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Tried a new way to clear my mask at 90 feet and got a face full of saltwater | Commercial Divers - Talk Freely

Tried a new way to clear my mask at 90 feet and got a face full of saltwater

I was on a job last week in the Gulf working on a platform leg, and I decided to try this trick a guy told me about where you exhale through your nose with the mask slightly off. Big mistake. I ended up getting about half a cup of seawater up my nose before I got it sealed again. Took me a solid 2 minutes to clear my head enough to finish the weld. Has anyone else tried something that sounded smart but backfired underwater?

3 comments

3 Comments

elizabethg183mo ago

Oh man, I feel your pain on that one! I did something similar a few years ago trying to clear my mask with a quick head tilt and it just made everything worse. What actually worked for me in the end was just going back to the basics - you know, pressing on the top of the mask, looking up, and doing a slow steady exhale through the nose. It's not flashy or cool, but it keeps the water out and your sinuses happy. I figured out that trying to be a hero with new tricks underwater is a sure way to end up sputtering like a fool, ha.

jake_owens5mo ago

I was on a job off Louisiana a few years back and tried the same trick. That stinging burn of saltwater hitting your sinuses at depth is something you don't forget. It also messes with your buoyancy because you're coughing and flailing around. I learned my lesson the hard way too. Stick with the standard mask clearing method. It's boring but it works every time.

brian_ramirez5mo ago

Man, that's rough, @jake_owens. I used to think trying new tricks meant you were a better diver, but you convinced me it's just dumb risk. A simple method I ignored for years has never failed me, and now I stick with it no matter what. Have you ever tried that "look up and blow" approach for clearing a flooded mask?