Im curious, with the many instructors that frequent this site, what are your individual approaches on mask clear and mask clear and recovery?

Especially with the high maintence (high anxiety) students, gotta be alot of years of (combined experience) advice available.

It's okay, just show us on the doll where the P.A.D.I. instructor touched you.

"" Not throwing my hands up or my dress above my ears don't mean I ain't awstruck.""

I might not be exactly what you are looking for in that I am not an instructor yet (I hope to be completed by April / May of this year - I have some administrative stuff to finish up) :)  Anyway, what I have used to help some of the "high anxiety" people is to start with just a snorkel and have them put their face in the water while standing in the pool and have them breath like that and keep trying until they can do a few minutes without panic.  Then have them move up to doing the mask clear with the snorkel while standing.  After that switch to scuba and have them kneel in the pool and flood their mask and don't clear it right away.  Then move up to removing the mask and putting it back on.  The final step is to have a buddy stand about 20' away with their mask and have the person swim underwater with scuba to retrieve their mask and put it on. 

This whole progession can take some time.  I had one woman that it took a total of about 6-8 hours of work to get her over it (she was my sister's mother in law who got certified somewhere and didn't pass the open water because of the mask clear)  She called me and I had her work on those steps in her pool on her own and was able to become much more comfortable.

Teaching the mask clear is much easier if you have the students stand with their head out of water with their mask on, and, you have them learn how it feels to simply  exhale through their noses enough to push air around the mask seal.  Once they are comfortable with this (which, without the anxiety of being under water with a flooded mask happens very quickly) mastering the mask clear goes much faster once in the water.

The no-mask breathing technique works well.  I have found that it works even better if it is used right away, as the first introduction to underwater breathing.

First, have the students geared up in scuba, but with their masks in their hands.  Have them put their regulators in their mouths and instruct them to breathe in through their mouths and out through their noses.

Next, have them sit or kneel in shallow water while continuing to breathe as instructed.  Once they are comfortable, guide them to put their masks on under water.  Since they are breathing out through their noses, they will automatically clear their masks without even thinking about it.

Last, have the students stand up.  Congratulate them and tell them that they have just accomplished the most difficult skill in the course. 

Dive safe,

Captain Dale Bennett

Charter Captain & Instructor Trainer

Open Water through Advanced Trimix