Mask Clearing Anxiety

[Neilwood]

Yeah, don't tilt your head back.

Try swimming around in the pool with no mask. Get used to being under water with your eyes open. Also remember, you don't have to rush to clear it. Flood the mask, put it back on. Take a breath or two, then clear it. You don't have to flood and clear it in one breath.

Not necessarily a good idea doing this in a pool - if I were to try this, with my eyes open in a pool, all I would get from it is the sensation of burning eyes from the chlorine (I am not alone in my eyes being sensitive with regards to chlorine). For this reason, I did the clear with my eyes closed in the pool but opened them in OW (sea water is no where near as bad an irritant as the chlorine in the pool environment).

 

[Dizzi Lizzi]

You will get this! I had the same problem, for some reason it was hard to blow through my nose, i could clear my mask but it would take 5-10 breaths because such small amounts actually left my nose. I used the pool method with just my mask and snorkel. I would partially flood my mask at the surface, then I would push myself just below the surface (so the snorkel worked) and stay there till mask was cleared. I worked up to remove replace mask using the same process. It was a little tricky because I had only one hand to use (the other was pushing up on the coping to keep me down). Later I read posts re the importance of being able to do this in a horizontal position (I unfortunately learned all my skills on my knees). So now when Im doing laps in the pool i flood or remove my mask to keep in practice. Remember there is no rush, rushing leads to anxiety, and anxiety can lead to panic.

 

[lwelizabeth]

I had trouble with this, too. What helped me was a tip from my instructor to tuck my head, and then tilt my head back as I blew out my nose to clear my mask (while taking a breath in through my mouth using the regulator). That way I wouldn't get water in my nose since I tucked my head and didn't tilt it back until I had my mask put back in place. Once I used the head-tuck tip from my instructor, I was fine and did the mask flooding/clearing with no problem. (I also panicked during this skill a lot because I wear contacts and was terrified of losing them in the water.)

 

[KatieMac]

OMG, this was me in March when I did my OW. I got through each skill but the mask clearing nearly brought me to tears. Everybody is very different so I don't know what will work for you. What worked for me was going deeper where I couldn't easily surface. Sounds odd, I know. But I was determined to complete my OW. Taking away the bottom where I could stand up made me focus a lot harder on this skill. When my instructor asked me to do the skill, I thought through each step before I actually did it. I didn't like doing it but I completed the skill enough to move forward.

The real miracle happened when I actually went and did the first of my four open water dives. I had a leaky mask so I was constantly clearing it, not from full of course but partially. It happened again on my second dive. I switched mask for my third so I didn't have a leaky mask but I was already used clearing it. So when I was asked to fill my mask and empty it I had no worry about it anymore.

So maybe the idea is to partially fill your mask and clear it and do that a lot until you're comfortable with that.

For me now, I have to figure out how to get over my anxiety at the surface.

 

[diver0008]

Go under with no mask. Swim around a bit before you put it on. Eyes open. Then clear it in the usual way. Breathe.

 

[RJP]

My experience with students who struggle with this is that most are trying to "blow water out of the mask" when in reality you should be trying to "fill the mask with air" instead.

Blowing air too forcefully/fast invariably blows most of the air coming out of your nose out of the mask, sloshing the water in the mask around... but leaving much of it in the mask.

Take it nice and slow. I'll often show students that I can clear my mask with out any air leaving the mask. It takes several breathes... but so what, it's not a timed exercise.

 

[Buliwyf]

Not necessarily a good idea doing this in a pool - if I were to try this, with my eyes open in a pool, all I would get from it is the sensation of burning eyes from the chlorine (I am not alone in my eyes being sensitive with regards to chlorine). For this reason, I did the clear with my eyes closed in the pool but opened them in OW (sea water is no where near as bad an irritant as the chlorine in the pool environment).

Exactly. The burn will level off. And your eyes can get used to chlorine. It sucks, but if you can swim around eyes open in a chlorine pool, you're good to go.

You can put milk on a rag and hold it over your eyes if they are irritated after the pool session. It's important to know what to expect if you loose your mask diving. Burning and loss of vision. But it's not the end of the world. Just need to be ready for it enough so that you can function if you loose your mask and have a gear failure at the same time.

