Ear Equalization Issue preventing cert: advice?

[fmerkel]

I just thought that you had a "special" way to teaching it that is more effective than what the average instructor does.

I think I could be way more effective, but that's bragging.
I'm a respiratory therapist, with clearing issues from OW1, primarily sinuses in my case, but the upper respiratory system is all related. Dr. Ed Kay is a personal friend and a prior member of our local dive club. I've made a serious study of this problem, real serious.

The Chairman has some of the great hints I would use. Look up, chin out, bad ear up, clear at the surface and every 2 feet.
Most new divers look down to see where they are dropping in to. It's new and a bit scary down there. That tucks the chin. Just try to clear with your head looking down and chin tucked in > very difficult to impossible. Most new divers are so focused (task loaded) on the dive they forget to pay attention to the signals and get behind the pressure curve, which is very easy to do in the shallows and with poorly developed buoyancy skills. That first 0-6 feet is absolutely critical. I think students should spend some time in the shallow end of the pool progressing to the deep end paying attention to that very carefully.

Clearing is a very serious and absolutely critical dive skill. IMO it deserves attention at the level of DCS and AGE. If you are really unlucky or screw up you might one of those serious consequences. Yeah, I know, they are really bad. But if you don't pay attention with the pressure on your ears for very short time you will end up with barotrauma, and that happens a lot.

Analogy: When you go camping it's not unreasonable to worry about bears. But the functional reality is the mosquito are going to drive you crazy....guaranteed.

 

[HARRYPORKER16]

Hi everyone -

I am one dive away from my PADI open water cert due to a persistent ear equalization issue that has caused me to have to abort many dives. I know there's a lot of advice on this forum already about equalization issues and I've looked at and tried everything I can find, but to no avail. I was hoping to get some help.

Over a year ago I had two terrible ear infections, and have not been able to equalize consistently since. I often can't get below 6 feet on a dive. Sudafed has helped at times. Other times I have descended with no issues and gotten a reverse block later in the dive. I can't freedive below 10 feet since I use up my entire breath hold just trying to equalize. On my last dive (Open Water #4) I descended with no trouble. My instructor had me perform a CESA about 10 minutes into the dive, and then I had to descend again to complete the last skills. On the 2nd descent I couldn't get below 6 feet, even though 10 minutes earlier I equalized with no trouble.

Starting last May I saw an ENT who did tests and said my ears look normal and I shouldn't be having trouble. Since last May I have been trying the following:

• practice equalizing at my desk (10-50 times a day) to train the eustachian tubes. In May I couldn't perform a Valsalva, now I can perform a Valsalva with relatively few issues (but I prefer to use other methods underwater since it takes a huge amount of force for me to Valsalva underwater). I have no trouble equalizing in air anymore
• practice freediving to train ears under pressure (again, can't get below 10 feet and that often hurts)
• try Sudafed before a dive (seems to help) -- I have not tried Afrin yet but I got some to try tomorrow

Unfortunately now my instructor says I may not ever be able to dive again, and won't let me re-do my last dive (the only skill I didn't complete was underwater compass navigation) until I can easily freedive to 25 feet. I was supposed to do my scientific diving training next month and it has been nearly 10 months of this frustration thus far.

If anyone has any advice or suggestions as to where to go from here, I would really appreciate it. I'm really sad at the thought of giving up diving and really want to find a way to work through this

Hi everyone -

I am one dive away from my PADI open water cert due to a persistent ear equalization issue that has caused me to have to abort many dives. I know there's a lot of advice on this forum already about equalization issues and I've looked at and tried everything I can find, but to no avail. I was hoping to get some help.

Over a year ago I had two terrible ear infections, and have not been able to equalize consistently since. I often can't get below 6 feet on a dive. Sudafed has helped at times. Other times I have descended with no issues and gotten a reverse block later in the dive. I can't freedive below 10 feet since I use up my entire breath hold just trying to equalize. On my last dive (Open Water #4) I descended with no trouble. My instructor had me perform a CESA about 10 minutes into the dive, and then I had to descend again to complete the last skills. On the 2nd descent I couldn't get below 6 feet, even though 10 minutes earlier I equalized with no trouble.

Starting last May I saw an ENT who did tests and said my ears look normal and I shouldn't be having trouble. Since last May I have been trying the following:

• practice equalizing at my desk (10-50 times a day) to train the eustachian tubes. In May I couldn't perform a Valsalva, now I can perform a Valsalva with relatively few issues (but I prefer to use other methods underwater since it takes a huge amount of force for me to Valsalva underwater). I have no trouble equalizing in air anymore
• practice freediving to train ears under pressure (again, can't get below 10 feet and that often hurts)
• try Sudafed before a dive (seems to help) -- I have not tried Afrin yet but I got some to try tomorrow

Unfortunately now my instructor says I may not ever be able to dive again, and won't let me re-do my last dive (the only skill I didn't complete was underwater compass navigation) until I can easily freedive to 25 feet. I was supposed to do my scientific diving training next month and it has been nearly 10 months of this frustration thus far.

