Am I Stuck Forever at 40 Feet???

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Keep that stuff away from your eyes and "down there". :D
I would even go as far as to say that when applying it you should wear gloves because if this gets anywhere sensitive even if in minimal quantities you WILL know about it. Rub your eyes and you will be crying for a long time
 
well i am sure you will correct me if my training goes against what your knowledge is, but i was always taught to never equalize (blow) while ascending. why would you ? as the gas expands it "should" escape on its own through the eustachian tube and is exhaled.
if a diver experiences a reverse block, blowing will only make it worse. other methods may help like stretching out the neck, swallowing, yawning etc.
my advise would have been to stop the ascent until it clears or to at least slow the ascent as much as possible. if necessary the diver may also descend slightly to alleviate the excess pressure.
to be clear....my definition of "equalize" usually means blowing (valsalva) as almost every diver i know requires this method to equalize.
Equalizing does not mean "blowing". That is Valsalva, the WORST equalizing technique. The OP is equalizing with Toynbee (swallowing with nose close) which actually creates a DEPRESSION inside the nasal cavity, and is very good for resolving a reverse block. But perhaps he is even using the BTV method, which does not require to close the nostrils, and there is no pressure variation, just muscles opening the tubes...
I agree that most divers cannot use Toynbee or BTV (which indeed is the method I prefer to use). But teaching Valsalva is WRONG.
As an instructor, I was teaching Frenzel for free diving, and its open-mouth variation, called Marcante-Odaglia here in Italy, for scuba divers (this is substantially a Frenzel practiced with open mouth, so no "mouthfill").
 
Equalizing does not mean "blowing". That is Valsalva, the WORST equalizing technique. The OP is equalizing with Toynbee (swallowing with nose close) which actually creates a DEPRESSION inside the nasal cavity, and is very good for resolving a reverse block. But perhaps he is even using the BTV method, which does not even requires to close the nostrils, and there is no pressure variation, just muscles opening the tubes...
Several earlier posts have provided links to complete information, without biases, on equalizing techniques.
 
Several earlier posts have provided links to complete information, without biases, on equalizing techniques.
Yes, @doctormike provided good references to reverse block and proper equalizing techniques.
I agree with him that the OP has mostly a problem with the equalizing technique, which should fixed with proper training, before evaluating medical options, medicaments or surgery. However, a visit with an ENT doctor, possibly one with knowledge about diving, is always recommended... Also this has already been posted, indeed!
Sorry for my repetitions.
 
Yes, @doctormike provided good references to reverse block and proper equalizing techniques.
I agree with him that the OP has mostly a problem with the equalizing technique, which should fixed with proper training, before evaluating medical options, medicaments or surgery. However, a visit with an ENT doctor, possibly one with knowledge about diving, is always recommended... Also this has already been posted, indeed!
Sorry for my repetitions.
And post #21 had two links to DAn material.
 
Equalizing does not mean "blowing". That is Valsalva, the WORST equalizing technique. The OP is equalizing with Toynbee (swallowing with nose close) which actually creates a DEPRESSION inside the nasal cavity, and is very good for resolving a reverse block. But perhaps he is even using the BTV method, which does not require to close the nostrils, and there is no pressure variation, just muscles opening the tubes...
I agree that most divers cannot use Toynbee or BTV (which indeed is the method I prefer to use). But teaching Valsalva is WRONG.
As an instructor, I was teaching Frenzel for free diving, and its open-mouth variation, called Marcante-Odaglia here in Italy, for scuba divers (this is substantially a Frenzel practiced with open mouth, so no "mouthfill").

this has been discussed and clarified previously in the thread.

if you believe teaching valsalva is "wrong" you should take that up with your agency.
 
There are many ways to equalize, as I noted in the document linked upthread. But for blocks on descent, the issue is that ambient pressure (i.e. gas pressure in the nasopharynx) has become greater than middle ear pressure. The valsalva maneuver blows air up the ET into the middle ear, addressing that gradient in an appropriate way.

Not every maneuver works for every person, there is a bell curve for everything. But no reason to tell people not to valsalva, since that works for the majority of divers.
 
this has been discussed and clarified previously in the thread.

if you believe teaching valsalva is "wrong" you should take that up with your agency.
My "agency" is FIPSAS, affiliated to CMAS.
In our organization the Valsalva method was always deprecated.
Already in 1975, when at 16 y.o. I had my first-level course, we were taught the Marcante-Odaglia method as the more general one...
When I became instructor, I did always teach it as the basic equalization method, suggesting BTV (which is what I did always employ for myself) as the alternative method.
Valsalva is inefficient and dangerous, I really wonder why some agency is still teaching it...
 

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