Clearing Ears while Surfacing

[hypnodean]

Ok, so recently had some nausea issues while surfacing for the second dive in a row, consensus of opinion is it might have been alternobaric vertigo, which totally makes sense from the description.

Everything I have researched says mainly if you go back DOWN a few feet and clear your ears should be ok...

So, how does one clear one's ears while asscending? Same as when descending? and how do you Know? I notice when I clear my ears goind down, but am never aware of anything really happening while I ascend.

Suggestions?

 

[jplacson]

well, first of all, you shouldn't notice anything ascending or descending... just clear your ears. The minute you feel them 'pop' going down, that means your clearing them too late. Clearing them going up is slightly different if you use the "pinch your nose and blow" technique. It's more like moving your jaw from side to side...this works for me both on ascent and descent.

 

[crispos]

Hypnodean, you are ascending too fast. The maximum rate is 30 ft/min. So if you are doing a safety stop at 15 ft which you should, it will take a full 30 seconds to get to the surface. Think of slow motion replays on TV, and then slow it down. I doubt you will have nausea or equalization problems if you do this. P.S. Also get your ears checked by an ENT specialist to make sure your tubes are clear.

 

[Wendy]

Hypnodean, you are ascending too fast. The maximum rate is 30 ft/min. So if you are doing a safety stop at 15 ft which you should, it will take a full 30 seconds to get to the surface. Think of slow motion replays on TV, and then slow it down. I doubt you will have nausea or equalization problems if you do this. P.S. Also get your ears checked by an ENT specialist to make sure your tubes are clear.

How do you know he is ascending too quickly? I don't and I used to get sick from ascending. My nausea would begin at 15' while on my safety stop and then second my head broke the surface i would feel the need to hurl (although it was always dry heeves). I found that if I stayed focused on something like my fins, something on my buddy, anything that I would be ok. I would catch myself looking at the surface and the rolling waves, or the boat ladder going up and down and that added to the sick feeling. So looking down, and a bonine pill before my dive has ended my nausea upon ascending. I guess I was just feeling the motion of the ocean a little bit too much at 15' and the surface.

 

[paolov]

i agree with crispos on the ascent rate.

If you go slow and stop at 33ft to 30ft and stay for two minutes at least, your ears would equalize on its own. Try this it really does happen every time. then ascend to 15 ft. and finish off your Safety stop.

the key is do it in stages. watch out on the ATM changes thats where you should stop and give it time to equalize. i make it a point to stop and cruise at 66ft to 60ft, 33ft to 30ft. then at 15 ft. from a 100ft, i stop at 80ft. then 90ft. then 60 ft, 30ft then 15ft.

The ears almost always clears on its own ASLONG AS YOU GO SLOW. "slower than the speed of the smallest bubble"

 

[hypnodean]

Actually, both times did a SUPER slow ascent, slower than others in my group and as slow as my computer recomended. Did a safety stop longer than my computer recomended by about 30 seconds.

Not sure if it is seasickness or vertigo but it was sure nasty! Wish to find a solution.

 

[paolov]

Actually, both times did a SUPER slow ascent, slower than others in my group and as slow as my computer recomended. Did a safety stop longer than my computer recomended by about 30 seconds.

Not sure if it is seasickness or vertigo but it was sure nasty! Wish to find a solution.

30 seconds would not be sufficient a time for your eustachian tube to equalize if it has not been "trained" to . give it more time.

I only need to pinch my nose when i dive with some cold. otherwise i never have to pinch my nose or wiggle my mouth. As long as the descent and ascent rate are not drastic the muscles around my eustachian tube are bale to equalize. I took advantage of my ability to move my ears and found out that there are muscles that in one way or another affects the eustachian tube allowing me to equalize using the technique as mentioned above.

surely uneqalization would lead to nasty vertigo a painfull one at that. it happened to me one time during the time i had a cold (just could not resist diving then, i just had to dive that day), well eversince that time (a painfull episode, felt like there was a huge block of headache inside my ear/head) i either curemy coldor avoid diving deep.

 

[paolov]

check out the link below

http://www.slcent.com/eustachian.html



and watch the animation

 

[miguel sanz]

I agree with the ascent rate thing BUT I think there has been some confussing info: while ascending air is trying to get OUT of your middle ear so the usual clearing manoeuvers (VAlsalva or anyway to increase pressure in your upper respiratory system) will have the opposite effect. There is kind of an "instinct" reaction of doing Valsalva-like manoeuvers when we feel an ear disconfort. Jaw movements though can help the eustachian tube to open up (like someone has said).
Sometimes it´s difficult to distinguish dizziness and vertigo but the latter is classically discribed as a rotating feeling (you see things going around you or you feel your turning around with respect to objects).
Well, the main thing: DON´T ADD PRESSURE TO YOUR EUSTACHIAN TUBE WHILE ASCENDING!!!

 

[Laser]

Actually, both times did a SUPER slow ascent, slower than others in my group and as slow as my computer recomended. Did a safety stop longer than my computer recomended by about 30 seconds.

Not sure if it is seasickness or vertigo but it was sure nasty! Wish to find a solution.

Actually I don't believe that it's merely an issue of the ears not equalizing on ascent, but equalizing differently. Different pressures in each ear will get you spinning. I try to push my jaw out like I do when clearing on an airplane while I'm ascending. For me, I have to wear a hood in anything colder than the 60's. For some reason the cold water makes it worse. For what it's worth, my ears don't seem to clear equally on descent either.