I have been diving with some of my favorite clients over the last few days. When one of them showed up sporting a brand new mask, I knew immediately that is was going to fog. The diver had only treated the mask very briefly with toothpaste for a few minutes the evening before. On the first dive, the mask fogged up as expected. We treated it using the flame trick. The mask still fogged. I put in some commercial mask preparing agent. The mask still fogged. I flamed it again. It fogged. I borrowed it on the sly and washed it with dish soap. Still foggy. This was one stubborn mask! After a beautiful dive in Cozumel, of which my poor, frustrated client saw nothing but a white haze, the local dive guide fixed the world's foggiest mask with one simple trick.How did the clever guide show this mask who's the boss? The simple solution turned out to be baby shampoo. I was admittedly skeptical that this mask could be fixed. I wanted to flame the mask again, which has always been my favorite trick. However, the patient guide took the mask and rubbed a diluted solution of baby shampoo into the lens for about five minutes. After scrubbing the inside of the glass, he let the mask sit with the solution in it for about 15 minutes.
Problem solved. On the next dive the mask stayed perfectly clear for the entire 60 minute dive. Amazing! I am sold! I will always have a small bottle of baby shampoo with me to help clients with foggy masks in the future. A baby shampoo solution is great because most baby shampoos are gentle and won't sting a diver's eyes. They are also generally friendly to the environment.
I would recommend that divers carry a small, travel-sized bottle of baby shampoo with them on vacation. They can put a few drops in the mask before diving and then dilute it with fresh water from the boat for an easy and effective foggy mask fix!
My thanks Raul from Aldora Divers for turning us on to this great solution!
Speak Up! How do you fix a foggy mask? Have you ever tried baby shampoo?
Image of the Cressi Big Eyes Evolution Mask (not necessarily a foggy mask) is reproduced with the permission of Cressi
Comments
way to go Raul.
I have never had this problem. I normally use a commerical mask scrub several times before ever trying to use a new mask. And then use a commerical defog drops and never really have a problem. But for the last two years I have just been spitting in my mask cause I always seem to loose it little bottles.
First did they have a good mask or a cheep one.
I dive an OMER Bandit all I do is flame it and scrub it than spit is all I need works great!
I dated a professional diver years ago who turned me on to baby shampoo as an anti-fog. It works like a charm, it’s cheap & it doesn’t burn the eyes. I have turned many a diver on to this trick over the last 25 years!
What is Flame????
The “flame trick” is where you take a lighter/match to burn the silicone residue off the inside of the glass lense. I don’t do it cause I am scared I am going to melt the skirt.
Glass fogs up when warm, moist air comes into contact with glass and cools so that thousands of tiny water droplets form on the glass. The more “imperfect” the glass (i.e.dirty), the more easily it will fog (give the water droplets a place to stick).
So, step one, first, clean your mask. Toothpaste is OK, but avoid minty or flavored that might irritate your eyes. Better, is a commercial compound that is made for the purpose – (Sea Buff is one I use). Ordinary household products can cause irration and even be harmful tot he eyes. Scrub carefully, especially on non-glass surfaces that scratch more easily. Be careful flaming! It can ruin a plastic lens and prematurely age silicone and rubber seals with a slip of the flame! Over heated silicone becomes less flexible and can leak. Be careful here! (Since there are better cleaning procedures if you are prepared, I would say avoid this one – and it does little good on a used mask.
Step two – defog. Baby shampoo is fine, but I have found the better commercial products made for the purpose work best.
Lsst, dry and defog your mask (then store it in a case) after use to prevent more contaminents from landing on the lens after you are done using it.
I keep a cleaner, some defog and a small cloth rag in my mask case.
Here’s to safe and clear diving!
Thanks for sharing that information with your readers. We learned this trick from Linda from Starfish Enterprise in Boynton. She is the dive wrangler on Capt. Craigs boat and has saved many seasoned and newbie divers from the dreaded white haze dive!
Ever try Wide-I?? They’re great!