Mask Clearing

[Sbanks]

Hello all!!

I must admit that ever since I turned up at my dive centre on the very first night I have loved every minute of life so much more since.

My friend who learned how to scuba in Thailand told me that I would fall in love with the people I met and the whole diving scene! I am that kind of person apparantely.

She was so right!! Not only have I managed to conquer certain fears underwater I have gained a sense of challenge in other areas of my life. Every person I have met who does scuba is wonderful.

So where are the ultimate dive sites around the world? What were your best and worst experiences?

 

[JamesK]

One thing I noticed. You said that you practiced this and realized that if your eyes were closed that you had no problems. However, what will happen when you are enjoying a relaxing dive, and your mask is kicked off, or the current pulls it up and floods it? Are you going to be able to handle the fact that your eyes were open when this happened? I ask this because I was one of the lucky ones who had no problems with mask skills, and I am concerned about what could happen to you if your mask was ripped off. I am not saying that you will not be able to handle it like a champ, just wondering. Keep up the good work.

 

[Tractor Tom]

I'm the new guy here, so I'll share a story or two. When I first certified in hawaii in 1978, I was really suffering from pollen allergies. The Army finally started giving me shots to help, and in training, we had to do the whole take your mask off underwater and put it back on and clear it, and I did it without too much fuss. Then while out diving a few months later, at 45 feet or so, with a runny nose, I sneezed into the mask. A huge blast of air came out of the mask and the inside filled up with big, kind of gooey bubbles, almost up to my eyes... No way to take care of that, but take the mask off, and wipe my face, so I quit kicking, made sure I wasn't negative and sinking, and took the darn thing off. Wiped everything down, put it back on and cleared the water. By the time I finished, I was at about 30 feet and well behind the group. But was glad I knew how.

Two years ago (my first dive in 20+ years) my old mask began to act up at 65 feet. Was leaking around my nose and filling with water. I continued to clear and clear, finally planted my fins in some sand, took it off, checked the seal and put it back on to take care of the leak. Can still do it! Got on with my dive.

Good talking with you all....

 

[C-horse]

Before I tried mask clearing, I read a post on this board from Walter, I did what he said to do and it was easy. Basically, the trick is to keep your chin tucked, don't lift the mask, merely press in gently just a wee bit above eye level and exhale normally through your nose as you tilt your head back as if your looking up. Fortunately, it's really easy to me.

 

[sdexcalibur]

Mask clearing sound scarry. I never thought about that before. Now I take my class in about a month. Can someone give me a break down on how to do this. Can I practice without going diving. Also is their certain kinds of mask that make it easier. I would love to have this down before I start my course. Thanks
Steve

 

[Jef]

I have to back up scottri on learning to breathe through your mouth instead of your nose. When I took life guard training as a youth I was taught to exhale through my nose and it was tough to change.