How To Clear Dive Mask

Mask clearing is one of the first diving skills you'll learn in your Open Water Certification training . It's quite essential to master, as the skill will help you feel more comfortable while you're diving, even if you have a leaky or foggy mask. It'll also come in handy if your mask gets knocked off by accident or if you need to remove it underwater for whatever reason.

If you don't know how to clear your mask while scuba diving, don't fret. Apply the following tips to successfully clear your diving mask:

How to Clear a Partially Flooded Mask

a female diver with a flooded mask

If you have a partially flooded mask, here's how you can clear it underwater:

Inhale deeply through your mouth (regulator) and get a decent lung full of air.
Give the bottom seal of your mask on your left lens a gentle lift with your left thumb and index finger so a little water can come in, then place it back on your face.
Perform the same step on your right lens, but remember to use your right thumb and index finger when lifting the seal. Place it back on your face after removing it.
Press the top ridge of your mask firmly to your forehead while slowly opening the bottom seal and blowing hard through your nose.
Tilt your head back slightly, looking up while exhaling through your nose. This step should help the air you blow out to push the water out of the mask.

How to Clear a Fully Flooded Mask

a female diver wearing a scuba mask and blowing bubbles underwater

If you have a fully flooded mask, the following steps will help you clear it underwater.

Do the steps in clearing a partially flooded mask to let water into your mask.
Fully flood your mask by opening its top seal and letting the water fill it.
Place your hands on either side of your mask and place its top ridge firmly to your forehead to open the bottom seal.
Exhale through your nose and let the air bubbles remove the water from your mask.

While some divers can quickly put their scuba diving masks back on and use the method outlined above to clear them, it sometimes takes more than one breath to completely clear scuba masks. Clearing a fully flooded mask can also be challenging because pressure can push it to your face once you put it back on underwater. This makes pushing the water out of your mask harder.

In that case, keep the following tips in mind whenever you're clearing a fully flooded mask:

Hold your mask to your face instead of putting its strap over your head
Clear your mask once to get as much air in the mask as you can. A little air helps release the pressure in it.
Secure your mask's strap around your head, then start to clear it.

You can check out PADI's short step-by-step guide to mask clearing below:

Other Scuba Diving Mask Clearing Tips

a scuba diving mask on a rock

To make diving mask clearing a lot easier, we've rounded up more helpful tips below.

Close your eyes

You don't have to open your eyes when you're clearing a flooded mask. This tip applies if you're wearing contact lenses or if your eyes are sensitive to saltwater. By closing your eyes while you're clearing scuba masks, you'll feel relaxed and avoid the uncomfortable sensation of saltwater in your eyes.

Pinch your nose

This tip will help keep water from entering your nose while it fills up your mask. It can also keep the uncomfortable sensation of bubbles away from your nose.

Breathe

Don't forget to take deep and slow breaths as you clear your mask. You can count each time you breathe while performing this technique. It's a perfect approach to clearing scuba masks since it helps you focus on removing the water. Taking deep breaths will help you relax, too.

Relax

Focus on each step slowly. You'll feel less overwhelmed when you've got each step in mind as you fill your mask.

How to Practice Scuba Mask Clearing

close-up of a scuba mask

While clearing scuba masks is relatively simple, some experienced divers can't do it easily—and in many cases, this is understandable. If you've got a scuba mask that fits you well and you've never had another diver's fins in your face, you've probably never had to use this skill at all. But like most scuba diving skills, a little practice can help you become confident in performing mask clearing.

Practicing this skill repeatedly in a controlled environment or swimming pool is the best way to perfect it. Standing in the shallow end of a pool, put your mask on and crouch down in the water. Pull the mask away from your face, let it flood halfway, and get practicing. Once you've gotten the partially flooded mask clearing down pat, practice taking off your mask completely underwater, putting it back on, and clearing it.

But if you're one of those divers who feel uncomfortable clearing their masks, make sure that you're negatively buoyant during practice. You should also deflate your buoyancy compensator completely and get into a stable position by spreading your knees apart on a flat, safe bottom composition. Once you feel comfortable, you can practice this skill while you're neutrally buoyant.

Practicing mask clearing in the bathroom will also help you master it. Try filling up your mask with water and focusing on breathing through your mouth the next time you shower. By doing this, you'll easily adapt to clearing a fully flooded mask in a safe and relaxing environment.

It's normal for water to enter your mask during a dive, and tackling this challenge is part of being a confident and capable diver. Once you've mastered the PADI mask clearing skill, you won't get irritated when water enters your mask on your next dive.