Damn my ears, damn them both to hell!

[grouchyturtle]

I have read other threads, but they haven't really answered my question.

Is it normal that some divers even after a lot experience still have more trouble clearing than others, still take longer to decend than others, and even after a lot of time in the water just can't get the other methods of equalizing to work?

Or is it like any other skill, the more I practice the other techniques the better I'll get and eventually be able to do them.

As far as the blood, that happened on my last 2 OW dives and my first few post cert dives. A BIG part of that was me being a newbie, and being pretty bad at controlling boyancy, therefore decending too fast.

Now that I've gotten better at controlling my boyancy it never happens. Also like I said I haven't gotten better at clearing in general too, but still have more trouble than most of my buddies.

Also in answer to your other question, I've never had a sinus infection, but I do have allergies (they vary sometimes pretty bad, sometimes they don't bother me at all). I may have been a little congested when I got the reverse blocks. Didn't take any medication though.

 

[ebbdiver]

With the Pro Ear mask you still have to equalize, just keeps the water out.

 

[juggernutt]

I agree with the frequent equalising....I do that as often as possible. It would take a long long time though to descent.

If i have a blockage..I stop and ris up a bit and than equalise again. My first dive i just wasn't able to equalise...nearly cured me of ever wanting to dive again.

 

[gazzahawkes]

I to use to suffer from problems with ears on descent.
It does not help that my ear canals are curved.
In three years i had countless infections and constant ear ache,

In the end i found that a quick rinse with saline soulution keeping wind out of my ears untill dry and remembering the saying stick nothing smaller than your ELBOW in your ear helped.

As for the pro ear mask takes some getting used to increadibly noisy due to air space.
You still have to equalise however the design makes it a little easier,Just make sure the mask is secure before jumping in if used correctly your ears will stay dry.
The only problem we have seen here is countined use day by day dm style work and due to the noise you get wax buildup making equalising more tricky .....

seems you cant win.

Gary;-0

 

[Blue Kangaroo]

See an ENT Doctor - could just be that you have tricky ears but best be sure

Pre warn your buddies and NEVER NEVER push it.

Pro ear masks keep the ear dryish and are useful for ear infections but presure is presure - you still need to equalise
( they look daft as well - sorry, they are really good but do look odd)

Slow down your decent and don't try to equalise too hard - this can have a -ve effect and cause a influx of blood and resulting swelling that has a counter effect . If you "push too hard" you will burst a blood vessel in your sinus - not serious but can be a bit scary for you and your buddy. If it happens a lot see a diving doctor.

Blue

 

[Raven C]

First of all, if there is blood I would see a doctor.

But, if that was a rare occasion due to maybe a raw sinus cavity there are a few things that I had to address to deal with the same problem.

I too had terrible problems equalizing. I found that a combination of things I changed helped. One was my mask fit and the placement of the strap. When I first began to dive I found that I personally wore my mask strap to low for me and that applied pressure which in turn effected my equalization. Then I found that the size of my regulator and mouthpiece was also a player in the ability to equalize. If the reg setup was too large and the mouthpiece was too large I could not equalize properly and my jaw was held to wide and that effected my equalization. Once I figured these things out I purchase a new mask and changed the type of strap and its placement and that helped. Then prior to purchasing regs I purchased my own micro mouthpieces so I didn't have such a large mouthpiece in and that helps in working my jaw to equalize. Then I tested regulators to find which regs I felt the most comfortable with and that was a Scubapro S550 and R300 (second choice is Aqualung US Divers Micro). I also make sure to remind my buddy not to take off on me before I make sure I can equalize and that my buddy is very aware as we go down the line where I am in equalization. I go slow and equalize all the way and then I am set to dive. Maybe some of this will help you. I don't know but I have been where you are and it sucks. R

 

[MAGELLAN]

