Clearing the Ears - Learned Skill or Roadblock?

[DandyDon]

Check out the video on this link. Doc's Diving Medicine Home PageIt's kind of long, but it's the best thing I've ever seen on equalizing.

That's it! Pipedope put me onto it long ago. I've never had problems but have put many onto it who did learn new tricks that helped.

Check with your ENT and see about a Rx for steroids that will help to widen the E tube passageway.

We call that the get a bigger hammer approach on the farm.

Haven't tried Sudafed... Have tried nasal sprays, they do work - to a certain degree only. Wouldn't say they are miracles. ;-)

Sudefed original with Pseudoephedrine has long been popular with divers and I have no idea how many decades I've taken it for allergies. It does have some warnings for some people so discuss it with your physician, read up on it, and try it first on a day that you're not doing anything important. Pseudoephedrine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia I buy in in a compound that include the antihistamine I like best and my pharmacist has been good about keeping it on hand for me.

SUDAFED PE contains Phenylephrine instead and is more easily found since Pseudoephedrine was restricted, and now I see that that Pseudoephedrine has been made totally unlawful in Mexico since I was there last. Oh great! :11: I tried the PE, didn't care for it.

 

[Jandee]

Go to Dan.com. They have inforomation about various techniques on how to clear your ears. ITwas the hardest thing for me to remember that it is not a race to the bottom. Some macho types will dive head first down to 80 feet. Take your time and the deeper you go the easier it gets. Start to clear either at 1 foot or on the surface. I've read pros and cons about when to start clearing. Sudafed is OK, I also like Mucinex because it thins secretions and I find it easier to clear. If you you are really plugged up you should postpone your dive. It's hard to do when you paid money for your dive trip, air, etc. Better to avoid a problem then end up with a chronic problem that will keep you out of the water. Take it from someone with pee wee size eustachion tubes.

 

[Bob Vincent]

Clear your ears early and often. When you feel discomfort you waited to long.

Since an atmosphere is 14.7 psi at the surface and at 33 feet its 14.7 more the total goes to 29.4 then at 66 feet it's 58.8 psi. And every 33 feet it adds on an additional 14.7 psi. So at the surface it's 1 atm and 33 feet down it's 2 atm it doubled at 66 feet it's 3 atm so the increase is increased by a 3rd. Then 1/4, 1/5, 1/6 etc. So the most change is in the 1st 33 feet. So you'll clear your ears more and the deeper you go you'll clear them less.

Hope this helps.

DandyDon talks about sudafed. Well it's like this never leave home without them!

 

[Papa_Bear]

Here is some more helpful info on ears!
Two Tanked Productions HD & SD Underwater Productions and video services

 

[Howie411]

I have a weird issue when I dive. The first time I dive I have no problem clearing my ears and getting down, if at any point during that dive I decide to surface, then have to go back down my ears like flip out and one ear won't seem to clear, at that point it takes me a good 10-15 minutes to get back down to where I was with no issues.

 

[DandyDon]

I have a weird issue when I dive. The first time I dive I have no problem clearing my ears and getting down, if at any point during that dive I decide to surface, then have to go back down my ears like flip out and one ear won't seem to clear, at that point it takes me a good 10-15 minutes to get back down to where I was with no issues.

How many dives you done? Have you seen the video linked in my Sig below...?

 

[Teamcasa]

I have a weird issue when I dive. The first time I dive I have no problem clearing my ears and getting down, if at any point during that dive I decide to surface, then have to go back down my ears like flip out and one ear won't seem to clear, at that point it takes me a good 10-15 minutes to get back down to where I was with no issues.

Please don’t the following as an insult.
When I first started diving, many moons ago, I had the same problem. After visiting a Doctor for another problem, he told me I had excessive wax build-up san scolded me about who to clean my ears. (I was 16)

40 years later, zero problems.

 

[diveprof]

I was one of the worst open water dive students. Ear trouble on all open water dives . I was wondering if I would ever break 60'. 2000+ dives now and I don't even think about clearing (some attest that this is because there is no longer a large air space between my ears - it is now just a fluid filled space that requires no equalizing). What worked for me - three things:
1. Relaxing - hard to push air throught the E tubes when tense
2. Getting the technique right - Valsalva was not the way to go for me - too hard to guage how much/how hard to blow. I found that this technique worked best for me - with a closed mouth around the reg, nose pinched shut and your tongue on the roof of your mouth, look up and swallow. Try it on land. Did it work for you - feel the crackle? If so, this will work for you when diving
3. Practice.

Other thoughts: Are you properly weighted? and do you dump just enough air to begin your descent. I worked with an advanced OW student not too long ago who had problems with ear clearing. His issue was mostly about being overweighted. He would dump his air, plummet to the bottom like an anchor. He was at 10' + before he could even think about clearing. Got the weighting and "dumping air" right and his ear problems disappeared.

 

[Saltair]

I know spectrum brought this up, and others have alluded to it, but you dont have to be in the water to practice clearing your ears. I came from a previous career in commercial aviation and despite a lifelong history of allergies and hayfever, I ALWAYS have some sort of nasal congestion, I could clear my ears without any trouble. All those years of practice. Others in my class had A LOT of trouble and the instructor had us all walking around campus equalizing our ears. You'll know on the surface if you are doing it right because you can hear it in you ears when the "pop" happens. Practice often and when you dive clear even before you think you need to and before you know it you'll be the one waiting for the new guy, just with more compassion than most.