How to Prevent Your Mask from Fogging

Let’s face it: a foggy mask is not a good look. It can ruin an entire dive, obstructing your view and causing uneasy feelings. When this happens, your dive can go from fun to dangerous in an instant. To avert accidents from happening, start by preventing your mask from fogging in the first place.

DOES YOUR MASK FIT PROPERLY?

First things first, make sure your mask fits properly. Your mask’s inner and outer seal should touch your face. If there are gaps on either side, you’ll be susceptible to leaks. Looseness causes flooding, which increases condensation. And unfortunately, breathing through your nose will only make the fogging worse.

THE TOOTHPASTE TRICK

Here’s a little dive trick. A non-whitening, non-abrasive toothpaste can be used as a defogging agent. Squirt the toothpaste on the inside of the lens and spread it around with your finger or a soft cloth. You can either leave it on overnight or rinse and reapply a few times, which will allow the chemicals to react.

BABY SHAMPOO SECRETS

Want to avoid fogging altogether? Watered-down baby shampoo works wonders for combating fogging. Not only does it smell good, but it’s also hypoallergenic and non-irritating to your eyes. Rub a few drops onto the lens then rinse it out.

FIRE FIX

Don’t worry, we’re not talking about setting your mask on fire. Instead, the flame of a lighter or tapered candle can be used as a natural defogging agent. Run the flame alongside the glass until it turns black. Wait a few minutes until it’s cooled off. Then, wipe away the soot and repeat two to three times.

The key is to run the flame only on the glass itself and avoid melting the seals. Obviously, this trick shouldn’t be used on a plastic lens.

SALIVA SAVES THE DAY

Sounds gross, but it works. Plus, it’s free!

This usually works best right before you’re about to enter the water. You want your saliva to remain on the mask so it creates a “film” that acts as your defogging agent. Simply spit on the inside of the mask, rub it around, and rinse with fresh water.

COMMERCIAL DEFOGGING PRODUCTS

There’s plenty of products on the market today that’ll take care of fogging. They work similarly to the spit technique. Rub a few drops around the lens and rinse with fresh water. Again, the idea is to leave a film so don’t wipe the lens after rinsing.