Quik question about class req

[Sharp Tooth]

I havent signed up for cert class yet but I plan on it very soon. I've been wandering around the boards reading the different opinions and everything.

One thing that caught my attention was the mask clearing portion. I dont imagine I'll have TO much trouble doing this but who knows. My question is when you are doing this do the instructors want you to do this with eyes open or can you keep them closed? My eyes arent that great being open under water for some reason they just feel sensitive and a little irritated. If it has to be done I can handle it though.

 

[HammerNoMore]

Sharp Tooth once bubbled...
One thing that caught my attention was the mask clearing portion. I dont imagine I'll have TO much trouble doing this but who knows. My question is when you are doing this do the instructors want you to do this with eyes open or can you keep them closed? My eyes arent that great being open under water for some reason they just feel sensitive and a little irritated. If it has to be done I can handle it though.

Eyes closed is fine, and I close my eyes whenever I do a mask clear. In my OW one of the pool skills was to drop the mask a certain distance from the studen, have the student swim to it underwater, retreive it and clear it.

I chose to do this drill eyes open to make it easier. My wife, who wears contact lenses, chose to do it eyes closed and had no problems.

James

 

[diverlady]

Well, I kept my eyes closed in the pool as the chlorine was nasty. Also, it allowed me to better concentrate on breathing through my mouth and prevent anxiety. Some people wear contacts so they will probably keep theirs closed too.
However, that being said, if you are ever in a situation where you lose your mask, being prepared to swim with your eyes open will be easier if you've done it before IE in class!

My suggestion would be to open them for at least one mask removal session.

Diverlady