Basic Breathing Technique

[slampe]

Hello, I am new to scuba diving and had my first class today. The instructor told the proper technique is to breathe in through our mouth and out through our nose. I was able to do this, but noticed it it much easier to breathe in and out through just the mouth. Especially since your have to fight the resistance of your mask to expel air through your nose not to mention the squeaking sound that air escaping from my mask would make.

I did some research online when I got home and all the info I've seen says that you should only breathe through the mouth unless you are doing a mask clearing. They also say that exhaling from the nose regularly causes the mask to fog (which mine did) and leak.

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

 

[redacted]

Your instructor is quite wrong and you nailed the reasons.

 

[Valery]

A properly fitted mask shouldn't require to be so tight on your face. Very light strength should be applied to the straps to be held in place.

As for the breathing 99% of the divers inhale and exhale through the regulator.
I do exhale from the nose it does help controlling your exhale speed by blowing slowly from your nose and indirectly reduce your sac, but that doesn't work for everybody and you should find what works best in your case by doing a lot of dive.
If you carefully spit in your mask before diving it'll never fog even by exhaling from your nose, again it doesn't work for everybody.

 

[Sabanist]

I only exhale through the nose when clearing the mask

 

[Nitro91]

maybe your instructor is teaching you how to make your mask foggy. in that case, exhale all you want from your nose

 

[Oldbear]

Slampe,

I wouldn't quickly discredit what your instructor said so arbitrarily. You mentioned that you heard the instructor say to inhale thru your mouth and exhale thru your nose on the First Day of your Open Water class. It is quite possible that you might have misheard or misinterpreted what was said. In the Open Water Class so much information is thrown at you in such a short time span that is quite easily and common to hear thing a little skewed.

I condole you for asking the question, but strongly urge you to ask your instructor what was meant by the statement. Ask for the whys, the whens, the hows and the consequences.

There is a condition called Equipment Barotrauma which is unequalized equipment air space. One of the most common Equipment Barotraumas is referred to as Mask Squeeze. If you descend too rapidly and you neglect to equalize the pressure in your mask by exhaling thru your nose, you could be prone to Mask Squeeze. Increasing hydrostatic pressures forces your face’s tissue surround the eyes to swell into the uncompensated air space to fill the reduced volume within your mask. This swelling damages the capillaries, bruising the skin around and sometimes rupturing surface capillaries on the eyes as well. While Mask Squeeze looks bad it is relatively painless, but you should have a doctor check it out if it occurs anyways.

I am not trying to scare you with horror stories as I have only seen one case of it and the diver definitely was arrogant, thought he was Mr. Scuba and shot to the depth faster than everyone else showing a disregard for proper descent rates. My point is to ask your instructor what was meant by the statement that “you heard”. You are paying for the instruction so get the most out of it. If there is anything, ANYTHING, that is unclear to you, do not leave the classroom until you fully understand the theory behind a statement.

I exhale thru my nose all of the time...no issues with fogging or leakage.

Goodluck with your class and enjoy the diving.:banana:

~MIchael~

 

[Dr Dog]

exhaling from the nose regularly causes the mask to fog (which mine did) and leak.

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

There is a coating on new masks, that you can apply anti fog or spit on all you want, it is still going to fog. You need to remove this film, and there are two ways, that I know of.. Toothpaste and burning. Agressivly rub toothpaste inside your mask, and rinse out well. Or use a lighter and "burn" the glass inside. Being careful not to melt plastic or silicone. Wipe out the black, then you can apply anti fog.

Like everyone else I exhale from my nose, when clearing or equalizing my mask

 

[g1138]

Your instructor is wrong, but probably has a hidden agenda, a reason for why he told you to do that on the first day. Ask him for his reasoning. Normally divers breath in and out through their mouth only.

Exhaling through the nose is only a common thing when clearing the mask or when swimming maskless.

 

[JamesK]

I can't agree with everyone else here and say he is wrong. I exhale through my nose exclusively.I do not have leakage or fogging problems. I find exhaling through my mouth very strange even in normal breathing.

Maybe you should ask him why he said that.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

In every class I have taken, observed, assisted, or taught, the procedure taught is to breathe through you mouth. Nose breathing is for mask clearing, and also to equalize your mask. As you descend to deeper depths, the pressure will push your mask onto your face harder, and so a nose exhale now and then will relieve that pressure, and keep you from getting "raccoon face." Each instructor has their own methods, and there may be purpose to what you were told. In the long run, though, what I've suggested here should prevail.
DivemasterDennis