As a scuba diver, you will have great feelings when you get a new piece of scuba diving equipment. A new scuba mask is one of the most exciting items of your scuba kite to get, as it is responsible for protecting your eyes underwater and can be a great way to let your personality shine when you choose unique colors and shapes. When you purchase a new scuba mask, you may be eager to go diving with it right away, but that may cause some problems. That’s why you need to pre-treat a new scuba mask for scuba diving.

Why Is It to Pre-treat a New Scuba Mask?

You may have seen this happen to a novice scuba diver before. He jumps into the water for his first dive with his new scuba mask and it’s become so foggy that his eyes disappeared and using a defog solution can’t help.

To be able to illustrate what happened in this case, you should know that your new scuba mask has a silicone film on it that has accumulated on the lens from the manufacturing process. 

Regardless of the different shapes, styles, and colors of scuba masks that are available today, all these masks are constructed using a skirt made of silicone. Silicone makes scuba masks more comfortable to weak while remaining leak-proof.

However, in the manufacturing process, the silicone leaves a buildup of film on the lenses of the mask which can’t be removed easily.

You can’t see this layer of silicone with your naked eye, but if you don’t remove it, you will suffer from problems related to fogging every time you go diving, regardless of the type of your defogging solution.

The Right Way to Pre-treat a Scuba Mask For Scuba Diving

To Remove the silicone film from your mask properly, using toothpaste is the best option. Use a dime-sized amount of traditional, white toothpaste then scrub it on the lenses gently.

Be very careful when you scrub the lenses as some lenses can scratch easily. To avoid scratching it by accident, use a soft, wet washcloth and rub the toothpaste with it. 

The next step is to rinse the scuba mask with cold water while you rub away the toothpaste. Be aware m that toothpaste may accumulate in the mask edges. So scrub the mask well to avoid having toothpaste in your eyes on your first dive experience!

After removing all the toothpaste from your scuba mask, ensure dry the lenses well using a clean washcloth. Repeat this process at least three times, and don’t forget to dry your mask in between each application.

After you’ve finished the last one, make sure to store your mask in a cool, dry place. It is prefered to store it in the case it comes in to ensure its safety.

Other Ways To Pre-treat a New Scuba Mask For Scuba Diving

Some scuba divers recommend burning the silicone film off using a lighter or you can even scrub the lenses with bleach. 

These two ways are not recommended because they can be dangerous and damage your mask. Try the pre-treat method that we have outlined above first and if you’re still having any problem, visit your local dive shop and ask help from your local scuba instructor.

As long as you are very careful when pre-treating your new scuba mask, you will have no problems and you’ll be ready to go diving with your new scuba mask at once! And remember, you will have to defog your mask properly before each dive, as pre-treating the mask does not prevent it from fogging on every time you go for a dive.