How to Pre-Treat a New Dive Mask

Almost every new item needs some preparation before it is used in anger for the first time, and a new dive mask is no different. With the proper preparation and pre-treatment, your new dive mask will be a joy to use and will give you hundreds, if not thousands, of fun, safe, fog-free dives. On the other hand, not treating your mask correctly before you first use it can lead to frustrations and many unpleasant dives as you constantly try to de-fog your mask during dives. So, how do you pre-treat and prepare a new dive mask for its first use?

Types of New Dive Mask Lenses

Dive mask lenses come in two flavors: polycarbonate and tempered glass. Each has its own unique set of pros and cons. So, choosing which one is best for you will depend on many factors, including budget, uses, and more.

Tempered Glass

Tempered glass is the industry standard for scuba diving mask lenses. It is rugged and durable, as well as scratch—and pressure-resistant. Today’s lenses offer various options and features to accommodate every diver’s needs.

One of the main drawbacks of Tempered Glass lenses is that they could cut out some of the light passing through. Standard lenses allow around 86% of the light to travel through. However, this can be improved with the addition of anti-reflective coatings added in the manufacturing process. These coatings allow over 95% of the available light to pass through the glass, making it much clearer.

One thing to remember is that these coatings tend only to be found in very high-end masks costing several hundred dollars. As a rule, the vast majority of masks will have standard, high-quality tempered glass.

Polycarbonate Dive Mask Lenses

Polycarbonate lenses are primarily found in more economical mask options since they are cheaper to manufacture than tempered glass lenses. Historically, they were mainly used in masks aimed at the recreational snorkeling market, but with advances in the manufacturing process, they are now also used in scuba diving masks.

Polycarbonate lenses are substantially lighter than tempered glass lenses, thus making the mask lighter. Historically, when masks could have been relatively heavy, this was a good advantage. However, today, this is not as big an advantage as it was before. Also, Polycarbonate lenses tend not to be as robust and scratch-resistant as those made from tempered glass.

The Silicone Protective Coating

Almost every dive mask ships with a silicone protective coating on the inside of the lens. This coating protects the mask during shipping and transport and is designed to be removed before use. If you do not entirely remove this coating prior to using your mask, it will be impossible to prevent it from fogging up—unless, of course, you are using a Tidal Mask with anti-fog technology—but more about that later.

There are two universally accepted methods to remove this coating. You can burn it off with a lighter or scrape it off with none other than toothpaste.

The Toothpaste method

This is by far the most gentle and less nerve-wracking method. It is also the easiest to do since everyone has toothpaste, but you may not have a lighter handy. To remove the silicone coating using toothpaste, grab a pea-sized bit of toothpaste and start to rub it on the glass on the inside of your mask with your finger.

After 30 seconds on each side or a minute for a single lens mask, you should be done. The toothpaste would have done its job and removed the coating. At this point, you can choose to leave the toothpaste on the mask to dry for a few minutes before rinsing it off, although this is not strictly necessary.  

A good idea is to repeat the whole process a couple of times before you head out for your first dive using the mask.  You may notice that you have not fully removed the coating, and parts of your lens will fog up.

In this case, after the dive, you need to repeat the process and focus on the areas of the mask that were fogging up during the dive. As a rule, you can expect to do this a few times before your mask lenses are completely coating-free.

Whether your mask is tempered glass or a polycarbonate lens, you can safely use the toothpaste method on either.

The Lighter Trick

One often quick and less messy way to remove the protective coating from your scuba mask is to use a lighter to burn off the coating. While this may seem terrifying at first glance, and the idea of putting a naked flame next to your brand-new mask skirt seems repulsive, there is no need to worry. Quickly moving the naked flame across the lenses will quickly and efficiently remove the protective coating.

The lighter method stands out compared to toothpaste because it is much less messy and quicker. Also, the toothpaste method needs to be repeated several times. One or two rounds with the lighter, and you are done, and your mask is ready to dive.

One thing worth mentioning here is that the lighter trick is not ideal for use with polycarbonate lenses. The polycarbonate lens can have a habit of reacting badly to the heat from the lighter flame. So, if you have purchased a mask with a polycarbonate lens, you are best off only using the toothpaste method to remove the coating.

Tidal Masks

On the plus side, if you have a Tidal Mask by Tidal Sports, you don’t have to worry about burning or scrubbing off any protective films. Due to the special anti-fog film that comes with the Tidal Mask, it has a different protective coating.

Tidal Masks come with a plastic protective film that you can simply peel off with your hands. In one step, your mask is set and ready to go. There is no need to use toothpaste to try and scrub off the coating. Or fray your nerves while you try and burn off the coating using a flame.

If that is not enough, you don’t have to worry about Tidal Masks fogging up during dives. The anti-fog film prevents your mask from fogging up, so it is ready for every dive. You do not need to spend time predive using anti-fog products or spitting in your mask. Simply take your mask out of your dive bag, and you are set and ready to go.

Tidal Sports Anti Fog Spray

One of the great advantages of a Tidal Sports mask with anti-fog film is that it comes with an anti-fog spray and lens cleaner. Using this before every dive will help keep your mask fog-free and crystal clear for a very long time. Which in turn will also help keep your Anti-fog films in excellent condition for many dives.

The anti-fog spray can also be used as a cleaner if you are unable to rinse your masks with fresh water between dives. Using the Tidal Masks Anti-Fog Spray is relatively straightforward. Simply spray it on your mask before a dive and let it rest for a while; you can then give the mask a cursory rinse, and you are set to embark on a fog-free dive. The spray can also be used on snorkeling masks and will keep them fog-free for many hours of fun.

Final Thoughts

Although it may seem daunting at first, preparing your mask for first-time use is relatively easy. Once you have done it a few times, it becomes second nature. That said, if you have a Tidal Sport mask, your life is made much easier since you don’t have to worry about lighters, toothpaste, or anything else.

As a rule, if it is your first time ever cleaning a new mask, you are best served trying the toothpaste method a few times before graduating to the lighter method. This is because it is less risky, and there is very little that can go wrong. Alternatively, if you have a Tidal Mask, just peel the protector off and go dive.