were you scared?

[Web Monkey]

If it's fogging, it's either not clean, or you're rinsing out too much defog after you apply it.

More likely than not, it's not clean yet.

You need to clean it really well with either mask cleaner (goopy blue stuff) or toothpaste to get off some type of manufacturing residue (silicone release spray?).

Anyway, until it's really clean, no defog in the world will work.

Terry

Defog or not, my mask usually fogs on every dive and I find myself flooding and clearing several times per dive in order to see. It's the OW skill I use the most. I think that regulator retreival while blowing blowing bubbles is an illogical skill. You have an octo very close at hand. It is much easier to grab your octo and breathe from it while you calmly sweep for the reg. There are been instances that divers couldn't find their reg and bolted for the surface, never thinking about breathing from the octo.

 

[markDoerr]

Hi there!

Did any of you feel scared about your first OW dives??? Why and how did it turn out?

I am BEYOND nervous for my qaulifying dives coming up this weekend? is this normal??

I found that the big difference between the pool and OW was boyancy. And that is largely because you're finally going below 12". It actually gets easier!

Don't sweat it. You'll do fine.

 

[CheddarChick]

There is no one worse about mask fogging than my hubby. (I think it's because he is hot....LOL...temperature wise.) We had a a terrible time with it. We learned to clean the mask with softscrub. Put a blob of softscrub onto lenses, with fingertip rub the softscrub until dry. Continue to rub mask until completely dry buffing with fingertip, then rise with tons of clear water. Then when dry apply defog and let dry. When you enter the water bob under and get cooled off before putting mask on. When I think of how hot you get putting your gear on it is not suprising the mask fog up.

 

[dvr4lyf]

Clarissa1 - You'll do great!!! You are getting ready to have the ability to explore some parts of the world not many people get to see!! The certification your getting ready to earn will be with you the rest of your life!!!! Nervous, I sure was!!! But, only as nervous as getting my drivers license.
Good Luck!!! We'll be pullin' for ya!

 

[TheRedHead]

There is no one worse about mask fogging than my hubby. (I think it's because he is hot....LOL...temperature wise.) We had a a terrible time with it. We learned to clean the mask with softscrub. Put a blob of softscrub onto lenses, with fingertip rub the softscrub until dry. Continue to rub mask until completely dry buffing with fingertip, then rise with tons of clear water. Then when dry apply defog and let dry. When you enter the water bob under and get cooled off before putting mask on. When I think of how hot you get putting your gear on it is not suprising the mask fog up.

I use slate cleaner which is sort of like softscrub. I usually dive from a boat and nothing remains dry for long. It's usually very hot as well. I can't imagine I would have any mold release left on my mask after many scubs with slate cleaner. I generally back roll off the boat into a current and descend immediately. My mask is a bit fogged after I hit the water. I generally don't clear it more than twice per dive, but I don't have a problem with flood and clear. I'm mostly diving in the tropics where the air temp is over 90 and the water temp is between 78 and 82. I don't know if that has any bearing. Mask clearing, for me, is a very useful skill.

 

[Bibendum]

I got certified back in May. On our first OW dive, I was nervous right before we were about to descend for the first time. But once I started the descent, I had so many other things to keep track of (going slow on the descent, keeping ears equalized, where's my buddy, am I gonna land on that guy below me, etc.) that I was no longer nervous, and once at the bottom I was fine. By the time we did our first tour, it was awesome.

Plus we had plenty of instructor's and assistant's with us, so I knew if something did happen I'd have help if absolutely needed.

Good luck. Just remember to relax and enjoy the dives!

>>>
Originally Posted by clarissa1
Hi there!

Did any of you feel scared about your first OW dives??? Why and how did it turn out?

I am BEYOND nervous for my qaulifying dives coming up this weekend? is this normal??

 

[jeckyll]

Have you considered listing your worries and then working out how to respond.

Example:

Getting lost: If you stay with your buddy, great. Should you through some circumstance lose your buddy, do what you were taught. Look for buddy no more than 1 minute, then surface until you can re-unite.

Mask clearing: Worst case scenario, you'll have some water in your mask. Can you still breath. Yup. So worst case scenario, you won't be able to complete the skill and need more practice.

etc etc.

I always find that it helps to have "plans of action" for the things the worry you. Once you know that you have the ability to respond to the issues that may arise, you'll hopefully be much calmer.

Good luck on your dives and don't forget to have fun

Bjorn