adapt. I've done this several times with people who are now successfully removing their mask whenever they want to.

If the symptoms are severe, start in a pool where the water is warmer first ... but since the effect is more pronounced in colder water, you will want to do this in the coldest water you're likely to dive in before considering yourself fully adapted.

Oh ... and it goes without saying, but make sure you have a buddy handy to assist if needed. Sometimes just having another diver watching you will make the transition easier ... but it's always best to have someone to assist in case you have a problem whenever you are doing an exercise like this one.

Best of luck ... although with a bit of practice and persistence, you won't need luck to resolve the problem ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

One of the hardest things for me to learn when I first started was taking my mask off under the water. Now when I think about it I laugh. It took practice, and practice, and still more practice. And when I had time on my hands I would practice some more until it became second nature.

And don't forget, we were taught a different procedure for clearing our masks. Originally I was taught to take my left hand and cover one half of my mask. Then I would turn until the water was on my right side of my face, this meant turning my whole body. Then I would push on the mask, exhale and purge the water.

I also laugh when I think of that maneuver.

other divers have posted excellent advice in this post that should help you achieve your goal.

just don't forget to practice