Mask Clearing

[bio guy]

Jennifercorbet if you are still visiting the boards and Haggis. Keep in touch on how you are making out. As you can see from the previous posts in this string, these boards are filled with good people, who are very knowledgable and won't leave you "out to dry"..If you are still having problems come back and do a little more brain storming.
I've only been on these board a short while, but it is clear that everyone here will always help out a fellow diver or future diver and won't give up on you.

Cheers

Bio guy

 

[SubMariner]

Believe it or not, most of the people who have a problem with this skill are female.

Apparently, males tend to be mouth breathers (heheheh stop THINKING that! ) while females usually breathe through the nose. Hence the problem adjusting to water in the mask or no mask breathing underwater.

Other factors: (1) water temp, and (2) familiarity with dive gear. Doing this skill in cold water can be quite a shock to the person, and they tend to do a gasping/holding the breath thing. So it may helpful to splash some water on the face beforehand & "get used to" the temp. It also gets tricky when the mask has to be removed & replaced in water that is cold enough to require a hood. The diver must make sure that the skirt of the mask is inside or under the edges of the hood face opening in order for the mask to create a proper seal. Hair also needs to be excluded from the mask seal.

That's where #2 comes in: the more you practice with & know your gear, the easier it will get.

So just relax!

~SubMariner~

 

[haggis]

dear everyone who wrote helpful stuff about mask clearing... THANK YOU!!!

After a week spent snorkelling in the bath (I kid you not!) I had my my fourth sheltered water lesson last night. I was still a bit worried but I was actually able to do the whole mask clearing thing (multiple times) without panicking and trying to snort in water through my nose. Wahey!!

I had doubts about continuing after scaring myself the first time and I'm so glad I didn't just give up. It really helped my confidence to be able to do it so pats on the back all round (especially to Walter).

Linda

 

[Walter]

You're welcome. I'm happy you did well. Keep us informed of how you're doing in the future. Perhaps someday we'll get to dive together.

Walter

 

[gozumutti]

Dear SubMariner

Is it REALLY true that men tend to mouth breathing as opposed to through the nose? And if so, where on earth did find this bit of information?

Jennifer and Haggis: as for mask clearing, I did it for the first time at 12 meters on a sandy bottom next to a reef in the Red Sea (LOTS of salt at 42 promille), complete with gasping, spitting, choking, swallowing water, breathing water, getting salt water in my eyes and generally making a fool out myself....but I, a major coward, did it and so will you, better and better each time round. The second time was already not such a problem, once I figured out that it was NOT a race, so I could take my time, visualize each step beforehand and then just concentrate on the sequence.

gozumutti

 

[scubabunny]

Just one question about this "ditch and dive" or "bail-out" thing. What about people who wear contacts? I wear contacts and learned to clear my mask with my eyes closed. (Still do it in fact) Do people have to get prescription masks before they even get ceritified? If not, how is it handled?

 

[Iguana Don]

Goz,
I am truly dissapointed in you, just how long have you been around men?

Any woman that has even been around them/us for 1 min. can tell you they/we are mouth breathers.

This requires a man to close his mouth. We/they don't shut up long enough to breathe through their/our noses.

This info can also be found in my new book "Don's UBI" and will be available at Borders in July.

:devilish:

 

[gozumutti]

Dear Don#28

Its true, I never noticed! But we women HAVE to wear blinders around men, otherwise propagation of the species wouldn't have a chance *g*

gozu

 

[haggis]

yeah gozuwhatsit, I agree that taking your time is probably the best thing to do, but it certainly helps to be comfortable with breathing underwater without a mask.

BTW it's probable that women are nasal breathers cause they've got better things to do with their mouths

Linda

 

[Walter]

I used to wear contacts. I was wearing them when I learned to dive. I simply took them out for the pool sessions. Since I was legally blind at the time, I was forced to become very familiar with my gear by touch as well as sight. I later got a prescription mask.

Walter