cookenup
Guest
Hi, thought I would post this helpful hint following a bad experience with my OW dives. Let me begin with my bad learning experience, which led to a cure
Just a short 2 months ago, I took a local 2 day PADI class, which included 2 pool sessions each day. My instructors name was Sarah, who had over 400 dives under her belt. Well on my 2nd dive, we had to remove our mask for 1 minute, then replace it...WHAT? take my mask off, swim across the pool, then replace it? YIKES!! well, i got as far as filling the mask 1/2 full before panic set in, and water was in my nose, I went to the top (15 feet) after choking a second, my young instructor said to me, relax and try again. With heart racing, and everone (10 people) watching on the bottom, I tried again,... and again...finally, she said to come 1 hour early for class the second day, and we'd practice.
I showed up the next day, and went into the pool, after working in the shallow end with a new, better fitting mask, I was able to clear, remove mask, and then join the others and complete the task without any problems.
2 weeks later was the ow checkoffs in 55 degree water, wearing a 7mm wet suit at 20 feet, with 5 foot, yes, 5 foot visibility in a quarry in Kentucky. We got to the 20 foot platform, barely able to see each other, and we went for a "fun dive" that's what padi calls the first dive...well, my buddy went in front of me, and after about 10 seconds, all I could see was his white fin dissapear into the ozone, GONE! I became disoriented and for a second, couldn't tell up from down, it was soooo weird. Anyway, I decided to go to the surfacve instead of risking getting caught in something.
After rejoining my group at the surface, we again desended to then 20 foot platform, where we all kneeled down for the dreaded mask removal. I was already freaked out, so when that really cold water hit my nose...I immediately shot for the surface, choking on water, thought I was going to drown!!! My instructor told me to come the next day and practice with the divemaster before doing the skill.
The next day it was raining and colder, but I was certain I was going to do this! Before I ever went into the water, my Instructor walked up to me and said "you have to get this, if you don't get it today, you might consider not becoming a scuba diver"....Yes, she actually said that, there, in the rain, first thing in the morning. At that moment, I failed, in my head, I failed....so...when I went into 8 foot of water with the divemaster, with bluegills biting at my mask, and tried to clear, all I could hear were those words, and I could not go on........why did I tell you all this before getting to the point???!!!!
2 weeks after this, I called another dive shop, and told them my sob story, the instructor said, "that instructor should not teach" and said we would have a fun, good experience in Alabama. Now... the visibility was a little better, not much though, about 15 feet, and I still wore a 7mm wet suit, but I was able to go down 18 feet and easily do a partial fill, then a full mask clear and removal, with no trouble AT ALL!!! well what made the difference you ask...and this brings us to what I learned about mask clearing the hard way....
1. Find a school with kind, patient, knowledgable instructors
2. Be sure you are going to do OW checkoffs in an environment with a relatively comfortable water temperature, with visibiblity at or greater than 20 feet. (this greatly decreases the chance of claustrophobia)
3. when practicing mask clearing, let water in SLOWLY, FROM THE TOP of the mask, not the side or bottom!...this way, if the water is not really warm, it will warm slowly as it fills, not hitting your nose first with a cold blast, taking your breath away, and causing panic.
4. I cannot stress this step enough...I went to a local pool just a few days before checkoffs, with my snorkel and mask. I swam first with my snorkle and no mask, letting the water cover my nose just up to my eyes, keeping eyes dry above the water, with snorkel in mouth, I walked or swam around until I was completely ok with my nose under the water, breathing slowly in and out of my mouth...then, I would put my mask on, snorkel in mouth, and holding onto the ladder in the deeper end, I would practice clearing my mask, starting with letting water in from the top 1/2 way, then clear, then fill it, clear, repeating until it felt fine, then I swam without snorkel or mask, to feel comfortable with the water on my whole face while swimming a short distance underwater, then I would fill mask slowly, gently remove it, then put it back on...after this pool time, about 1 1/2-2 hours...I had no trouble at all doing this, and on a recent dive in cozumel, I cleared my mask at 38 feet, just to clear my mask!!!!
5. Your thinking is your worst enemy in mask clearing, proven to me by the heartless instructor who almost succeeded in sabotaging my love for the diving, which has now become one of te loves of my life. Relax, make it fun, not a chore, if the situation feels wrong, stop and relax. I do not recommend breathing out of your nose at all, because I think that could cause panic if water enters your mask at 70 feet, and you inhale it, if you get comfortable with breathing sllowly in and out of your mouth, as ion the pool practice, you will not even care about water in your mask. Just practice in a YMCA or other pool on your own till you clear effortlessly, then go get certified....
6. When removing your mask, try slowly letting water in from the top till full, then gently remove the mask. To replace it, put the mask to your face first, getting it into position on your face, the gently slip the strap over your head. For ease of strap placement, I use the neoprene strap, it easily glides off and on for easy placement.
