Mask Clearing, Why We Do It.

We've all experienced it, waters gotten in to our nose and it’s not a pleasant feeling so why would we want to intentionally flood our mask underwater. No matter the organization, no matter the training eventually you will be asked to break the seal around your mask and let the cavity flood. Soon you will even be expected to remove the mask completely and re-position it back on your face but to do so you need to understand how it works.

The reason this skill is taught is because eventually your mask will leak, fog up or flood and you need to be able to correct the problem without having to cancel the dive to surface. The notion can be rather daunting but after you get a fill for it, learning this skill won’t be as frightening.

If you spent those extra bucks and got a purge valve on your mask then good for you, you don’t have to do as much but if you settled just for something to see out of then pay attention. It’s simple to get water into your mask but it will take some effort and understanding to get it back out.

What makes the most sense to me is that when a canoe/kayak gets overturned it doesn't sink because it has a pocket of air trapped in the hull. The same concept applies when trying to purge your mask. Take your palm and press it firmly against the top of the mask while looking up. This maintains the seal at the top of the mask. Exhale through the nose to fill the cavity where the mask will rest, the air bubbles will drift upwards into the mask displacing the water. Once done exhaling re-position the mask back in place and open your eyes, it’s as simple as that.

Although we may not enjoy having our masks flood it is important to be able to clear it and continue the dive. By being able to do this simple skill it will make your dive that much more enjoyable. Instead of sucking it up and diving with a partially flooded mask why not just clear it?