Nothing can ruin a dive more than having that white haze in front of your eyes throughout the dive. Foggy scuba masks often cause frustration for divers, especially if you’re dealing with a new mask. As you’ve probably heard, Spit is the most common foggy mask fix. But, if you’re like me and the thought of having to spit on demand makes your mouth go dry or you cringe with disgust, then these other options to keep your mask fog-free will sound much better.
Divers use many tricks and concoctions nowadays to create their ‘miracle’ mask-defogging solution.
Anti-fogging Solutions for Scuba Masks:
Brand-new masks usually have a silicone coating on the lens left over from the manufacturing process. This coating causes the mask to fog constantly, no matter how many defogging agents you try. So, first, you’ll have to treat it to remove any traces of this coating before using it on a dive.
Toothpaste: Rub toothpaste with your finger to coat the lens and leave it overnight before wiping it off with a soft cloth or washing it. This works well to remove the residual silicone coating on new masks. A simple non-abrasive toothpaste, preferably without beaching agents, works well for this. People often use toothpaste even as a daily defogging agent before dives. It works well and leaves your mask smelling minty fresh!
Flame trick- In the case of new masks, you can burn the lens’s residual coating by running the flame’s tip over the lens. But before we go any further, here is a word of caution…Don’t try this on plastic lenses (they will melt). Using the tip of the flame of either a lighter or candle, burn the coating on the lens (it will go black), being careful to keep the flame away from the silicone skirting. Also, avoid allowing the glass to become too hot. Wait for the mask to cool, then wipe away the blackened soot with a soft cloth. Repeat until the glass no longer turns black easily. It might take 2-3 times. This gets rid of the coating permanently.
There are several quick fixes and alternatives to using saliva for used scuba masks. Our best picks are-
Baby Shampoo: My favorite pick of an easy and effective foggy mask fix is baby shampoo. A few drops rubbed onto the lens and rinsed off just before a dive works wonders! Why baby shampoo instead of regular shampoo, you may ask. Well, for one, most baby shampoos have a “No tears” formula, which is hypo-allergenic and doesn’t cause your eyes to sting, even if you have some in the mask after rinsing. Secondly, they are also biodegradable and generally friendly to the environment. And lastly, they leave your mask smelling great!
Glycerin: Either in its original form, available at your local pharmacy, or in the form of glycerin soaps or dishwashing detergents, glycerin works in the same way baby shampoo does. Put a few drops on the inside of the mask, rub them in, and rinse. However, a downside of these is that if you happen to get water in your mask during the dive and it comes into contact with your eyes, it can sting.
Commercially available de-fog solutions: Most dive stores or diving websites sell specially created mask de-fog agents in convenient spray bottles. There have been mixed results and much debate as to which commercially available product works best. So make sure you don’t spend a fortune on these products when you have many cheap alternatives.
Papaya Leaves: A little local island tip I received when diving in Asia was that if you crush and rub papaya leaves on your mask lens, your mask won’t fog. So I gave it a try, and “voila!” I enjoyed a fog-free dive!
So take your pick the next time you go diving, and do let us know your favorite tricks for keeping your mask from fogging during a dive in the comments below.
