Hardest skill in diving isn’t clearing your mask or putting it on after it comes off. The hardest and most important skill in diving is maintaining mental composure and staying aware of everything from your equipment to your environment.
Everyone experiences it differently. For many new beginner divers this is one of the most challenging skills :) Trust me after certifying thousands of beginner divers
@@abigmonkeyformehardest "normal exercise could be fully change of equipment with a partner breathing from the same regulator. Then you can always do weird complications line being blindfolded or three people instead of two. This one may be used on cave training
When I was taking classes for the certification I kept choking during this skill and it was a terrible feeling 😩 Took me like 5 tries to finally get it. Luckily it was only in the pool and not in the ocean
Aloha - the primary cause of this is allowing the water that is in the mask flow back into your nose as you lean back… to prevent this, start to apply slight exhale (through nose remember) as you lean back… you also, don’t have to lean all that fats back and thirdly - you can always take two or three blows to thoroughly clear it… my last observation in differences in teaching procedures… my students used to get used to opening their eyes underwater… become one with the ocean… one exercise my advanced …. Hey ai’m babbling on… sorry… - Good demo brother -
Same here, except it was in the ocean so i had my eyes closed. I had to keep stopping to hold my nose and breathe as water just kept wanting to go up my nose.
I had mine im the ocean with eyes open. My teacher wanted me to swim without the mask and eyes open and put it on again with a full clear. It was hard but possible.
First step, slowly let water in from the top of the mask. Breaking the seal at the bottom can cause water to shoot up your nose. If needed close the eyes doing this. Everything else is correct. This skill is hard for most students. I was an Instructor for 15 years. Been diving for 40 years.
I did my Dm course in 96 my instructor made me swim around with no mask, as she said what are you going to do wait for someone to hold you hand.. We used to take of our jackets and sit on them @ 40mts like a jockey and paddle along...all you have to do is keep the reg in..easy. Close your eyes lol
@@theessexhunter1305, Did the same things during my DM & Instructor training in 90. Also had to do Ditch & Don all gear with a 10 minute tread (only swimsuit in the pool, no wetsuit) in-between. Also did full gear exchange underwater with another student, and if either of you bailed out you both did the exercise again. While teaching one of the skills was the no-mask swim, and I would "hold" the student on the BC shoulder (more for control if they lost it than leading them).
Same, during my training my teacher wanted me to open eyes under water because if there is a problem it's better to see.. no things to be comfortable, the objective was to be prepared
Loved the instructional video! This was a skill that quite a few people in my open water diving class found very difficult to perform correctly. However, the hardest thing for me to do was either the buddy breathing exercise or the emergency surfacing techniques. Many people don’t see and appreciate the amount of things Scuba Divers need to learn to be certified. But in the end, getting to go diving is a life-changing experience.
I got to go diving without certification in Hawai’i! It was a truly wonderful experience! I hope to get certified someday. I feel like I got to cheat the system haha and I feel very lucky to have gotten to dive with a very good guide.
I just had to do it for my OW. No big deal for me but some people had issues. Of coarse we were doing it in cold water with 7mm hood and gloves, so that didn't make it any easier
@@Mr.Voysey wdym you have to partial filly your mask then clear you have to fully fill it then clear them there's this you have to throw your reg out and use sweep arm to get it that's also easy and there's cesa but if you kick of hard your fine the rest are easy
I always believed this was the easiest of the skills mostly because im really comfortable in water but also because there are instructors that wont let me die lol my struggle was taking the gear off and putting it back on I kept struggling to find the straps lol
During our certification (husband and I) our instructor made us sit on our knees on the sea floor (40+ feet below) remove our regulators plus the slack (tossing our regulators behind us) followed by removing our masks totally (as seen in video) put mask back on, retrieve our regulators, clear regulators, then finally clear the mask. In the moment we just did it, it wasn’t a piece of cake (for me anyway) but did it. Then we continued on. Thinking back on it, it’s terrifying 😂 but so worth it. Our instructor did a really good job at testing us in high pressure situations. Albeit, Highest pressure during an amazing dive anyway. We also had to “lose” our regulators, “run out of air” (he slowly turned off our air) signal to our partner and get air from them etc. we also had to take every bit of our gear off in open sea 😆 then put it back on, swim 60 feet away alone and use compass to return back to starting point. I’m glad Ceres are for life bc idk if my anxiety could do it today.
