16 replies to this topic

[damselfish]

OK one more thing and then I'll shut up and let you read the birthday posts lol.
I guess I'm a nose breather and always struggle with fogged mask. Yes I did the toothpaste thing after I bought it. Yes I use the store bought mask clearing stuff. I try not to breathe out of my nose. STILL mask fog. So you usually see me with some "windshield wiper" inside my mask and it looks like my mask is leaking but when it fogs I just shake my head until clear.
So the dive boat had JJ baby shampoo on board and put some in my mask. It was clear as a bell all three dives! Probably makes for a soapy water bucket but it worked well.
Anyway ok so you guys probably already knew that. I missed that in scuba 101.
Just wanted to throw that out there.
OK so whose birthday is it tomorrow??? lol.


~ D

[Landlocked Dive Nut]

Yep, the heck with the store-bought mask drops. I use Johnson's baby shampoo, and others diving with me tend to borrow before long. Works great, and it's cheap!

[Neptuner]

...and others diving with me tend to borrow before long.

Hey... I resemble that remark! But the best part of all... NO MORE TEARS!

[FritzCat66]

I dunno - I find the baby shampoos actually irritate my eyes when I use them for defog. Maybe I'm allergic. Anyway, after trying lots of options, I prefer the commercial gel-type defoggers. Sea Gold works best for me, no fogging and no irritation.

>*< Fritz

[weescot]

Am I the only one that favours old fashioned fool proof saliva

[Landlocked Dive Nut]

Am I the only one that favours old fashioned fool proof saliva

I never learned how to spit well, so the time or two I tried this, my buddy complained!

[French Frog]

Same as weescot :
I spit in my mask, wash the glasses with my saliva and fingers, then just before going down, I rince it with sea-water.

It works perfectly that way...

[scubaski]

OK one more thing and then I'll shut up and let you read the birthday posts lol.
I guess I'm a nose breather and always struggle with fogged mask. Yes I did the toothpaste thing after I bought it. Yes I use the store bought mask clearing stuff. I try not to breathe out of my nose. STILL mask fog. So you usually see me with some "windshield wiper" inside my mask and it looks like my mask is leaking but when it fogs I just shake my head until clear.
So the dive boat had JJ baby shampoo on board and put some in my mask. It was clear as a bell all three dives! Probably makes for a soapy water bucket but it worked well.
Anyway ok so you guys probably already knew that. I missed that in scuba 101.
Just wanted to throw that out there.
OK so whose birthday is it tomorrow??? lol.


~ D

Do you store your mask in the hard plastic case for long peiods of time??? FWITW most plastics will off gas or deteriote with time, more so in sunlight.. I think if your mask is stored for a period of time some of these off gases adhere to the glass of your mask from the hard plastic case. A good wash and scrub with very hot water and a mixture of Softscrub and dishwasher fluid the day before you pack your gear for that dive trip is in order. I do this very often every 3 days while diving. I want to hear my fingers be squeeck clean on that glass after a hot water and detergent washing and rinse. Now I'm not a chemist or plastics manufacture, but I have stayed at a Holiday Inn.

I liked the 500psi blue gel but of late believe the little bootle of Sea Gold gel is my defog of choice.

[Geek]

Try getting yourself wet and cooled off before putting your wet mask on your face. That will lower the temperature of your breath and cut down on the fogging. Flood the mask and clear it underwater if you have to. If you can reduce the temperature difference between your breath and the mask, the typical stuff people tell you will work.

[dive_sail_etc]

I never learned how to spit well, so the time or two I tried this, my buddy complained!

Not to wax adult innuendo, but am I the only one who spent ten minutes on the floor in convulsions of laughter? NO offense, LLDN!

[hambergler]

I've always used spit as a defog. Works every time, and it's free, versus all the commercial solutions the dive shops keep trying to foist on you. And it's NEVER caused any sort of biological growth in my masks, despite what misguided people have told me.

[captsteve]

Spit works well and is my backup. Otherwise, Use sea drops, hell buy the gallon instructor size drum if you really want to save money. I dont like the sea drop gold or 500psi, too much effort in application. The baby shampoo thing...I dont know.

[Cold_H2O]

Am I the only one that favours old fashioned fool proof saliva

No your not alone. I use spit in my mask.

Have done the toothpaste scrub, the defog drops, and the baby shampoo...
They all work ok.. but I don't have to remember to put spit in a pocket or dig it out of my gear bag for I hit the water.

[JimG]

Do you store your mask in the hard plastic case for long peiods of time???

I use a heavy duty rubber case for mine - the foot pocket of my JetFins

A good wash and scrub with very hot water and a mixture of Softscrub and dishwasher fluid the day before you pack your gear for that dive trip is in order.

That's good advice in any case - perspiration and oil from your skin can also accumulate on the inside surface of the glass, and will need to be washed off from time to time. Also, I don't know what is going on with the newer masks, but it seems to take several scrubbings before the "new" comes off of them (you have to do it like 10 times or so - it takes forever).

FYI, I also eschew the use of defog in favor of spit. Basically all you need to do is break the surface tension on the glass, and spit seems to work quite well for that (or at least mine does). Plus it is cheap and plentiful.

-JimG

[Cold_H2O]

WARNING ~ Some of the newer masks have a coating that you DO NOT want to use the toothpaste/softscrub on...
I have been told that it will damage the coating that is to be on the mask.. check with your LDS or mask mfg. before you get to scrubbing.

Edited by gis_gal, 22 October 2008 - 11:01 AM.