Hope this helps prevent a bad experience similar to what I am reading is so common among new divers....feel free to email with questions, and...HAPPY DIVING
Just a short 2 months ago, I took a local 2 day PADI class, which included 2 pool sessions each day. My instructors name was Sarah, who had over 400 dives under her belt. Well on my 2nd dive, we had to remove our mask for 1 minute, then replace it...WHAT? take my mask off, swim across the pool, then replace it? YIKES!! well, i got as far as filling the mask 1/2 full before panic set in, and water was in my nose, I went to the top (15 feet) after choking a second, my young instructor said to me, relax and try again. With heart racing, and everone (10 people) watching on the bottom, I tried again,... and again...finally, she said to come 1 hour early for class the second day, and we'd practice.
I showed up the next day, and went into the pool, after working in the shallow end with a new, better fitting mask, I was able to clear, remove mask, and then join the others and complete the task without any problems.
2 weeks later was the ow checkoffs in 55 degree water, wearing a 7mm wet suit at 20 feet, with 5 foot, yes, 5 foot visibility in a quarry in Kentucky. We got to the 20 foot platform, barely able to see each other, and we went for a "fun dive" that's what padi calls the first dive...well, my buddy went in front of me, and after about 10 seconds, all I could see was his white fin dissapear into the ozone, GONE! I became disoriented and for a second, couldn't tell up from down, it was soooo weird. Anyway, I decided to go to the surfacve instead of risking getting caught in something.
After rejoining my group at the surface, we again desended to then 20 foot platform, where we all kneeled down for the dreaded mask removal. I was already freaked out, so when that really cold water hit my nose...I immediately shot for the surface, choking on water, thought I was going to drown!!! My instructor told me to come the next day and practice with the divemaster before doing the skill.
The next day it was raining and colder, but I was certain I was going to do this! Before I ever went into the water, my Instructor walked up to me and said "you have to get this, if you don't get it today, you might consider not becoming a scuba diver"....Yes, she actually said that, there, in the rain, first thing in the morning. At that moment, I failed, in my head, I failed....so...when I went into 8 foot of water with the divemaster, with bluegills biting at my mask, and tried to clear, all I could hear were those words, and I could not go on........why did I tell you all this before getting to the point???!!!!
2 weeks after this, I called another dive shop, and told them my sob story, the instructor said, "that instructor should not teach" and said we would have a fun, good experience in Alabama. Now... the visibility was a little better, not much though, about 15 feet, and I still wore a 7mm wet suit, but I was able to go down 18 feet and easily do a partial fill, then a full mask clear and removal, with no trouble AT ALL!!! well what made the difference you ask...and this brings us to what I learned about mask clearing the hard way....
1. Find a school with kind, patient, knowledgable instructors
2. Be sure you are going to do OW checkoffs in an environment with a relatively comfortable water temperature, with visibiblity at or greater than 20 feet. (this greatly decreases the chance of claustrophobia)
3. when practicing mask clearing, let water in SLOWLY, FROM THE TOP of the mask, not the side or bottom!...this way, if the water is not really warm, it will warm slowly as it fills, not hitting your nose first with a cold blast, taking your breath away, and causing panic.
4. I cannot stress this step enough...I went to a local pool just a few days before checkoffs, with my snorkel and mask. I swam first with my snorkle and no mask, letting the water cover my nose just up to my eyes, keeping eyes dry above the water, with snorkel in mouth, I walked or swam around until I was completely ok with my nose under the water, breathing slowly in and out of my mouth...then, I would put my mask on, snorkel in mouth, and holding onto the ladder in the deeper end, I would practice clearing my mask, starting with letting water in from the top 1/2 way, then clear, then fill it, clear, repeating until it felt fine, then I swam without snorkel or mask, to feel comfortable with the water on my whole face while swimming a short distance underwater, then I would fill mask slowly, gently remove it, then put it back on...after this pool time, about 1 1/2-2 hours...I had no trouble at all doing this, and on a recent dive in cozumel, I cleared my mask at 38 feet, just to clear my mask!!!!
5. Your thinking is your worst enemy in mask clearing, proven to me by the heartless instructor who almost succeeded in sabotaging my love for the diving, which has now become one of te loves of my life. Relax, make it fun, not a chore, if the situation feels wrong, stop and relax. I do not recommend breathing out of your nose at all, because I think that could cause panic if water enters your mask at 70 feet, and you inhale it, if you get comfortable with breathing sllowly in and out of your mouth, as ion the pool practice, you will not even care about water in your mask. Just practice in a YMCA or other pool on your own till you clear effortlessly, then go get certified....
6. When removing your mask, try slowly letting water in from the top till full, then gently remove the mask. To replace it, put the mask to your face first, getting it into position on your face, the gently slip the strap over your head. For ease of strap placement, I use the neoprene strap, it easily glides off and on for easy placement.
Hope this helps prevent a bad experience similar to what I am reading is so common among new divers....feel free to email with questions, and...HAPPY DIVING
