KARAPAT DIVE
Centro buceo Gran Canaria
Centro buceo Gran Canaria
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We divers know it well: a tarnished mask ruins your immersion.
Source of underwater frustrations, the vapor in the glasses of the diving goggles is a common nuisance that not only prevents seeing the fish or coral, but can pose a safety problem. A diver distracted by a tarnished mask may lose control of his buoyancy or what is happening around him.
The difference in body temperature with respect to that of water is the cause of the glasses in the glasses being filled with fog. A mist we produce when breathing when breathing through the nose.
So, to prevent the mask from fogging up and ruining a fantastic dive, there are a few diver tricks:
FIRST USE OF THE MASK
In its manufacture, the crystals of the diving masks are covered with a chemical protector that you must remove to be able to defog it.
To eliminate that film, the most widespread trick is that of toothpaste: use a soft cloth to spread toothpaste (white, traditional) inside and outside the mask and let it act for a whole night. Then rinse the glasses with hot water. That you do this procedure only once before releasing your new mask will be enough.
However, there are other tactics to make the protective film with which the factory diving masks come:
- The fire. You have to bring a flame from a lighter or a candle inside the glasses until the glass turns black and then clean. Obviously, this process must be done very carefully so as not to burn the silicone mask. If you do not trust your ability to perform this procedure, ask for the help of someone more experienced with the technique or resort directly to the toothpaste trick.
- The potato. You have to rub the glass inside and out with a freshly cut potato and then remove the remains by cleaning the mask with a paper. Starch turns out to be an effective anti-fog.
- The grease. You have to put the mask with water and a few drops of a grease cleaner in a pot on fire for a few minutes.
- Specific products. Some dive shops offer single-dose products for this first use of the mask. Of course, special care must be taken when clarifying them because they are usually aggressive and can damage the eyes if it is not eliminated well.
IN EVERY DIVE
As we well know, although the mask is free of the residues from its manufacture, that does not mean that the glass is not going to fog.
- Saliva. It is an effective and cheap method. Spitting in the mask causes a small layer of saliva to remain in the crystals that will prevent fogging. This trick has, on the other hand, a negative part, since, in addition to that it may not work at 100% due to the acidity of the saliva and the ph of each, they can reach the eyes bacteria that should not or even cause that with time is believed mold between the crystals.
- Anti grease cleaner / detergent. (Fairy, Mistol or similar) Most dive centers usually have these types of products available to their clients at their departures. Simply apply a little, spread and rinse with water. You can also use a KH7 type degreaser, but it is more aggressive for the mask and, worse, for our eyes.
- Baby shampoo. A less invasive alternative than detergents, it is not irritating and also has a better smell. You can dissolve a quantity of this shampoo in fresh water, put it in a small bottle and take it with you on the dives.
- Anti-fogging liquid. There are quite a few in the market. They are products created specifically for diving masks and are very effective. The procedure is repeated in this case: apply, rinse and use the mask.
- The potato. Some divers also use it for day to day diving. It may be a bit awkward to have to load with the potato and the rest of the diving equipment, but if it works ...
- The coke. They say that leaving the mask all night immersed in this drink also helps not to tarnish the mask. I have not tried it, but Coca-Cola serves so many things that I would not be surprised if it worked.
To these anti-fog methods you can add another trick, which is to get into the water before the dive to stabilize the body temperature with that of the medium at that time and avoid the thermal differences that cause the fog. It can be tested, although one of the methods mentioned above should suffice.
DURING THE IMMERSION
If with all this you have not been able to prevent the problem in an effective way and your mask is fogging, there are also some tips to implement underwater:
- Introduce some water into your mask to remove the mist and empty it later, just as you learned in your initiation course. Surely its effect will not last long, but it can be used to finish the dive.
- Find a piece of seaweed, take off the mask and rub the glass inside with it.
- Try not to breathe through your nose to avoid expelling the air that generates this annoying problem.
And if none of this works, you can always turn to Popeye's method ...
Out of jokes, and as we said at the beginning of the post, never let a tarnished mask ruin your immersion. That said, what is your method so that the mask does not tarnish? Do you know any other that we do not know? Which ones have you tried?