I remember doing this for an intro training course in the pool! It made sense to me right away but my mom was having some trouble 😂 great skill to learn though, because when we got out in the real ocean and were 30 feet deep, I could easily clear any water from my mask.
I'm 17, took a diving certificate this summer. When he said we're going 15 meters on the boat, panic set in. Had to remove the mask, put it back, and clear it underwater for the first time under 15 meters. Took it off fine, but struggled blowing out after putting it back. Failed multiple times, started drowning as water went from my nose to my mouth, pointed to go up while choking. Somehow made it underwater.
I legit did this today and I’m searching for scuba tips and this popped up. I surprising (as a 14 year old) did this first try which was amazing because my instructor told me that he had I guy completely fail and just keep surfacing so they just ended the lesson and returned to it later.
I just exhale as I’m putting the mask on and it clears itself usually. The harder part imo is simply breathing without the mask on. I’m usually a nose breather but to make it worse the bubbles from your exhale mess with your nose
Im thirteen and when i first did this on a lake i nearly had an panic attack because water ran up my nose ( we were 5 meters under the water ) and obviously i couldnt see. I managed to calm myself down and do it right and i passed! It was my third worst experience because i stopped breathing because of the water traveled trough my nose to my mouth and i needed to cough it out. It was fricking scary because, once again i couldnt see. 😬
Not sure about everyone else but I did this in salt water and we had to have our eyes open in salt water. it actually hurt less in salt water unless your close to shore.
This was very easy exercise for me since the first day, I was always having little bit water touching my nose the first day and I didn’t react at all on that because it wasn’t on my eyes. When I needed to take it off and put it back I didn’t have any problem also when you have very good instructor and you feel safe with him since the day 1 there will be no problems at all. The only hard thing for me was controlled emergency swimming 9m horizontal but the vertical was very easy. It was hard for me to swim 9m horizontal with one breath. Can’t wait for more dives and get more certificates so finally I can become instructor ☺️
I felt like my heart was going 200 plus during this skill but I kept calm and did it twice in two days. my problem is not breathing into the nose, it’s a weird feeling lol
This was helpful before I did this yesterday in my open water diver. Also it helped to practice fitting the mask over my face out of water before hand so I grasped the technical skill of actually doing it, when I got in the water it was pretty easy
Hmmm. Having the instructor, at 90’, turn off the right post while simulating an air leak in the manifold. Then having my buddy turn off the left post to stop the “leak”. 😂. Tech 1 with AG and Joe T in San Diego. Best class ever.
Once you're able to doff all gear, surface, tread x10 min, decent, and don all gear demonstrates good confidence. But its definitely not the hardest skill. Try dialing in your BCD so you can hover on bottom controling buoyancy with your breathing.
In the cave course I had to remove my helmet and mask and follow the line for a while. Eyes closed of course. Then put it all back on. Lots of fun.....
when i used to need to do this for my owd course i always had trouble maintaining a correct breathing pattern almost ad if i forgot how to inhale. thats literally what it felt like
Just had my first class today, and honestly this was the worst part for me. The water going up my nose made me choke up and exhale through my mouth. I got it done, but goodness was it absolutely awful lol
I did that today with relative...I spiced it up a bit by dropping the mask just out of my visibility range under water then retrieved it and put it back on and cleared...it was my 3rd dive
i tried my first ever scuba dive and tried but i had to keep reminding myself to breath through my mouth was tricky. sometimes stopped and was like need to breath! but was first time so guess just need to pracite
When I learned back in the sixties, my instructor had us throw our masks into the pool, then dive down to it and hover over it inverted (to ensure our snoots were full of water), then don and clear our masks. Of course we blew snot into our masks, so then we'd have to doff, rinse and don and clear it again, all in one breath. No tanks, just fins.
Did this in the ocean a few months ago when I did my course and my hood broke the mask seal and at first I panicked and had to surface until I realised😂😂😂
Removing the mask to clear it of if it falls of is the easy part i forget that my nose is exposed to water so i some times breath in from my nose. If you do this hold the mask with 1 hand and then hold your nose with the other hand and calm down and then try again
My 11 Yr old just did padi open water and was told snorkel was mandatory. 1st dive as a qualified diver and he was told to get rid of it because it just gets in the way. Seems stupid to have it mandatory for training of most divers don't even use it.
@@graememckay9972 agreed, and most dive shops sell you on one that is meant for snorkeling. If you need to swim way out a folding snorkel you can stow in a pocket would be the way to go.
