Mask/Panic Problems

[Andi30]

Hi,

My name is Andi and I'm very new to diving. I had the pleasure of diving for the first time in Cozumel (February 2006), where I attempted to get my Scuba Diver certification. Managed to do everything but my full flood mask clearing and mask removal, so I didn't get the cert, but was able to go for a dive at least. To elaborate, I spent close to two full days in the pool (with very patient instructors) trying to do the mask skills. And pretty much everytime I tried, I panicked and bolted to the surface.

Nevertheless, I loved the actual dive so much that I vowed to myself that I would do the mask skills so that I could dive again. I just got my open water certification earlier this month, however my mask problems are far from over. In other words, I did the minimum to get the cert but I can't seem to do them consistently.

I went for my first dive as a fully certified diver in the same quarry that I did my OW checkouts. We went for a short dive around (not much to see there) and my mask was really leaky. I cleared it several times before it became a problem for me, but one time, it leaked A LOT (it felt like water was just pouring in).. Instead of clearing it, I panicked and bolted. Luckily I was only in about 10 feet of water at the time, so I didn't hurt myself. But the scariest thing was that all of my training seemed to go out the window. To make matters worse, I even ripped my mask off (exaserbating the problem) and held my breath as I ascended. I KNOW BETTER THAN THIS, but the panic took over....

So, I need some advice - not so much on how to do my mask skills (I've read a lot of postings that had advice/tips and I'm going to practice them till I drop), but about the panic issue. I'm worried that if that's my response to a difficult situation, then I could really get myself in trouble. Is it possible to retrain yourself to "fight" instead of "flight"?

I've been really looking forward to future dive trips (e.g. my fiancee and I planned to go diving in Thailand), but I really don't want to put myself or my buddy/fiancee in any danger. Is there anything I can do?

 

[scubadobadoo]

As you have figured out, if you cannot clear your mask and panic then you will become a statistic eventually. Hire a DM or intstructor and get in a pool and do it until you love to have your mask off. I had similiar problems when I started diving and after 100 dives I tried to do a full mask removal in very cold water and the issues came back. Of course the VERY cold water didn't help at all. The key is to continue to practice skills even if you think you have them mastered. This is especially the case if you know yourself to be one of the panicky types.

You have to attack this problem and you CAN train yourself to stop, breathe, think, and act. Many very smart people here on Scuba Board will add to my post and their advice will be very helpful. Still, get an instructor you feel comfy with and do MORE pool time. You CAN do it. It really is a mental block thing. Panic is the big killer in our sport! You have to condition yourself that having that mask off is a good thing. It has to become a positive experience. If you continue to dive with this issue, the fear of having your mask kicked off will haunt you on every dive and ruin your interest in this sport and eventually kill you perhaps.

The good news is that this is a common problem and is solved almost everytime, with time. Just believe that you can get over this! Welcome to the board!

 

[mobster75]

So, I need some advice - not so much on how to do my mask skills (I've read a lot of postings that had advice/tips and I'm going to practice them till I drop), but about the panic issue. I'm worried that if that's my response to a difficult situation, then I could really get myself in trouble. Is it possible to retrain yourself to "fight" instead of "flight"?

If you've been searching around for other posts, I'm sure you ran across mine stating I had pretty much the exact same problem where I would instantly panic at the feeling of water near my nose so full floods were tough and mask removal pretty much impossible.

The panic (in my opinion) is simply your body's reaction to an unfamiliar and stressful situation. With practice with various techniques it WILL go away. But it will take a whole bunch of determination and practice, practice, practice!

My panic was caused by the thought that I would inhale water and start choking underwater with no mask on. But as my post mentions I spent some time (20-30 mins) every night for 2 weeks working on this skill in my bathtub and getting used to having no mask on with just a snorkel first in nice hot water, then in full 7mm wetsuit/hood/gloves/boots in 56f degree cold water. I did it until it felt comfortable and I almost forgot I was underwater with nothing on my face. When I went for my last two OW checkout dives, I had absolutely no problem w/ either skill. In fact I was very very calm and relaxed during mask removal and replacement while I fought w/ the mask skirt (didnt want to sit properly).

