I have heard and seen some divers spit on the goggles before wearing it....why is it so important and can't you use normal water to rinse it off....

Hey atula.

Divers spitting on their their mask lens actually isn't to do with cleaning, they do it to prevent fogging, which is when your mask goes literally \"foggy\" when diving.

It's a quick and easy way just before you dive to spit on both sides of the dive mask lens, rub it in and rinse it out just before you go under - mostly prevents fogging.

Some people argue that you shouldn't do this because saliva contains bacteria which can cause black mould inside the mask. You can actually buy defogging solution for between £3-10 ($5-15), which does the same thing but without the spit

Personally, I swear by toothpaste. Rub a peasize amount with your finger into the mask lens on both sides, rub it in, wash it off and I've never had problems with fogging.

I also prefer tooth paste it's worked for me so far.. However if the dive takes you from one extreme of temp to another such as Caribbean wall dives where the surface temp is like 75-80 to depth where you may be in 60 degrees I have had some fog issues. In my opinion tooth paste is still every bit as good as defogging solution, and if you simply flood and clear your mask with the cooler water it will be fine for the rest of the dive. When masks cost as much as they do these days I'm not going to be spitting in mine...

Also for those new divers or those considering to dive, you can see in our quick guide how easy it is to clear water from a flooded mask

thanks everyone..that was really helpful info...I could have never known that spitting was done to prevent fogging...and that tooth paste is so useful...apart from shining your teeth...
thanks again...it is exactly things like these that I wish to learn in this forum...before I too plunge into the water....

There is a spray on the market that can reduce fogging as well. I am not sure how effective it is though.

That grossed me out when w were taught to spit in our mask.

We use baby shampoo. gentle for the eyes and I discovered by accident that a clean mask dried overnight and traditional chap stick applied in a fine layer prevents fogging and if applied to the skirt helps to make a nice tight leak proof seal.

J

You can get some mask where the company has put a anti-fogging material on your mask, so make sure you read the leaflet before washing it with toothpaste! I recently discovered this with a mask i brought, the lens are curved so the company said don't touch the lens they have put stuff on it lol! Also it needs to be a white toothpaste and not a gel, i cant remember why but i did read that somewhere!

I realize that the problem is solved by the various methods mentioned here.

I was just wondering if there's a product that's used by photographers to avoid fogging of their lenses and filters that may be helpful with masks too?

Yes, why would you go and spit on the goggles? This is truly fascinating.

Spitting on googles is it old school? maybe its a usual practice when anti-fogging solutions aren't invented yet therefore its yukky to borrow someone else goggles, you don't know if the owner has had some spitting occasions . . . ouch:woohoo:

avorrgorrus wrote:


For all the aforementioned reason, I imagine.

giay wrote:


S'only a bit of spit.. *hack* *spit*

Silica Gel Packs

Used to prevent fogging in the camera underwater cases.