Dont know if my last message sent... Equalizing

[Scarlett Williams]

Hi Scarlett,

Do you have problems equalizing while descending on an airplane? If not, what are you doing to clear your ears on the plane? Some people swallow, move their jaws around, Valsalva (pinch and blow)... you can try to duplicate that when diving.

The DAN article that @Barnaby'sDad linked is a great summary of equalizing techniques. I've found the Frenzel maneuver to be extremely effective myself. It was originally used by German dive bomber pilots in WWII. The "K" sound is more of a gutteral Germanic "G" sound.

Best regards,
DDM

On a plane i start sucking a sweet until we are fully up, Same with landing ill start sucking sweets when i feel the first drop. didn't realize this was equalizing haha, My mother from when i was a child always made me have a sweet and it just stuck never new there was a reason behind it haha. But never had pain on a plane so i must be doing it right?

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

On a plane i start sucking a sweet until we are fully up, Same with landing ill start sucking sweets when i feel the first drop. didn't realize this was equalizing haha, My mother from when i was a child always made me have a sweet and it just stuck never new there was a reason behind it haha. But never had pain on a plane so i must be doing it right?

Yep, there you go! If you can duplicate that while diving you're good to go. Not that you should be sucking on hard candy while breathing from a regulator but you can at least duplicate the motion. Of course the pressure change is much greater in the water than in an airplane so you'll have to do it more, but it should come with practice.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[Scarlett Williams]

Yep, there you go! If you can duplicate that while diving you're good to go. Not that you should be sucking on hard candy while breathing from a regulator but you can at least duplicate the motion. Of course the pressure change is much greater in the water than in an airplane so you'll have to do it more, but it should come with practice.

Best regards,
DDM

Wont equalizing by swallowing be hard to do with a reg in your mouth though :/ ? Why cant i just do it the way others do it i do try every day though by pinching nose and blowing but it really dont happen that way

 

[Coztick]

Wont equalizing by swallowing be hard to do with a reg in your mouth though :/ ? Why cant i just do it the way others do it i do try every day though by pinching nose and blowing but it really dont happen that way

While trying the pinch and blow method, try grinning as much as possible and moving your lower jaw forward.
Once you get the hang of it, the motion can be very subtle.
Equalize every few feet over the first 30 ft of depth starting on the surface. No exceptions.

Good luck.

 

[JamesBon92007]

I'm having issues equalizing my ears at mmy OW pool sessions...I can't hear any "pop" sound when I pinch my nose and blow :/ is this normal? :/

I can't equalize in most swimming pools. I need to descend about 10' or so before I can get anything that could be described as a "pop." I never have trouble equalizing while diving.`

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Wont equalizing by swallowing be hard to do with a reg in your mouth though :/ ? Why cant i just do it the way others do it i do try every day though by pinching nose and blowing but it really dont happen that way

Are you ascending with your head up or down? Head-down equalizing is more difficult. The pinch-and-swallow method is hard to get at first but it can be done. It helps if you can work up a bit of saliva so you can have something to swallow. Don't despair of being able to Valsalva (pinch and blow) eventually. You may have injured your middle ear on your first dive; it would make clearing on subsequent dives more difficult. The inflammation can take a month or more to resolve sometimes. That said, some people's anatomy just makes it more difficult for them to equalize their ears, and you may have to take your time with descent. I have a good friend who's an avid diver and underwater photographer; he has hundreds of dives, but still has to descend slowly in order to equalize. He's adapted just fine.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[flyboy08]

People need to start equalizing prior to jumping in the water! My wife has/ had issues until I began to bug her as soon as she awoke to start equalizing every 10 minutes or so until she splashes...seems to work for her.