Enjoy Your Scuba Diving Adventures By Learning To Properly Take Care Of Your Scuba Diving Mask
When you've spent money on scuba equipment, the costs of doing a scuba dive and perhaps transport and accommodation, the last thing you want to do is get under the water and find you can't see anything because of your mask being full of water. If you've bought a good quality mask that fits snugly, it may not happen very often, but there are times when water will find its way into your mask and obscure your vision. Apart from the frustration of missing out on the scenery, this can be dangerous, and part of scuba diving certification involves learning how to clear your mask of water.
The good news is that clearing your mask is simple, and only takes seconds if you know what to do. The first step is to completely submerse yourself in the water. Then pull the mask away from your face until it's full of water. This can seem a little scary, but stay calm and don't panic. All that happens then is you make the situation much worse and you don't need anything else to go wrong when you’re deep under the water.
Continue to breath through your snorkel or your regulator. Now, replace the mask against your face and gently tilt your head back. Press the top of the mask tightly against your forehead with one hand. Take a deep breath through your regulator or snorkel, and then exhale as hard as you can through your nose. The sudden rush of air will force the water out of the mask.
Once all the water is removed, place your mask back against your face so that it's snug again, and you can continue on with your scuba dive. If you find that your mask still contains water, have another go. It could be that you were a little panicked first time through and missed a step, or perhaps just didn't exhale enough air quickly enough to do it properly.
If your mask still contains
water, check for interferences that could be causing it to fill with
water. If you still can't find a solution, it may be best to terminate
your dive and head for the surface. It's always a good idea to practice
this skill extensively in a pool or shallow water before you try to
dive in deeper water. This means you'll feel confident of what you
need
to do if you need to apply this skill later on.