It IS more clear...
not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,
Saving baptism is an answer of a good conscience toward God...We then get dipped in water to show that we have a good conscience toward God...That we believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus...
It is not the water that saves us...We are saved before we hit the water...
While Noah's flesh and blood (life) were saved by a flood (God took him off the earth while He killed all living things on the earth), Noah's good conscience toward God is what saved him...And his good conscience was evident by building the ark...
The bible can be a little deeper than you might think...It's not to be read like a novel...
For those who replace the Holy Spirit with a man and a "magisterium" there will never be understanding.