If there's one thing that is guaranteed in the world of diving, it's that you will, at some point, have to clear a flooded mask. Perhaps your mask starts leaking for some reason during the dive and you have to continue to clear it until you can surface safely. Or maybe you didn't defog your mask well enough before the dive, so you have to purposefully flood the mask from time to time to clear the fog away. Or, even worse, a clueless fellow diver bumps into you underwater and knocks your mask off on accident. You'll want to know how to easily and quickly clear your mask for all of these possible scenarios.
Mask clearing is a basic and fundamental skill you learn on the first day of your Open Water course but is a skill you will use countless times throughout your life as a diver. It IS a very easy skill if done properly, however, if not done properly can be one of the most frustrating things to deal with underwater and, in fact, can lead to diver panic.
Here are 5 easy steps to clear your flooded mask:
Step 1. Flood the mask
Wait. What?!? Intentionally flood the mask?? Yes, if your mask is fogging up and you need to clear it to see, you'll want to let some water in to swish away the fog. If you're not trying to clear away fog on a mask you can skip this step!
- First, pinch the left or right corner of the silicone skirt of your mask and pull away from your skin gently and just slightly.
- Tuck your chin to your chest and allow a small amount of water to trickle into your mask, then stop! (If you are diving in cold climates you want to let in the least amount of water possible.)
- Tilt your head down further and swish the water around both lenses of your mask to clear away the fog.
- Continue on to the next mask clearing step.
Step 2. Breath Normal
Mask clearing should not be done in a state of panic or anxiety so before you do anything, yes...even if there is water in your mask or your mask has been knocked off your head, stop, gather yourself, and take a few calm, normal breaths FIRST!
Step 3. LOOK UP!
This is probably THE most important step in clearing your mask. You have to tilt your head back and look up with your face (not just your eyes) in order to allow the air you're about to blow into your mask to displace the water you want to get out. Go ahead and tilt your head waaaaaay back.
Step 4. Put pressure on the top of your mask
While looking up, make sure you use one or both hands to put a slight amount of pressure on the top frame of your mask against your face. This will ensure that none of the air you are about to exhale into the mask escapes out of the top.
Step 5. Blow out of your nose
This is the other biggie...if you don't exhale through your nose, there will be nothing to push the water out of your mask. So, as you look up and put pressure on the top of your mask, slowly exhale out of your nose into the mask until all of the water is cleared out.
That's it. 5 simples steps to being an expert mask clearer. As with anything, practice makes perfect so take time during every dive to practice this skill. Soon clearing your mask will be as second nature to you as tying your shoe.
