MASK HYGIENE
From our first dive we are taught to clean all of our gear after each use. This generally means hosing it down, or soaking it with fresh water. We all ensure our regs, BCDs and drysuits are thoroughly cleansed, as these are the expensive, “more important” items. If anyone has ever seen a reg being serviced, the amount of time spent washing it is then doubled. Our small, expensive lights and computers frequently come into the bathroom where they’re washed in the sink, but what about our masks?
A mask is usually one of the first pieces of dive gear we buy, and one that seldom gets upgraded or replaced. When travelling we always take our mask, even when we leave the rest of our gear at home. Yet this essential piece of gear only ever gets a quick spray or dunk. Personally my mask lives in my fin foot pocket, and even when I’m rinsing it, it doesn’t come out. When it comes out of the foot pocket (and isn’t being placed on my face) it is usually just tossed around. It ends up on the floor more often than not.
​We all take our masks for granted, possibly because it is one of the cheapest pieces of gear we own. But we really shouldn’t. While some gear is completely interchangeable a mask really isn’t. A good fitting mask that seals nicely against your face makes all the difference in the world. It’s something so simple, but being able to dive without having to clear your mask every couple minutes is fantastic. Having a nose pocket that actually fits your nose is immensely comfortable. Not having to readjust your straps every dive is a pleasure. Not only that but let’s face it; once you have a mask, all your dive buddies know you by it. So once we have this key piece of gear we should really care for it.
A couple days ago I brought my mask inside. This orange Cressi mask was my first piece of dive gear. It has been with me cage diving in South Africa, exploring cenotes in Mexico, swimming through sardines in the Philippines and of course teaching in Victoria. When I brought it in and looked at it, it was coated with black sludge. After years of receiving only quick rinses, layers of goop had built up inside the frame.
Luckily many hard-framed masks pop apart quite easily. This is for easy installation of prescription lenses; however it works well for those of us who need to do some cleaning. Once my mask was in pieces I could really see how gross it was. It was appalling to think that this had been on my face. Where the lenses had been the skirt was literally black. The frame had black slime coating it, as well as white chunks, possibly from chlorine. Each lens had a white ring around it.A bit of Simple Green, a tooth brush and some scrubbing slowly eliminated all the filth. Soon my mask was sparkling clean and looking good as new. Putting it back together I couldn’t remember the last time it looked this good. It is amazing how easy it is to take something for granted. My most well-used piece of gear was also my dirtiest most disgusting. All our dive gear should be treated as critical equipment, because really it is. Even the simple things should be well maintained and taken care of, because a couple extra minutes of rinsing can save a lot of work later.
