problems with mask fogging

pammyk · May 11, 2005

I have a friend who is having a really bad problem with his mask fogging up repeatedly during dives. He has tried everything from cleaning it with toothpaste and also using defog and spit. He was so frustrated during our dive trip last week. He couldn't see anything during the entire dive and there was so much to see. Does anyone else have these problems? Anyone have any suggestions? I have no problems at all with fogging. I sometimes get a little leakage...but that's about it. He says he is constantly using the little bit of water that gets into his mask to help clear the fog...but that gets exhausting and he ends up sucking down alot of his air due to his frustration. PLEASE HELP!!!!!

Pam

Al Mialkovsky · May 11, 2005

Pam is he overrinsing his mask after applying the defog? I put my defog on early and allow it to sort of form a film and then only rinse it lightly.

ParamedicDiver1 · May 11, 2005

pammyk:
I have a friend who is having a really bad problem with his mask fogging up repeatedly during dives. He has tried everything from cleaning it with toothpaste and also using defog and spit. He was so frustrated during our dive trip last week. He couldn't see anything during the entire dive and there was so much to see. Does anyone else have these problems? Anyone have any suggestions? I have no problems at all with fogging. I sometimes get a little leakage...but that's about it. He says he is constantly using the little bit of water that gets into his mask to help clear the fog...but that gets exhausting and he ends up sucking down alot of his air due to his frustration. PLEASE HELP!!!!!

Pam

Could be several factors...I am assuming that when the mask was first bought that the lens were cleaned with soft scrub to remove the protective film that comes on new masks. If not...then start there. A common reason for masks to fog up is exhaling through the nose, be sure your buddy is mouth breathing only. If he can't stop this, then a mask with a purge value below the nose may be an alternative. As my old OW instructor said, "once the mask is on your face do not take it off again until you are back out of the water." Be sure he is defogging his mask with solution (commercial stuff or my favorite, good ole baby shampoo), rinsing it off with water, then putting it on his face and leaving it there. If that does not help, they do make little magnets that fit inside the mask and outside the mask that act like windshield wipers.

tedwhiteva · May 11, 2005

Make sure your friend is not exhaling at least partially through his nose during normal breathing - someone watch for bubbles around mask during exhalation

H2Andy · May 11, 2005

pam, suggest the following to him:

apply the defog, but do not rinse, about 10 minutes before the dive

immediately before getting in the water, rinse the mask ONCE and put on
face (as Al suggested, don't over-rinse)

do not, under any circumstances, take the mask off again until the end of
the dive, if at all possible

ask him not to breathe in and out through his nose as much as possible

see if that helps

Web Monkey · May 11, 2005

pammyk:
I have a friend who is having a really bad problem with his mask fogging up repeatedly during dives. . . . He says he is constantly using the little bit of water that gets into his mask to help clear the fog...but that gets exhausting and he ends up sucking down alot of his air due to his frustration. PLEASE HELP!!!!!
Pam

He may have a poorly fitting mask, and the water leakage is rinsing out the defog, or he may not be applying it properly.

The mask shouldn't leak very much. If it does, he should stop by his LDS and ask them to take a look and see what the problem is.

Before using the defog, the mask needs to be absolutely clean. He can either use mask cleaner, or I beleive toothpaste (never tried it, I'm still on my 4 year old bottle of mask cleaner).

Once the mask is clean, and dry (dry it with a towel), put one drop of defog on the inside of the mask (right and left sides), smear it all over the glass with your finger, then give it a quick dunk into some clean water, shake it out and put it on.

If you don't clean it first, the defog may not work. If you rinse it too much the defog may not work. If there's too much water leakage, the defog may not work.

That should take care of it.

If he doesn't already have a bottle of defog, baby shampoo works great.

Terry

Web Monkey · May 11, 2005

ParamedicDiver1:
If that does not help, they do make little magnets that fit inside the mask and outside the mask that act like windshield wipers.

Does the magnet come on it's own little retractor?

Terry

MichaelBaranows · May 11, 2005

A few times when having problem with mask fogging I would leave a little water in teh mask to rinse the inside of the len. But only a few drips.

Jason B · May 11, 2005

The people talking about "don't exhale through the nose" are in left field. How is anyone going to keep the air space in the mask equalized if they do not exhale through their nose?
Last mask I bought, toothpaste didn't do diddly squat for it so I tried softscrub. Still no go. Finally read about a guy who used Bon Ami (79 cents for a can) and it worked a charm. Now all I have to do is spit, smear, rinse and put it on, no fogging.

Jason

H2Andy · May 11, 2005

Jason B:
The people talking about "don't exhale through the nose" are in left
field. How is anyone going to keep the air space in the mask equalized if they do not
exhale through their nose?

i said try not to breathe through the nose "as much as possible."

once you are at depth, you shouldn't have to equalize all that much, if
at all. breathing through your nose will only help fog up your mask.

problems with mask fogging

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