I personally didn't have any issues with this one but I've seen plenty of students bolt for the surface on this one! Hardest skill for me personally has been finning backwards. I still can't get it 😩
I almost didn't pass this portion because I hate the feeling of water around my nose. It immediately goes into my sinuses and I feel like drowning. I had to come up with a way where I could hold my nose while doing this drill so I could pass.
What stresses us when we take off the mask during diving is that we think that the water will disturb our eyes. You can overcome this situation by trying a few times...
My father was my scuba coach. I didn’t have a problem with taking of my goggles. I got way better in tha past year, buuuut. I am still not good by not floating up or sinking down
I recently started an open water dive course (never dove before a week ago), the center I’m at doesn’t have a pool so everything is learned in the sea, and this bit was really easy, not sure how it’s considered the hardest skill in diving
That is not an official PADI skill, but if you loose your mask and your regulator at the same time in real life then you can still recover your regulator in most cased by sweeping your arm on the right side.
I agree with other posters. The single hardest skill is trusting your training. Breathe, everything else is secondary. Saved my @ every time. If you can't do this skill in open water, you need to spend more time with a better instructor.
I had a lousey instructor who told me this was the EASIEST exercises meanwhile everyone else is saying its one of the hardest, he also seems to believe holding lectures in dark rooms where you can't see what you're writing is acceptable, wish this guy would learn to give advice using his mouth not the other end of him :D
I did this skill today, in the sea, 3 metres underwater. Had to take mask off for 1 minute, then put it back on and clear it. Heard it was hard but didn't find any problems doing it.
You can clear your mask by breathing out of your nose. After clearing the mask you can open your eye (or even during the skill)... A few drips in your eyes will be ok :)
When you start training for tech diving you do this with one hand and open your eyes and salt water and you have to stay perfectly flat floating in the water column
Those people would be in serious danger if that happens at 30m deep and they cant orientate them selves up or read their meters. I would so drop that "hold your mask tight" too. In my course the instructor took it and dropped it to my side so that i had to open my eyes and see where it is, exactly to prepare me and prevent accidents
As an instructor I can say that this isn't the most difficult skill. All my students are doing this very easily, if it is done gradually and explicitly. I observed that the most difficult one is the removal and replacing of the weight belt underwater. Because it messes with their balance. Also, removing the scuba kit underwater and breathing from a free-flowing reg can sometimes be uncomfortable for students.
another absolutely useless skill in my opinion. Removing gear underwater. How many people have actually had to remove their gear during a dive? Like NONE.
yes those skills can be tricky also. If you do not have many people struggling with the mask skills then you are doing a great job as an instructor! :)
For some people this is and for some buoyancy, for other both skills are hard and some people have no issues with both. Everyone is different. Out of my experience most people struggle with the Mask Clearing skills and Buoyancy in the beginning.
What I’ve never understood is why people who have been swimming without a mask suddenly freak out about not having on a mask. Goes right along with why are you trying to be vertical in the water when you’ve never swam like that before? People make things harder than they are.
Try gear exchange while buddy breathing out of one reg. Then handle valve malfunction, and line entanglement with NO MASK. Ask your local instructor for a proper course. Cheers!
Yeah this is not yet allowed on the PADI Open Water Diver Course. There is an equipment exchange in the Divemaster course. But please read the Instructor manual to know what is allowed to swap to stay within organisation standards.
When you teach the PADI Open Water Course for a lot of people it is, but not for all. Are you instructors? We teach many people and a lot of people struggle with this skill, so in this video I show how easy it can be. Thanks for you great comments!
@@ScubaDivingTips The problem is that the title isn't about 'common issue students struggle with in an open water class' it's "hardest skill in diving" . That's what we're objecting to, there are tons of skills way harder than a mask remove and replace while kneeling on a pool bottom, like doing the same while maintaining trim, or backing out along a cave line with a lost mask drill, or any of the numerous other options.
Hardest part amd skill on diving is to not dive above your training and limits and if you do dive deep with single bottle open curcuit and get narcosis you become calm and feel like nothing is wrong and more delusional depends on how narc you are and then thats how you die
I think I had to clear my mask at about thirty feet down When it started to fill with water. People may think this It's a useless skill but Trust me everything you are taught in this coirse can save your life
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. (Luke 13:5) Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:7) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23) The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. (Psalms 34:18)
You must be a PADI instructor. This doesn’t even address the part that people struggle with. Everyone knows how to remove and put a mask back on. Actually teach people how to overcome the sensation that comes from your nose taking on water when mask is flooded/removed.
