Newbie Diver with Mask Concerns

[Jewls]

Whoa, I had no idea so many people had replied to this post. I guess I should log in more often. Sorry for neglecting my own thread.

Ok, so yesterday I called as many dive shops as I could and found one with reasonable pricing for pool practice on Tuesdays. So guess where I'm going tonight??? I'm going to practice as many skills as I can, setting up gear, mask removal (of course in shallow water), different techniques for equalizing, buoyancy control, etc. I've even decided to hire a private instructor for a couple hours on Saturday to go over these skills and any others I may not have learned in O/W training that I'll need for ocean diving. (any suggestions there too would be helpful) I plan to do one more pool practice next week before ocean diving on Friday. I WILL have the mask removal skill under my "weightbelt" before I leave.

I bought some non-drowsy nasel decongestent last night and plan to talk more with my instructor about the pros and cons of using it while diving. I don't plan to use it, but am taking it with me, just in case. Considering I'm doing only shallow dives, I assume the risk will be little if I do end up taking it, but again, I'm still researching the pro's and con's before I do.

Thank you everyone for being so nice and helpful to answer my questions and give awesome suggestions. You guys are great and Scuba Board ROCKS!!!!

 

[Jewls]

Thanks CamG Tonight after setting up my gear, the first thing I'm going to practice will of course be the mask. I will start with a partial flood and just sit there for a minute to practice breathing in and out of the regulator before clearing. Next I'll move onto the full flood and again, just sit there for a minute to practice breathing before clearing. I'm going to practice these several times before I move onto the mask removal. I want to feel comfortable with these 2 skills before I move onto the big one, LOL. If I'm not comfortable with the skill tonight, I have private instruction on Saturday to practice some more. Next skill is equalizing, I'm going to practice a few different techniques tonight and see which will work best for me. I will be trying on more masks tonight as well and if I can find one that fits and I can pinch my nose to equalize I will be a very happy girl indeed. I don't want to take a medication for equalization, I prefer to go "All Natural" and hopefully out of the all techniques I am reading about I will find one that works for me.

Greetings Jewis and welcome to Scuba Board! The first and foremost advice I would offer is to RELAX, RELAX AND RELAX some more. These are issues that many divers have initially while there brain is being trained to breath under water. It just takes time and experience to achieve mastery of these skills. I do want to emphasize the importance of MASTERY because these skills are critical to safe diving practices.
Give yourself some extra pool time to practice with a buddy and in no time you will find it getting easier to achieve.
About the mask, try a variety of smaller framed/framless masks to see if one is better than the other. I recommend the Atomic quite a bit but Aqua lung, Scuba Pro, Tusa all make masks for small faces. The key is try to find the best fit. I have put my wife in the Atomic midi frameless and it is great mask.
The equalization techniques you have described are the most common but there are more to try. Watch the video already given in the previous post and do a search on it using the search engine here on SB. I think you will find a wealth of information that will expand your methods. It will get so much easier with time and practice do not get in a hurry, SLOW DOWN AND RELAX! If it takes you longer no big deal be patient and if your dive buddy has an issue with it find another one! IT WILL GET BETTER!
My next comment is on the medical advice given in the previous post;
1. Always seek professional advice for dive related medicine issues.
Divers Alert Network, DAN is always ready and willing to advise about medications to use while diving. And they are the #1 source of what is safe and what is not. Please heed this and use their expertise for further information.
2. Find an ENT to visit routinely to get advice and keep your ears healthy.
This is a major issue for me, my ENT has made my diving so much more enjoyable and so much easier to equalize through a regiment of daily preparation both pre and post dive. Seek out a dive friendly ENT and you will be very thankful.
3. NEVER EVER FORCE IT! This can never be said enough about equalization! Nothing good can come from it and I have personally seen some bad examples. Heed the warning and follow the equalization rules.
I am just trying to offer good advice and not trying to offend anyone and at the end of the day please research these issues for yourself. I am certain that the sources given will provide you with the information you need to make a good decision.
It is my goal to help you enjoy your diving and keep you in the water. After all how do you practice if you want to be a better diver?
Have fun and be safe. Relax and dive every chance you get.
CamG Keep diving....keep training....keep learning!

 

[phhappy]

Jewls, Happy to know that you are all set to go. I have a deviated septum and allergy too so my doctor prescribed a nasal decongestant called Afrin http://www.afrin.com/ for my diving use. Maybe you can give it a try if you don't want to take something that make you feel drowsy. I only use it for my first 30 dives since I worry so much about the equalizing. I don't use it any more since only a severe blockage will affect the equalization. But it is best to check with your doctor for any medication use. Remember to probably clean your New mask and make sure you apply one of those mask defogging gel every dive to keep your mask in good working condition. Happy practise in the pool.

 

[boulderjohn]

When I first started diving, my lifetime of sinus issues made equalizing a serious problem. An instructor I talked to in those days even suggested that diving not be for me. In those days, I tried all kinds of things to help things along, including Sudafed and Eucalyptus oil. (Sniff a little of that and things open right up for a while.)

I also used a 100% all natural approach. Before a planned trip, I would keep practicing my equalizing, while reading, watching TV, etc. When I reached a dive vacation, I went free diving immediately, going repeatedly as deep as I could so that my years would get more and more used to the task. While on the boat on the way to a dive site, I equalized repeatedly, and I did so immediately before splashing into the water.

That was long ago. Now I have no problem whatsoever, with no artificial aids.

The difference is simply that my eustachian tubes have finally gotten the idea and are ready to go at the first sign of pressure change. It is nothing more than doing it a whole lot that did it for me.

 

[lowviz]

...... I've even decided to hire a private instructor for a couple hours on Saturday to go over these skills and any others I may not have learned in O/W training that I'll need for ocean diving. (any suggestions there too would be helpful) I plan to do one more pool practice next week before ocean diving on Friday. ...........

Good, well-considered approach, kudos.

Suggestion? See if you can find someone offering an 'intro to the ocean' dive, or dive with an instructor who is keeping this (meaning your safety) foremost in mind. Diving is going to get very different again.

Pools and quarries are great places to develop your skills and keep them sharp. Respect the ocean, just do the first several ocean dives 'clean' for now and appreciate what is around you. Keep your mask on, work on your observational skills. Observational skills include your buoyancy and gauges along with your amazing new world. Don't complicate things, the ocean will take care of that part for you. Slow down and just enjoy your ocean dives.

Stay safe.