I tried a different way to clear my mask in zero vis and it actually worked

We were doing a silt-out inspection on a sunken barge in the Mobile River last month. The water was basically mud soup, maybe 6 inches of visibility on a good day. My mask flooded completely when I brushed against a steel beam. Normally I'd blow hard out my nose, but with the silt, that just stirs up more muck and you're blind for another five minutes. On a whim, I tried something my old instructor mentioned once: I tilted my head way back, pressed the top of the mask frame against my forehead, and exhaled slowly through my nose. The air bubble traveled up and pushed the water out the bottom seal without any of the violent kicking. Cleared it in one go and could see my gauges again immediately. It felt counterintuitive to not blast the water out, but the gentle pressure did the trick without ruining the viz for my buddy. Has anyone else found a low-disturbance method for mask clears in awful conditions?

2 comments

2 Comments

karenlee1mo ago

Funny how the gentle fix is often the right one, huh?

lisa8201mo ago

Your method works because physics doesn't care about visibility. The air bubble will always rise to the highest point. Pressing the mask to your forehead just makes that high point the bottom seal. It's a smart trick for keeping the silt settled.