Having a snorkel attached to your mask will allow you to conserve energy while waiting to be picked up by your dive boat. This is particularly important if conditions are rough and you're exhausted. In extreme cases, if your air is depleted, you inflate your bcd orally and then the snorkel will help you stay safe on the surface. Before the dive, it can help you save air while you wait for the group to get ready or while you identify the best descend spot.
@@ScubaDivingTips I understand! My OW instructor, after I was certified, he is the one that turned me against always having a snorkel on the mask. He showed me his folding snorkel he carries in his BCD when he isn't teaching. I have a couple hundred dives now and have only used it once in Cozumel on a drift dive where I was waiting about 10 minutes to be picked up. Considering how little you use it in class and in real life, I just think it's one more thing a student needs to think about. The one thing that students struggle with is clearing and replacing a mask, why make it more complicated than it needs to be? is my thought.
Hardest skill in diving isn’t clearing your mask or putting it on after it comes off. The hardest and most important skill in diving is maintaining mental composure and staying aware of everything from your equipment to your environment.
Everyone experiences it differently. For many new beginner divers this is one of the most challenging skills :)
Trust me after certifying thousands of beginner divers
@@abigmonkeyformehardest "normal exercise could be fully change of equipment with a partner breathing from the same regulator.
Then you can always do weird complications line being blindfolded or three people instead of two. This one may be used on cave training
@@abigmonkeyforme exchanging gear is just a random task to perform under stress. Is more of a challenging exercise than a useful one I think
@@abigmonkeyforme thats right
Exactly
When I was taking classes for the certification I kept choking during this skill and it was a terrible feeling 😩 Took me like 5 tries to finally get it. Luckily it was only in the pool and not in the ocean
Yes it can take some time to practice. Check out my video here where I give some great tips: th-cam.com/video/4M34Fn18hKY/w-d-xo.html
Aloha - the primary cause of this is allowing the water that is in the mask flow back into your nose as you lean back… to prevent this, start to apply slight exhale (through nose remember) as you lean back… you also, don’t have to lean all that fats back and thirdly - you can always take two or three blows to thoroughly clear it… my last observation in differences in teaching procedures… my students used to get used to opening their eyes underwater… become one with the ocean… one exercise my advanced …. Hey ai’m babbling on… sorry… - Good demo brother -
Same here, except it was in the ocean so i had my eyes closed. I had to keep stopping to hold my nose and breathe as water just kept wanting to go up my nose.
I had mine im the ocean with eyes open. My teacher wanted me to swim without the mask and eyes open and put it on again with a full clear. It was hard but possible.
We did the exercise at the bottom of the Red Sea, which was at 9m / 30 ft. I was a little scared before but it worked really well.
I completly freaked out when i needed to do this
Why?
First step, slowly let water in from the top of the mask. Breaking the seal at the bottom can cause water to shoot up your nose. If needed close the eyes doing this. Everything else is correct. This skill is hard for most students.
I was an Instructor for 15 years. Been diving for 40 years.
I did my Dm course in 96 my instructor made me swim around with no mask, as she said what are you going to do wait for someone to hold you hand..
We used to take of our jackets and sit on them @ 40mts like a jockey and paddle along...all you have to do is keep the reg in..easy. Close your eyes lol
@@theessexhunter1305,
Did the same things during my DM & Instructor training in 90. Also had to do Ditch & Don all gear with a 10 minute tread (only swimsuit in the pool, no wetsuit) in-between. Also did full gear exchange underwater with another student, and if either of you bailed out you both did the exercise again.
While teaching one of the skills was the no-mask swim, and I would "hold" the student on the BC shoulder (more for control if they lost it than leading them).
Only concern I have with that is if one needs baby steps they're not prepared to do it when it's not a skill demonstration in class
Yep :)
Same, during my training my teacher wanted me to open eyes under water because if there is a problem it's better to see.. no things to be comfortable, the objective was to be prepared
Loved the instructional video! This was a skill that quite a few people in my open water diving class found very difficult to perform correctly. However, the hardest thing for me to do was either the buddy breathing exercise or the emergency surfacing techniques. Many people don’t see and appreciate the amount of things Scuba Divers need to learn to be certified. But in the end, getting to go diving is a life-changing experience.
I got to go diving without certification in Hawai’i! It was a truly wonderful experience! I hope to get certified someday. I feel like I got to cheat the system haha and I feel very lucky to have gotten to dive with a very good guide.
