Newbie Diver with Mask Concerns

[Jewls]

I just received my PADI O/W Diver Certification this past September in the murky waters of Chatfield Reservoir. I had both good and bad experiences during my pool and O/W training. Mostly, my mask is the biggest concern. I have a very small face and have tried on more masks than I can count. Either they are too big or small for my face, or I can’t reach my nose to pinch and equalize. Right now I have a mask that fits well, but I cannot reach my nose very well, at least not without really pushing and squeezing the nose area to equalize. It also takes me a little longer than some others to equalize so I take my time going down. Does anyone have a suggestion for other ways to equalize other than pinching the nose and wiggling the jaw? (Wiggling the jaw hasn’t been working well for me either)

My second concern with the mask is leaking or leaving my face entirely. I did great during the course, except for removing the mask completely. I feel that I may rely on the mask as a “sense of security”. I choked up several times in the pool until I was finally comfortable with having the mask completely off of my face. For some reason my body just doesn’t get the fact that I can’t inhale water through my nose. Although I was dreading the Open Water mask removal test, I made it through, but again I choked up and coughed through the regulator. Luckily, I didn’t panic and swim to the surface, but I’m sure my instructor had a sore arm after my death grip during and after mask removal. Do you have any suggestions for ways I can train myself to get used to having the mask off my face and not inhaling water through my nose? Maybe I should just stand in the shower with my mask completely full of water? Any other suggestions?

 

[CLEAR BLUE]

First of all....I have trouble equalizing sometimes and I find that swallowing works best for me. And the mask....I would keep looking for that perfect fit. And when you find it....order 2 so you have a spare. I continue to practice mask skills in a pool. And when it is off....breathe out through your nose. That may help.

 

[ZapDiver]

It just ocurred to me that it might help if you swiw in a pool with a snorkel and a mask, then, while in the surface, faced down, you do the exercises. I think the feeling might be more or less the same, breathing through your mouth, feeling your eyes and nose being flooded, etc, but with you knowing that at any given time that you feel bad, all you have to do is raise your head to be safe.

 

[irishsquid]

I just received my PADI O/W Diver Certification this past September in the murky waters of Chatfield Reservoir. I had both good and bad experiences during my pool and O/W training. Mostly, my mask is the biggest concern. I have a very small face and have tried on more masks than I can count. Either they are too big or small for my face, or I can’t reach my nose to pinch and equalize. Right now I have a mask that fits well, but I cannot reach my nose very well, at least not without really pushing and squeezing the nose area to equalize. It also takes me a little longer than some others to equalize so I take my time going down. Does anyone have a suggestion for other ways to equalize other than pinching the nose and wiggling the jaw? (Wiggling the jaw hasn’t been working well for me either)

My second concern with the mask is leaking or leaving my face entirely. I did great during the course, except for removing the mask completely. I feel that I may rely on the mask as a “sense of security”. I choked up several times in the pool until I was finally comfortable with having the mask completely off of my face. For some reason my body just doesn’t get the fact that I can’t inhale water through my nose. Although I was dreading the Open Water mask removal test, I made it through, but again I choked up and coughed through the regulator. Luckily, I didn’t panic and swim to the surface, but I’m sure my instructor had a sore arm after my death grip during and after mask removal. Do you have any suggestions for ways I can train myself to get used to having the mask off my face and not inhaling water through my nose? Maybe I should just stand in the shower with my mask completely full of water? Any other suggestions?

When you descend, are you going down head first, horizontal, or heads up? Heads up is easiest to clear for some folks with ear troubles. I prefer to descend horizontal and if I have an issue I stop my decent and get heads up to help with equalizing. Looking up and tilting your head side to side can help. There is nothing wrong with going slow and taking your time to equalize. I tend to be the slowest in my group, but it isn't a race for me. Masks are a finicky item for me also. I have a mustache, smallish face, and my face distorts if I smile, so leaks are a way of life for me. Clearing a mask isn't hard so no foul for me. Hope this helps some.