If anyone has any advice or suggestions as to where to go from here, I would really appreciate it. I'm really sad at the thought of giving up diving and really want to find a way to work through this issu

Hi everyone -

I am one dive away from my PADI open water cert due to a persistent ear equalization issue that has caused me to have to abort many dives. I know there's a lot of advice on this forum already about equalization issues and I've looked at and tried everything I can find, but to no avail. I was hoping to get some help.

Over a year ago I had two terrible ear infections, and have not been able to equalize consistently since. I often can't get below 6 feet on a dive. Sudafed has helped at times. Other times I have descended with no issues and gotten a reverse block later in the dive. I can't freedive below 10 feet since I use up my entire breath hold just trying to equalize. On my last dive (Open Water #4) I descended with no trouble. My instructor had me perform a CESA about 10 minutes into the dive, and then I had to descend again to complete the last skills. On the 2nd descent I couldn't get below 6 feet, even though 10 minutes earlier I equalized with no trouble.

Starting last May I saw an ENT who did tests and said my ears look normal and I shouldn't be having trouble. Since last May I have been trying the following:

• practice equalizing at my desk (10-50 times a day) to train the eustachian tubes. In May I couldn't perform a Valsalva, now I can perform a Valsalva with relatively few issues (but I prefer to use other methods underwater since it takes a huge amount of force for me to Valsalva underwater). I have no trouble equalizing in air anymore
• practice freediving to train ears under pressure (again, can't get below 10 feet and that often hurts)
• try Sudafed before a dive (seems to help) -- I have not tried Afrin yet but I got some to try tomorrow

Unfortunately now my instructor says I may not ever be able to dive again, and won't let me re-do my last dive (the only skill I didn't complete was underwater compass navigation) until I can easily freedive to 25 feet. I was supposed to do my scientific diving training next month and it has been nearly 10 months of this frustration thus far.

If anyone has any advice or suggestions as to where to go from here, I would really appreciate it. I'm really sad at the thought of giving up diving and really want to find a way to work through this issue.

I feel your pain I just finished three of my four certification dives and now I can’t equalize my right ear I don’t want to be the one to end my family’s trip to Belize be having to go see a doctor I have tried all the tricks to equalize my ears what should I do

 

[SouthernSharktoothDiver]

So, in river diving, we sometimes do what's called a "hot drop." Idea here being that, in a fast moving current, you need to descend quickly to avoid being swept off course. In the process, we'll equalize more or less continuously throughout the drop. I've always been a bit more subject to sinus squeeze than your typical diver, and I've found that, if I push it, things tend to be worse on the next descent I make that day. For that reason, I rarely do a hot drop, preferring to descend the anchor line, at least for the first dive, to confirm my sinuses are open that day.

On a bad day, it might well take me five minutes or more to descend 20 feet, with repeated steps of descending a few feet, feeling squeeze, rising a foot or so until the pain stops, equalizing aggressively, and descending again, equalizing all the while. There's no shame in it, and in the end, you don't lose so much air in those 5 or so minutes that it shortens your dive profile much, since most of that time is spent at relatively shallow depths (since the earliest part of the dive has the greatest pressure change and the worst squeeze.)

Also, this is purely anecdotal/results may vary, but I've found that diving in cold water without headgear makes my squeezes much, much worse. Possibly due to some sort of tube constriction from the cold. If you haven't already, consider trying a hood if the water is at all chilly.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

THANK YOU everyone for your responses! I really appreciate it!


It is a PADI open water cert but the instructor is not being understanding to my equalization issues and doesn't want me to come back until I've fixed them via freediving. I am going to look for another instructor tomorrow.


This is really good to know -- I've been confused about this particular dive for several weeks now as to why I couldn't equalize after the CESA. Hopefully with a new instructor I can do all my remaining underwater skills (well, there's only one) before the CESA so I don't have to re-descend immediately.

Thank you all for all the other tips as well. I'll check out the vented earplugs as well as the nasal sprays and saline rinses as I haven't tried any of those. I appreciate all the help, it's nice to not be told that I should give up diving when I've barely started!

About "vented earplugs," I would not recommend those for you. Ear plugs can cause a reverse ear squeeze. Check out everything else before ear plugs.

SeaRat

 

[Allen-1]

First and foremost I AM NOT A DOCTOR! I have had some difficulty over the years of equalizing my right ear. I always do, but I have to start early and often. Back in November I had a deviated septum corrected and spoke with my ENT about the clearing issue. During the septoplasty operation, he inserted balloons into my Eustachian Tubes and inflated them for "some" period of time. I wasn't awake but I THINK is was a couple of minutes. He then deflated and removed the balloons after the tubes had been well opened. I haven't been diving yet due to other issues, but I can clear by just swallowing above ground. It's wonderful.

I don't know if this is something that your ENT can/will do, OR if it will help. I'm just putting it out there.

Good Luck -

This thread popped up today, (fresh post at end), so I started reading the entire thread. The second post, quoted above, from February 2018 is exactly the situation I'm in. Seeing an ENT after my last diving trip because having trouble equalizing. After eval and CT scan, currently scheduling surgery for deviated septum and inflation of right eustachian tube.