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Clearing your snorkle allows you to breathe, but clearing your mask allows you to see. Which at times can be almost as important to survival. And besides; if you can't see, what's the point of it all?
Having clear visibility through your mask actually starts before you get in the water. Long before, actually. A major reason for people not being able to see out of their masks is that the mask is full of water because it doesn't fit right or won't seal. There is almost no factor in mask purchase that is really important--rubber versus silicon, low volume versus high, cheap versus expensive, color versus clear--except that it fit properly. It's a very individual thing, since what it has to fit is your face. Having a mustache complicates things. Keep shopping until you find one that fits perfectly and comfortably. Here's the acid test: place the mask against your face without putting the strap around your head. Inhale through your nose to keep it in place. If you can't keep the mask sealed to your snout by inhaling alone, no amount of strap-tightening will do the job.
But you're still not home free. For some reason they don't always let you know about it, but almost all mask manufacturers ship their lenses coated with an invisible material scientifically formulated to fog up. Nobody knows why they do this. And while everybody agrees that unless you get that film off your mask will keep clouding up, there is a lot of disagreement on how to get rid of it. Ask the salesperson at the dive shop and see what you get. Detergents get mentioned a lot, and other household cleaning products. But the application most frequently mentioned is toothpaste. Squirt some on the lens and rub it but good, scouring off the invisible barrier to visibility. The toothpaste doesn't have to have the seal and statement of the American Council on Dental Therapeutics, but it should be the white kind, not a gel. Maybe. Then maybe some dishwashing liquid. Rinse very well, dry and wait and see.
But the mask will still fog up, since the water is colder than the inside of your lungs and creates condensation on the inside of the lens. There are several "anti-fog" liquids and pastes available to smear on the lens to keep it from fogging up, some at ridiculously high costs, many that are absolutely ineffective, some with both of these popular features, but the most popular no-fog agent is an incredible fluid known as spit. Almost any diver you see entering the water you will see spitting into his mask. This is very convenient unless you are a total prissy-pants. Spit in both sides of the mask, getting as much saliva, if you insist on calling it that, on the lens as possible. (Think mouth-watering thoughts.) Then rub it around, coating the lens everywhere. Dip the mask in the water for a quick rinsing sluice, and put it on. You should put the mask in place first, then pull the strap over your head while holding it in place. Almost nobody does this because that way the strap pulls your hair and it takes two hands, whereas hooking the strap at the base of the skull then tugging the mask down over your nose is a one-hand job. I'm just telling what they say you're supposed to do, not what you're going to end up doing anyway.
So you get out there and find out there is water in your mask anyway. Maybe you didn't get a good seal at first, maybe a following wave caught your snorkle and pulled the mask away from your temple a little, maybe your mask sucks. These things happen. So you need to be able to clear your mask. Here's what you do: an exercise that is extremely technical, requires dedicated practice, and is probably worth a three hour module in a PADI course. If there is water in your mask, raise your head out of the water, tip the lower edge of the mask up away from your face, let the water drain out the bottom of the mask, reseal and be on your way. Think you can handle that? You're probably glad you're getting all this high-level instruction, huh?
You can also clear a mask while underwater by exhaling through your nose. This is a cool trick, and who knows, might impress somebody. Hold the mask tight against your forehead but loose enough at the bottom to allow water to exit. Start breathing out your nose and tip your head back. As the mask fills up with air from the bottom, water will be forced out and you will have a clear mask. Wow, is that phat, or what? Of course, it's a lot more useful to SCUBA people who are far, far away from the surface and have lots of excess air on hand. Snorkelers generally find it easier to just surface and drain. But, hey, it's always studly to know your business and be able to do something the other guys can't.
But what if your mask is full of water and you can't clear it? Close your eyes and use the Force, Luke. But seriously, there are times that no matter what you do your mask keeps fogging up. You keep rinsing it, taking it off and fooling with it, spitting in it--but it just keeps fogging up. Generally this is because the shipping film is still present on the lens. Your best bet to deal with this is to deliberately unseal your mask and allow a finger or two of water inside. A little water at the bottom of your mask doesn't block your vision that much (just don't snort it) unless you are looking straight down, and when the lens fogs you can just look down and shake your head to sluice the water around the lens and wash it off temporarily. It will continue to fog, but you can keep it fairly clear with this rinsing. It may seem like a small thing, but it can save a dive from being a complete pain, and you can deal with the overall problem when you get back. Start off by bitch-slapping the sales clerk who told you lime and tequila would remove the shipping film. |