I just had to do it for my OW. No big deal for me but some people had issues. Of coarse we were doing it in cold water with 7mm hood and gloves, so that didn't make it any easier
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who had an awful time doing this
Many, many people have issues with this skill, but with practice it becomes easier :)
How the hell did you manage the rest of the skills if you couldn’t do this one?
Same
@@Mr.Voysey wdym you have to partial filly your mask then clear you have to fully fill it then clear them there's this you have to throw your reg out and use sweep arm to get it that's also easy and there's cesa but if you kick of hard your fine the rest are easy
I always believed this was the easiest of the skills mostly because im really comfortable in water but also because there are instructors that wont let me die lol my struggle was taking the gear off and putting it back on I kept struggling to find the straps lol
Yeah everyone has different skills they are good or less good at :)
During our certification (husband and I) our instructor made us sit on our knees on the sea floor (40+ feet below) remove our regulators plus the slack (tossing our regulators behind us) followed by removing our masks totally (as seen in video) put mask back on, retrieve our regulators, clear regulators, then finally clear the mask. In the moment we just did it, it wasn’t a piece of cake (for me anyway) but did it. Then we continued on. Thinking back on it, it’s terrifying 😂 but so worth it. Our instructor did a really good job at testing us in high pressure situations. Albeit, Highest pressure during an amazing dive anyway. We also had to “lose” our regulators, “run out of air” (he slowly turned off our air) signal to our partner and get air from them etc. we also had to take every bit of our gear off in open sea 😆 then put it back on, swim 60 feet away alone and use compass to return back to starting point. I’m glad Ceres are for life bc idk if my anxiety could do it today.
I remember doing this for an intro training course in the pool! It made sense to me right away but my mom was having some trouble 😂 great skill to learn though, because when we got out in the real ocean and were 30 feet deep, I could easily clear any water from my mask.
Yes, it is a very important skill to master :)
This is the most hardest part during my last certification test
You are not alone :)
I'm 17, took a diving certificate this summer. When he said we're going 15 meters on the boat, panic set in. Had to remove the mask, put it back, and clear it underwater for the first time under 15 meters. Took it off fine, but struggled blowing out after putting it back. Failed multiple times, started drowning as water went from my nose to my mouth, pointed to go up while choking. Somehow made it underwater.
what did your scuba instructor do while you were panicking?
I legit did this today and I’m searching for scuba tips and this popped up. I surprising (as a 14 year old) did this first try which was amazing because my instructor told me that he had I guy completely fail and just keep surfacing so they just ended the lesson and returned to it later.
Yeah well done on mastering it the first time! :)
I just exhale as I’m putting the mask on and it clears itself usually. The harder part imo is simply breathing without the mask on. I’m usually a nose breather but to make it worse the bubbles from your exhale mess with your nose
Im thirteen and when i first did this on a lake i nearly had an panic attack because water ran up my nose ( we were 5 meters under the water ) and obviously i couldnt see. I managed to calm myself down and do it right and i passed! It was my third worst experience because i stopped breathing because of the water traveled trough my nose to my mouth and i needed to cough it out. It was fricking scary because, once again i couldnt see. 😬
Yes it can be intimidating practicing it. But you managed to stay calm, very good!
Keep doing it more and it will become much easier :)
@@ScubaDivingTips thanks😉
Watching my equipment and paying attention to depth and air was the most difficult
Yeah that can be tricky also
Not sure about everyone else but I did this in salt water and we had to have our eyes open in salt water. it actually hurt less in salt water unless your close to shore.
Good to hear, different experiences for different people. Happy is was ok for you :)
Some people have contact lenses, that makes a difference also
Had my first Try Dive today and managed this first time. Really enjoyed it. Breathing without the mask in though sends sent air up nose and felt odd.
Yes it is a strange feeling the first time :)
Hardest part for me was trying not to panic as the salt water hit my eye's, but it is my
favourite skill!
This was very easy exercise for me since the first day, I was always having little bit water touching my nose the first day and I didn’t react at all on that because it wasn’t on my eyes. When I needed to take it off and put it back I didn’t have any problem also when you have very good instructor and you feel safe with him since the day 1 there will be no problems at all.
The only hard thing for me was controlled emergency swimming 9m horizontal but the vertical was very easy. It was hard for me to swim 9m horizontal with one breath.