This past weekend while doing some Adventure dives towards getting my AOW, I found I was having some mask problems underwater and the only solution was to remove it underwater and replace it which again caused me no stress to do.

It's one of those things that will haunt you when you can't do it comfortably.. You'll hate thinking about it... Hate the thought that it MIGHT creep up on you... But once you get past it and get comfortable with it, you'll feel like a new person and a LOT more comfortable during your dives knowing its no big deal.

I'd be glad to discuss this with you more in PM if you'd like.

Good luck!

 

[LeFlaneur]

Different people have different problems. This was not one of mine so I can't fully relate, but it seems to be a very common hurdle. Many people have mentioned panicking during mask removal and many people have overcome it. You can probably do a SB search and find a lot of similar stories.

When you think about it, it isn't really "retraining" yourself because you were never habituated to breathing underwater in the first place. It's just getting your body and mind used to something new.

First, I'd say, grab a snorkel and jump into the local pool and work on breathing through a snorkel with no mask and your face in the water. Learn how not to get water up your nose because that's usually what sends people to the surface in a hurry.

If you still aren't sure, call your local scuba shop, tell them your problem, and see if you can book some time to rent gear and do pool drills. You'll probably have to have an instructor or divemaster or some type of nanny with you. Hopefully you can do this without being certified -- I think you ought to be able to.

Make sure you get to a level where you can have the mask all the way off and keep breathing through the reg so you get familiar with the way it feels. Then practice putting your mask back on and clearing it over and over. Practice it as deep as possible in the pool.

Finally your brain needs to realize that clearing your mask at 100 feet is no different from clearing your mask at 15 feet. So take as much time during your open water cert as you need to get comfortable. You paid for it, after all.

You are not the first so don't worry.

 

[spacemanspiff1974]

Try sitting at the bottom of the pool with only your reg and tank.... no mask. Feel comfortable just breathing.

Remember that the first thing to assess in any panic situation is whether or not you can still breathe. If the answer is yes, then try to relax and figure out the rest of the situation.

Please don't hold your breath and shoot up to the surface. Scream in frustration if you have to, just dont hold your breath.

Another thought... sit in the pool with only a mask and snorkle and start working on this problem. Forget the tank and regulator. Just fill your mask with water, push the top of your mask towards your forehead and exhale through your nose.

 

[Dave_Rapp]

I hope you read this one and are going to follow it. I can't add anything more except that with practice and time you won't look at a mask flood as anything other than a minor inconvience. In fact if you wind up like me you'll start flooding your mask just so you can clear it.

My methods may sound unrelated to your problem at first, but they will work. Often, important skills are left out of OW classes. Take your time and practice each step until you are comfortable before moving to the next.

Leave your SCUBA gear in your bag. You only need 3 things at the pool at this point. 1. Mask 2. Snorkel 3. Weight belt with weight.

At no point will you leave the shallow end of the pool.

Take your snorkel off your mask and put on your weight belt. With your mask on the pool deck, your snorkel in your hand and your weight belt on, get into the shallow end of the pool. You should be where when you stand you are no deeper than chest deep, waist deep is even better. Put your snorkel in your mouth and breathe from it. Now, bend over and breathe through your snorkel while you dip your face into the water. If you are comfortable, stay awhile until you feel natural. If you have difficulty, think about drinking through a straw while you practice the excercise. Remember, you can always stand up straight to end the excercise at any time. If you need to, you can slowly build up your time until you feel comfortable.

Next, practice dropping underwater, allowing the snorkel to flood and coming up to blast it clear, leaving your face in the water. Continue until you are comfortable

At this point, you have accomplished three important things.