After my first few dives, I though I just wouldn't be able to do it again. I've always had trouble. You can find a video on the Univerisy of Washington's website by a dive doctor about the ear and how it works. One of the interesting things he mentioned was that for most for most people it's not an issue of if you can but how you can. For most people it seems that they physical makeup makes it easy, for the rest of us we have to practice and find techniques that work for us.;-0

http://www.uwtv.org/programs/displayevent.asp?rid=789

I'll tell you that for me, it has goten easier after more diving. A few tricks though. The first is to take the reg out hold my nose and force air into my mouth,nasal passges etc. by pumping air with my throat, jaw, etc. Hard to describe but try looking in a mirror and see if you can hold your nose, close your mouth and force your adam's apple up and down in a pumping action, you should see you nose and cheeks flare out. It just takes some experimentation (I've developed the habit of grabing the hose to my reg with my right hand using 3 fingers and my palm, and then turning the reg down from my mouth and using the thumb and index finger for to close nose, this leaves my left hand free). I always tell the DM's that I have trouble clearing and that I'm in the habit of taking my reg out to clear, works pretty well, but I still take quite a while to make it down the first 40 ft. or so, and I always feel bad for making other people wait it's my ears though. Second, try stretching out each side of your neck by leaning your head over to each side, I visualize myself letting trapped air out of my ears. If nothing else works, I take the reg out blow air into my cheeks and swallow while holding pressure against my cheeks, not easy but almost always works a little too well, it can be kind of uncomfortable. I think you can do it, think of it as learning to raise one eyebrow at a time, it takes learning to isolate the right muscles in the right sequence to do it. Also, I've tried it, and it helped some but not much, Afrin. Know, though that drugs are discouraged because of what I call rebounding, where the symptoms often return with a vengance. The Afrin didn't seem to help much with me, I think my problem is sctrictly physiological and not one of congestion. If you have allergies try a prescription like allegra d or clariton.

PS. I ain't no doctor, so take my adivce with caution.ut:

 

[parksoft]

scotter once bubbled...

I think the mask (or at least one of them) is called Pro Ear 2000... here's a recent discussion about it. May help you out finding for info about it.


There is a website with all the details...
https://www.proear2000.com/index.htm

Looks interesting... Odd... but interesting. It's also a purge mask evidently.

My biggest question and concern? As stated somewhere else here - someone knocks your mask off with an out of control fin and your ears are suddenly blown to hell for good.

 

[Blue Kangaroo]

Very interesting thread on ears !

I've never had a problem and it's often difficult to appreciate that this is a major issue for some. Everyone should slow down a bit - the usual rush to get off a charter boat is often continued in the water.

I always tell my students / divers -
"nothing in SCUBA ever happens quickly - if it does you're doing it wrong"
This includes gearing up, briefings, and the in water stuff. Unfortunatly it also includes getting to sites , rostering , air fills and getting on the bus !!

I was very interested in the size of the reg / mouth piece. Of course ( light bulb !) this willl make a big difference ! Thanks for this.

Pro-ear masks.
I just have to make the point again. You DO NEED TO equallise with these masks. Unless you wear a solid metal helmet you will always have to equalise.

They claim this is made slightly easier 'cos the ear is dry - maybe this is so,I don't know.
The masks are good to prevent ear infections- esp if you have a bone growth ( I forget the medical name) in your ear - most divers start to develop this to some degree - it's caused by the ear trying to prevent the influx of water. the bone ridge collects salt , the salt burns the skin and next time you dive - infection.
I always rinse my ears out with freash water after each dive and wait a week after getting your ears cleaned - you need the wax to protect the linning of the ear.

Any more ear advice would be welcome as I'm always looking for ways to help my divers overcome this issue.

Dive Safe

Blue Kangaroo

 

[TropicalDiver]

Since you have allergies - LOOK INTO MEDS that you can use for this. Maybe you can use them a day or two before your dive to make sure everything is dry and clear in your sinuses. My sinuses are NOT average, so I pre-medicate accordingly and clear without a problem - all the time now. Of course, there are pros and cons to all medications - both OTC and prescription, so check with your MD or ENT about possible medications that may make clearing easier. I'd much rather pre-medicate than take my regulator out of my mouth or buy a different/complicated mask...sometimes it is the simplest solution that works.

There are also some great ideas posted by other writers here.

Good luck!