Can’t wait for more dives and get more certificates so finally I can become instructor ☺️
bro full mask remove was my #1 opp during my skill dives
I felt like my heart was going 200 plus during this skill but I kept calm and did it twice in two days. my problem is not breathing into the nose, it’s a weird feeling lol
This was helpful before I did this yesterday in my open water diver. Also it helped to practice fitting the mask over my face out of water before hand so I grasped the technical skill of actually doing it, when I got in the water it was pretty easy
Hmmm. Having the instructor, at 90’, turn off the right post while simulating an air leak in the manifold. Then having my buddy turn off the left post to stop the “leak”. 😂.
Tech 1 with AG and Joe T in San Diego. Best class ever.
Once you're able to doff all gear, surface, tread x10 min, decent, and don all gear demonstrates good confidence. But its definitely not the hardest skill. Try dialing in your BCD so you can hover on bottom controling buoyancy with your breathing.
In the cave course I had to remove my helmet and mask and follow the line for a while. Eyes closed of course. Then put it all back on. Lots of fun.....
Hardest part of my OW training was removing my BCD and having to wear it again. It kept floating away from me and wasn't easy to put back on.
For me making a sound while exhaling helped alot
when i used to need to do this for my owd course i always had trouble maintaining a correct breathing pattern almost ad if i forgot how to inhale. thats literally what it felt like
I know the feeling, but with practice it got better right? :)
Just had my first class today, and honestly this was the worst part for me. The water going up my nose made me choke up and exhale through my mouth. I got it done, but goodness was it absolutely awful lol
Break the seal at the top of mask first and slowly let water into your nose area 👍
I did that today with relative...I spiced it up a bit by dropping the mask just out of my visibility range under water then retrieved it and put it back on and cleared...it was my 3rd dive
i tried my first ever scuba dive and tried but i had to keep reminding myself to breath through my mouth was tricky. sometimes stopped and was like need to breath! but was first time so guess just need to pracite
Yeah, many people experience this. Just keep practicing and it will be easier :)
Ahhh memorys, did it like a year or two ago...dived a total of 3 times
Could anyone tell me how often one should practice scuba diving after open water diving course?
Every time I had to to this in class I had trouble breathing since I’m so used to breathing through my nose 😫
Yeah, many people have this problem, but keep practicing and you will get to control breathing through your mouth and nose better!
When I learned back in the sixties, my instructor had us throw our masks into the pool, then dive down to it and hover over it inverted (to ensure our snoots were full of water), then don and clear our masks. Of course we blew snot into our masks, so then we'd have to doff, rinse and don and clear it again, all in one breath. No tanks, just fins.
Training standards have changed a lot since then
Remember you might have push on opposite side if you're upside down in the water column i think of teachers fail to mention. Details matter.
Interesting tip :)
This is beginner easy stuff. Try maintaining your composure and being aware and safe.
Keep your eyes open!
Did this in the ocean a few months ago when I did my course and my hood broke the mask seal and at first I panicked and had to surface until I realised😂😂😂
Good to hear you are ok
Removing the mask to clear it of if it falls of is the easy part i forget that my nose is exposed to water so i some times breath in from my nose. If you do this hold the mask with 1 hand and then hold your nose with the other hand and calm down and then try again
Step one… lose the snorkel.
As soon as you pass the class, you have to have in basic open water
Second open eyes
My 11 Yr old just did padi open water and was told snorkel was mandatory. 1st dive as a qualified diver and he was told to get rid of it because it just gets in the way. Seems stupid to have it mandatory for training of most divers don't even use it.
@@graememckay9972 agreed, and most dive shops sell you on one that is meant for snorkeling. If you need to swim way out a folding snorkel you can stow in a pocket would be the way to go.
Because of the PADI Standard we have to wear one.
They can come in handy on longer surface swims when it is a bit choppy.
I personally didn't have any issues with this one but I've seen plenty of students bolt for the surface on this one! Hardest skill for me personally has been finning backwards. I still can't get it 😩
I almost didn't pass this portion because I hate the feeling of water around my nose. It immediately goes into my sinuses and I feel like drowning. I had to come up with a way where I could hold my nose while doing this drill so I could pass.
So you did completed the skill, well done. Keep practicing it and it will become easier.
I just blow out of my nose and it’s clear, but still hate doing this exercise.
You are not alone :)
I did fine for this skill, but I think it had to do with a lifetime of doing summersaults under the water without a mask, haha
What stresses us when we take off the mask during diving is that we think that the water will disturb our eyes. You can overcome this situation by trying a few times...