1. You lowered your anxiety level by working in a no risk (shallow) environment.
2. You became an expert in no mask breathing.
3. You know you can breathe with a flooded mask.

Now, put your snorkel down and pick up your mask. Put it on and drop down to your knees. Break the seal just enough to allow a small amount of water in. Clear the mask. Do not pull out on the bottom, merely push in on the top while looking up. The biggest mistake most people make is not looking up. The second most common mistake people make is not exhaling through their nose. Keep your mouth closed. Repeat this until you are comfortable. Don't forget to stand up and catch your breath between clearings. Now, increase the amount of water you allow into the mask to about ¼ flooded. When you are comfortable with that level, move to ½, then to a fully flooded mask. When you've reached the point you can clear it easily every time, see how many times you can clear it on one breath. After you are at this point, clearing your mask will be easy. You will have reached it in a step by step manner that was easy to accomplish.

Remember, you can always stand up if you feel uncomfortable.

 

[marker33]

Yes you can breathe under water without a mask on. When I was in training I was having the same type of problems you discuss. My dive instructor worked with me alot until I learned he was right, you can breathe without a mask. Sometimes I would just hold my nose to get a breath, but with time and pratice I no longer had to hold my nose. Just keep on working at it.

 

[rjpv]

What I did is simply pinch my nose shut at first to avoid sucking water in through my nose. I would do that until I was relaxed, then I'd unpinch the nose. Sometimes I'd still snort water, sometimes not.

I'll keep practicing but to be honest, in a real life situation where my mask is completely and irretrievably gone, the odds are excellent that I'll ascend with one hand on my BCD purge valve and one hand pinching my nose shut. As graceless as it looks, it will get me to the surface (at 30fpm ascent rate) no problem.

So... I would say try that. Get in a pool (then the ocean) with someone, hand them your mask and ascend SLOWLY, nose pinched or not. I think this is more important than whether or not you can clear your mask. If you can clear it, great, but the important thing is, can you ascend mask-free and not breathe water.

So try that - it should drop your panic level way down. Once you know you can safely ascend even without the mask, it will be much more relaxing for you to stay underwater and try to clear it first.

NOTE: Obviously this assumes you are doing OW no-deco dives! (Ie, no cave diving or required decompression stops)

 

[lorien]

I had a ton of trouble with the mask exercises as I had 2 near drowning incidents as a child so water in my face really put me close to panic. I worked really hard and managed to get comfortable (if that is the right word) enough to complete the skills needed. I went through a lot of classes and managed to do all skills and still hate having my mask off and still not be comfortable without it on. I managed to pull that off until I got in DM training and then I knew that I was at a point where nothing but full comfort would get me through the class. It took a LOT of extra work but I am now comfortable without my mask on. However, I still work on the skill. I sat on the bottom of the pool for 2 weekends in a row spending some time just sitting there without my mask on reinforcing my comfort level. So, it can be done but you will need to keep working on it for now. Try sitting in the shallow end of the pool rather than the deep end and just breathe knowing you can just stand up. Also, I found, if you are using a reg that tends to exhale bubbles in front of your face and up your nose then tilt your head slightly away from the exhaust side and the bubbles will go straight up and avoid your face. I found if much easier to breathe and relax without bubbles hitting my face and nose on every exhale. BTW, suggestion, remove your mask on a exhale not on an inhalation.

 

[Andi30]

First, I just want to say thank you to each and every respondant for all of your great advice! I really appreciate it. I can't wait to get back into the lake (or bathroom sink or whatever it may be) to try out all of these techniques. I hope in a little while I can write back and say that I actually enjoy clearing my mask (although I'm sure that will take a while).

My fiance brought up one point though. I wear contacts and therefore need to close my eyes when I'm mask clearing. He thinks that may be part of my problem, in that it feels extra strange/scary clearing the mask without being able to see anything. Do any of you wear contacts and if so, have you ever tried a prescription mask? I'm sure they aren't cheap, so I wouldn't want to buy one unless it's likely to help.