 

[claudine]

Doc's Diving Medicine Home Page provides useful information about the different equalization techniques you can use! The video is about an hour long

 

[lowviz]

.......... I feel that I may rely on the mask as a “sense of security”............

In my opinion, this is one of the more important skills that is, most unfortunately, glossed-over by a majority of OW instructors for a variety of reasons. My personal experience is that it is also the one skill that is most quickly lost if not practiced routinely. Talk to your instructor, tell him/her that you really want to leave the class with this skill under your weightbelt. You will progress faster when you have the confidence of knowing that completely losing your mask is just a nuisance, not a nightmare. Real and practiced, not imagined, confidence also lowers the chance of becoming task overloaded: mask? -don't need no stinkin' mask. There are a lot of good threads about this, search on 'mask' and 'panic'.

Stay safe.

 

[NavyGreg]

I have some of the same issues-I frequently have trouble equalizing while descending. The best advice I can give is to descend slowly and if you feel pressure building in the ears, go up a couple of feet until it clears. I've dove with several experienced divers and none of them has ever had a problem with my slow descents to allow for proper equalizing. Everyone of them has told me that clearing the ears will become easier with the more dives I log. As suggested by someone else, I find that swallowing works better for me. What I do is flatten my tongue against the roof of my mouth and swallow, works almost every time.
As far as the mask removal, I had trouble with it during my OW class also. The best I can suggest is to practice in a pool or other shallow environment. It took me a couple times practicing before I got used to it, but I was eventually able to get it down with practice. I still try to do it at least once on a dive just to keep the skill fresh.

 

[gatormp03]

I dont have problems with equalizing, but had problems with clearing my mask. I inhaled so much water trying to clear my mask that they feared they would have to add more water to the pool. I tried a scubapro crystal view that a diver had as a secondary snorkeling mask, and that took care of the mask problem. It has a diaphram on the bottom, which makes it easier to clear.

 

[phhappy]

I used to have exactly the same problem just after I got my OW cert. But after a while you will become more confident and comfortable in the water. Both the equalizing and the panic you feel when removing the mask will go away. For the equalizing, I used to hold only the tip of my nose because I was trying to catch up with other divers who were descending faster than I was. I guess you can practise by putting on your scuba mask at home watching TV to get the feel of pinching your Whole nose to equalize. As for the removal of the mask in water, you can probably start by wearing a swimming google and sit in a swimming pool to get the feel of having water around your nose. It is like pushing a glass up side down in the water. The water will not get into your hose as long you don't inhale from your hose. After you get use to having water around your nose, you can remove the swimming google also. In removing one thing at a time, you don't have to tackle both a blurry vision and water around your nose at the same time. After that you can try this at the beach. Always do this in SHALLOW water, and with a friend standing by to help out in case you panic. I have overcome my mask removing panic only after my instructor asked my to swim around the swimming pool with full gear, but no mask, for 20 minutes. Mask removing and clearing it one of those skill that you need to master since you will be doing it frequently. You don't want to missing out on a rare fishie or won't be able to read your gauge or computer in a low visibility environment. One last word. Practise make Perfect. I am a Newbie also. Happy diving

 

[Jewls]

Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions and ideas! It's good to know that I'm not alone with these issues, although I seemed to be in my classes. I really like the idea of snorkeling without the mask on or with swimming goggles. This would be a cost effective way for me to practice this skill at the local rec center. I just have to remember to exhale through my nose, which seems to be the key. I think my problem was exactly just that, I thought of only inhaling and exhaling through my regulator...that is easier said than done, at least for me.

I also like the idea to try swallowing to equalize and will try that as well in the pool. I've also heard that people can take Sudafed to help ease the pressure in your ears, making equalizing easier. I don't want to risk taking a medication that could potentially effect my dive in a negative way. Has anyone tried this? Do you think it is safe?