 

[caseyjayne]

Well... There are a couple of things to say. I'm sure you've heard it all but I'll repeat it.

1) you're not special. This happens a lot in training but 99% of students get over it. You will learn if you just let it go and let the INSTRUCTOR tell you when it is good enough. What I often see is that the student is putting THEMSELVES under pressure and it makes it worse instead of better. For example, it's common for your breathing to "stutter" at first when you are learning this skill. Some students get frustrated by this because think they're doing something wrong when this happens, they aren't. They are learning. With time and practice, the stutter goes away. I don't konw if you have this problem but the example is to illustrate the idea that if you just focus on what you're doing and not worry about if it's good enough or not, that it gives you less stress.

2) What helps most of the people I've seen with this problem is to realise (a) if you can breathe then there IS no problem and (b) if you plug your nose, then your regulator will just give you air..... ie... you can always breathe. When you are first learning the skill it helps a lot to plug your nose and take a couple of breaths to realise that everything is just fine.... then go to the next step..... There is no time limit for clearing a mask so go slow. I harp at my students about this constantly. To make things easier, go slower.

about #2. A lot of divers and some instructors will tell you never to plug your nose. My opinion about it is that this is incorrect and damaging advice. If it helps, then do it. However you have to realise that you can't always plug your nose so the END (repeat END) result you're looking for is to be able to clear it without this. However, in order to GET to the end result this step is very helpful for some people.

plug and breathe.... plug and breathe.... and then when you feel comfortable, plug for shorter and shorter and eventually not at all.... the END result is sacred. Any technique you use to get to that end result is justified. If you think something will help then do it.

3) Anxiety is often caused by the brain being occupied with thoughts that are completely irrelevant. A meditation teacher I know says that your entire life is just chaining together "the next 2 seconds". I've had good success with students by telling them this. When ever anything happens, just keep your mind focused on the next two seconds and let the rest of it go. Let go of what your husband will think of you if you can't learn this, what the instructor will think, what the other students will think, if your dog will still love you, if you are going to pass down these genes to the next generation.... etc etc... If you have water in your mask then just observe that fact by saying to yourself, "ok, I have water in my mask". (2 seconds). "let's take a breath" (2 seconds) "I need to cough so I'll plug my nose" (2 seconds) "to clear it first breathe in" (2 seconds) etc etc. All of the other stuff is just ballast that gets in your way.

BTW this isn't true of just diving. Have you ever noticed that people who live in the "here and now" are more relaxed, more balanced and happier...... ? I'm not saying you're not, but I am suggesting that the next 2 seconds is all you ever need to think about in order to solve a problem that's giving you emotional stress.

Hope this helps.

R..

Thank you, I have wondered about plugging the nose when clearing and will try that. I think I also try to do it too fast because everyone in the class is watching....when I do it on my own I can do it with minimal stress.

 

[caseyjayne]

My experience with students who struggle with this is that most are trying to "blow water out of the mask" when in reality you should be trying to "fill the mask with air" instead.

Blowing air too forcefully/fast invariably blows most of the air coming out of your nose out of the mask, sloshing the water in the mask around... but leaving much of it in the mask.

Take it nice and slow. I'll often show students that I can clear my mask with out any air leaving the mask. It takes several breathes... but so what, it's not a timed exercise.

Thank you, I definitely blow out too fast. Will have to slow it down

 

[caseyjayne]

I think you're far from alone. I just got my certification
First time the instructor made me remove and replace my mask (in the pool) I had no problem, the second time (in the sea) I was tired and uncomfortable, rushed a bit the 5th basic and panicked. (signaled the instructor thumbs up, dumped the little bit of air that I had in the wing and started finning up, and trust me, no force and no reason in the world would have stopped me from reaching the surface)

What I found helpful was to slow down, relax my breathing without mask and try to get neutral without mask, and only then replacing it... I'm unable to breathe normally without mask yet, and since I know that I'll be stressed I try to not inhale too much or too fast, I'll compensate too much and as a consequence I breathe too little and tend to sink.
Think this: if you have a functional reg in your mouth you'll live, then you're able to relax and think about the next step

Thank you for your input. Its so hard to get used to realising its no different on the surface than on the bottom with a reg in your mouth. I will just take it slow and breathe! Congrats on your recent cert btw!