I struggled so much till I squeezed my sinuses in my face with the muscles of my face (if that makes sense) then I was able to do it
Whatever makes it work for you :)
My father was my scuba coach. I didn’t have a problem with taking of my goggles. I got way better in tha past year, buuuut. I am still not good by not floating up or sinking down
Practice will make that better! Keep diving
@@ScubaDivingTips Thx. I will!
I recently started an open water dive course (never dove before a week ago), the center I’m at doesn’t have a pool so everything is learned in the sea, and this bit was really easy, not sure how it’s considered the hardest skill in diving
Great to hear that this skill was easy for you. Not all but from all skills this is usually the hardest for some people to perform.
@@ScubaDivingTips true
Um.. we're in Washington... we had gloves on for this too...
its hard for me because i keep almost breathing through my nose
That’s how a clear the fog from my lenses
yes you can do that
How about when you have to take out your reg and sweep your arm to find it with your mask off?
That is not an official PADI skill, but if you loose your mask and your regulator at the same time in real life then you can still recover your regulator in most cased by sweeping your arm on the right side.
I agree with other posters. The single hardest skill is trusting your training. Breathe, everything else is secondary. Saved my @ every time. If you can't do this skill in open water, you need to spend more time with a better instructor.
Time and Instructor makes a lot of difference
How sir do you breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose at the same time?
I had a lousey instructor who told me this was the EASIEST exercises meanwhile everyone else is saying its one of the hardest, he also seems to believe holding lectures in dark rooms where you can't see what you're writing is acceptable, wish this guy would learn to give advice using his mouth not the other end of him :D
This came naturally to me.
Nice one!
I did this skill today, in the sea, 3 metres underwater. Had to take mask off for 1 minute, then put it back on and clear it. Heard it was hard but didn't find any problems doing it.
Great to hear!
Can Water get in the eyes, when you put it on again? I can't open my eyes in Water 🤧
You can clear your mask by breathing out of your nose. After clearing the mask you can open your eye (or even during the skill)... A few drips in your eyes will be ok :)
When you start training for tech diving you do this with one hand and open your eyes and salt water and you have to stay perfectly flat floating in the water column
Tech diving is awesome
And do anyone have to do this, when diving the first time?
On you beginner Open Water courses you have to perform this skill
So you can do all this in the sea or ocean?
yes you can :)
Maybe a good idea to upload the full screen instead. You can hardly read the text-through-text combined with subscribe button.
Open eyessssss
Some people have contact lenses, so then they have the option for closed eyes.
Those people would be in serious danger if that happens at 30m deep and they cant orientate them selves up or read their meters.
I would so drop that "hold your mask tight" too. In my course the instructor took it and dropped it to my side so that i had to open my eyes and see where it is, exactly to prepare me and prevent accidents
😊
Hardest my ass! I learned that when I was 9 years old😅
Good on you! Not everyone thinks it is easy, but some people ace it the first time
As someone who has struggled with this skill, I don’t find your comment overly understanding or kind. Just saying …..
when I was 14 years old I got a junior open water license😂😂
Awesome! Keep diving or maybe even become a Diving Instructor one day? :)
@@ScubaDivingTips yeah one day wil
This is extra easy for me cuz im bald 😂
haha yeah
The Advantages Of Being a 🧜🏼♀️
As an instructor I can say that this isn't the most difficult skill. All my students are doing this very easily, if it is done gradually and explicitly. I observed that the most difficult one is the removal and replacing of the weight belt underwater. Because it messes with their balance. Also, removing the scuba kit underwater and breathing from a free-flowing reg can sometimes be uncomfortable for students.
another absolutely useless skill in my opinion. Removing gear underwater. How many people have actually had to remove their gear during a dive? Like NONE.
yes those skills can be tricky also. If you do not have many people struggling with the mask skills then you are doing a great job as an instructor! :)
this wasn't hard for me at all. i did this successfully on my first try. maybe its a matter of keeping your composure?
Great to hear!
that's how I failed certification. I couldn't do it in devils den.
Try and practice more in the future, you will get it :)
The most difficult skill is deploying your lift bag in 300feet of water well gas sharing through a restriction but I guess this is a close second 🙄
A bit harder doing it while in trim and without changing depth …
It's a little harder having to do that with a full face mask
Yep!
today i had to practice this skill this made it so much easier thanks
You're welcome!! :)
That’s crazy. My dad taught me how to do this when I was small
Hardly the hardest skill
For some people it is during their beginner course
That is literally one the most basic skills you learn say one of Open Water.
