Don't you just hate irritating little sayings like that? Patronisingly pithy words of wisdom, wrapped sweetly and succinctly for delivery just when you don't want to hear them.
They're made all the more annoying by encapsulating a truth that you know even before you're reminded of it.
This time I decided to get ahead of the game and share my mask clearing frustrations. I blogged about them here and had one or two useful comments, but I also asked for advice on the UKDivers.com forum which I've recently joined.
The response to my posting on this scuba diving discussion site was immediate. I received lots of friendly feedback from divers who agreed that mask clearing was the one thing that almost everyone struggled with. Some shared tips from their own experience and many offered encouragement that I'd eventually conquer it. Practice and persistence were the key, apparently.
"It was the skill I most struggled with" wrote PuddleFish. "The least enjoyable part of my OW" (Open Water) said Major Clanger. "I too had a lot of problems with mask clearing" concurred Steppenwolf.
I immediately felt better about my inability to blow air through my nose to push the water out of my mask. The gasping, choking embarrassment was not my unique problem; I was facing a barrier that many others had encountered and eventually overcome.
In addition to this reassurance came advice. How about clearing the mask before putting on the strap, suggested Jenkins. "I also find it easier to clear the mask before putting the strap on", agreed Toria82.
Now there's a thought. I'd already been encouraged to practise breathing in through my mouth and out through my nose when diving, which worked fine. The exhaled air pushed its way out from under my mask and no water came in.
So when it came to the next mask clearing session I removed the mask completely and breathed out through my nose. I started to put the mask on, under the water, and exhaled through my nose as I did so. In a moment the mask was half-empty and I'd barely put it on my face.
I tilted my head back and exhaled again and the mask was cleared. I was then able to put the strap around my head and the job was done.
To prove this wasn't a lucky one-off I did it again, at my instructor's request. I was then asked to remove the mask once more, led on a circuit of the diving pool at 3m depth (with my eyes closed because the water stung) and then replaced the mask using the same technique. It worked!
With the help of my virtual dive buddies I seem to have got to grips with mask clearing. It wasn't as easy as I've made it sound, and this technique I've adopted only works when I remove the mask completely. I'm still not entirely happy clearing a mask that's half-full of water and strapped to my head, but I can do it without inhaling much water.
What this proved to me was that the problem could be overcome and, perhaps more importantly, that there's a great community of divers out there who are willing to help. I'll probably never meet Puddle Fish, Major Clanger or the others I've mentioned here, and I might never even learn their real names. But I appreciate their input into my diving education.
Thanks, guys!
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