Hardest is definitely mastering buoyancy
For some people this is and for some buoyancy, for other both skills are hard and some people have no issues with both. Everyone is different.
Out of my experience most people struggle with the Mask Clearing skills and Buoyancy in the beginning.
Capp, the hardest skill in scuba diving is learning how to constantly get neutrally buoyant
What I’ve never understood is why people who have been swimming without a mask suddenly freak out about not having on a mask. Goes right along with why are you trying to be vertical in the water when you’ve never swam like that before? People make things harder than they are.
Becouse they can't see anything and becouse there is salt water burning their eyes
Try gear exchange while buddy breathing out of one reg. Then handle valve malfunction, and line entanglement with NO MASK. Ask your local instructor for a proper course. Cheers!
Yeah this is not yet allowed on the PADI Open Water Diver Course. There is an equipment exchange in the Divemaster course. But please read the Instructor manual to know what is allowed to swap to stay within organisation standards.
That is a very basic and needed skill.
Lose the snorkel 👍
I found taking off my bcd underwear harder
Yeah that can be tricky also
But what about the water in his eyes 👁👄👁
It literally just showed you
@@melonemusk Yea- no
This is one of the easiest skills lmao
@@juice6071 good. So I’m not the only one who came here to say this.
You can keep your eyes closed if you want :)
Hardest? Are you kidding? I did it on my very first dive of Open Water Diver course. Not hard at all
Great for you! Some really struggle and for some it is easy :)
This is the hardest skill?
No it definitely isn't, but they do this to get views.
Real emergencies are hard to manage especially if you're not properly prepared, not this.
@@gabrielex no doubt, I was kidding since it's so clearly not
When you teach the PADI Open Water Course for a lot of people it is, but not for all.
Are you instructors? We teach many people and a lot of people struggle with this skill, so in this video I show how easy it can be.
Thanks for you great comments!
@@ScubaDivingTips The problem is that the title isn't about 'common issue students struggle with in an open water class' it's "hardest skill in diving" . That's what we're objecting to, there are tons of skills way harder than a mask remove and replace while kneeling on a pool bottom, like doing the same while maintaining trim, or backing out along a cave line with a lost mask drill, or any of the numerous other options.
Does it clear the water stuck in the nose peice as well when you put the mask back on?
Hardest part amd skill on diving is to not dive above your training and limits and if you do dive deep with single bottle open curcuit and get narcosis you become calm and feel like nothing is wrong and more delusional depends on how narc you are and then thats how you die
Literally a basic skill
Easiest skill*
That was easy
Yeah :)
I did this skill 40 ft down at the bottom during a ocean dive.
Cool!
I think I had to clear my mask at about thirty feet down When it started to fill with water. People may think this It's a useless skill but Trust me everything you are taught in this coirse can save your life
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. (Luke 13:5)
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:7)
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. (Psalms 34:18)
You must be a PADI instructor. This doesn’t even address the part that people struggle with. Everyone knows how to remove and put a mask back on. Actually teach people how to overcome the sensation that comes from your nose taking on water when mask is flooded/removed.
Lose the snorkel, keep your eyes open and get off the bottom. You should be neutrality buoyant and in trim at all times.
Come on, this is the easiest one. The hardest is perfect buoyancy.
Yes for some people, everyone is different. Buoyancy can defiantly also be tricky!
once you get the hang of it its there kinda like muscle memory but different i didnt find it too hard
Sorry but i still need to pinch my nose.
Why on earth do we teach scuba diving with a snorkel? I dive a lot and I still haven't figured out how to make that thing work under water.
yeah, but they can be handy sometimes on choppy surfaces - but it's a PADI Standard so I have to use one.
Having a snorkel attached to your mask will allow you to conserve energy while waiting to be picked up by your dive boat. This is particularly important if conditions are rough and you're exhausted. In extreme cases, if your air is depleted, you inflate your bcd orally and then the snorkel will help you stay safe on the surface. Before the dive, it can help you save air while you wait for the group to get ready or while you identify the best descend spot.
@@ScubaDivingTips I understand! My OW instructor, after I was certified, he is the one that turned me against always having a snorkel on the mask. He showed me his folding snorkel he carries in his BCD when he isn't teaching. I have a couple hundred dives now and have only used it once in Cozumel on a drift dive where I was waiting about 10 minutes to be picked up. Considering how little you use it in class and in real life, I just think it's one more thing a student needs to think about. The one thing that students struggle with is clearing and replacing a mask, why make it more complicated than it needs to be? is my thought.