Ear pain from water pressure problem

[spectrum]

Howarde, thanks for another technique (wiggle the jaw). Does this technique work as well as the Valsalva technique? I think I would prefer the jaw wiggling technique because I would have two free hands instead of one free hand from Valsalva technique (another hand busy pinching the nose).

In case Howarde does not circle back....

It's a totally individual thing. The air in your oral cavity is at pretty much the same pressure as the water around you. Your chest is compresing as you dive down in the pool. The airspace in your ears is connected to your mouth by little soft tubes that are like soft pasta more or less. If the tubes are not open then the pressure around then squeezes them flat then your ears will not equalize. That is why going up a few feet is required. Some divers have nice firm tubes that pass air to their ears with little or no effort. Some have soft squishy tubes that need to be carefully inflated to let air pass. I need to use the Valsalva for the first 10-15 feet. After that a jaw wiggle or neck twist moves my tubes enough for them to pass air. What works for you will work for you. Be sure to watch the online video in one of my first posts above.

It's best to start with a gentle Valsalva before starting down, this banks a little extra pressure in your ear. Then keep pinching and blowing lightly as you go. As you learn your adaptation try the jaw wiggle etc. In a skin dive you won't really be able to go up and down. Once using scuba you will have more time to experiment and gain understanding of your own ears.

Pete

Pete

 

[Damselfish]

Unless the instructor discussed all this stuff before having you do any of it and you (and everyone else) slept through it - which it doesn't sound like - well I would be really concerned about continuing with this instructor. Not all classes are perfect, but this is pretty basic and important stuff.

 

[Dectek]

sometimes instructors explain things that make perfect sense to them but not fully understood by students.

True Example:

DI: "You equalize by pinching the nose shut and gently blowing out your nose.
If that does not work you can try wiggling your jaw or swallowing. If that does not work try ascending a few feet to try again. Equalize early and often."
OK the instructor moves on. Why not? the SSI book did. The whole equalization section is 9 sentences including when, where, how, what it might sound like, and precautions about over doing it.
The process of combining techniques and how to do it is omitted.

OK...Diver pinches nose and creates pressure but does not know what it is suppose to sound like because it was explained they MIGHT hear something.
Attempt to decend....Ouch...Surface
Blow a little harder...submerge...Oouch.. surface
OK...pinched nose does not work..
Submerge while wiggling jaw. (the Instructor says that might work) ..Ouch Surface
Submerge while swallowing....hurts but keep going..OUCH to the surface and GOOOONE.

IT is NOT a lecture...It is instruction. The Instructor or AI should sit with each student and ask what the student is hearing or what sensations they feel when attempting to equalize in the classroom. At this point there is not ear fear to deal with and it will be almost certain that the student will be able to do it in the water. No student should hit the water unless the instructor is positive that the student can perform this task.

After all... That five, ten or even fifteen minutes in the classroom can save that same Instructor hours of bobbing at the surface with students that are seasick and can not get below the surface. Add up all the times this was the case over the season. Also take into account there is a group of students wearing holes in the knees of their wetsuits swaying with the ebb and flow on the bottom waiting.

BTW: that student was a fairly intelligent person with heaps of book sense and a good head on his shoulder. All it took was a few minutes with him to find out what was and was not happening when he tried to equalize. I explained that I had the same problem when starting out. I also explained that there are some days that it is hard if not impossible to equalize, but if he could do it while in his lazy boy he would be able to do it in the water. With a new understanding of the process and a boat load of fear lifted from his shoulders he returned to another Dive Instructor to take a full course and get certified.

Dectek steps off soapbox:
Just my .02 and I guess an instructor can rip me to shreds if I am wrong.

 

[ppatrick]

In case Howarde does not circle back....

It's a totally individual thing. The air in your oral cavity is at pretty much the same pressure as the water around you. Your chest is compresing as you dive down in the pool. The airspace in your ears is connected to your mouth by little soft tubes that are like soft pasta more or less. If the tubes are not open then the pressure around then squeezes them flat then your ears will not equalize. That is why going up a few feet is required. Some divers have nice firm tubes that pass air to their ears with little or no effort. Some have soft squishy tubes that need to be carefully inflated to let air pass. I need to use the Valsalva for the first 10-15 feet. After that a jaw wiggle or neck twist moves my tubes enough for them to pass air. What works for you will work for you. Be sure to watch the online video in one of my first posts above.

It's best to start with a gentle Valsalva before starting down, this banks a little extra pressure in your ear. Then keep pinching and blowing lightly as you go. As you learn your adaptation try the jaw wiggle etc. In a skin dive you won't really be able to go up and down. Once using scuba you will have more time to experiment and gain understanding of your own ears.

Pete

Pete

Pete! thanks for many replies. I just finished viewing the online clip on the website you recommended. It's a very detail 55min clip. Now I have more confident that next time when I dive, I'll have many equalization techniques to try; at least I have five in my head now: valsalva, jaw wiggling, swallowing, neck twisting, and under the jaw bone rubbing. I'll share this knowledge to my other classmates who have the same problem (most of them do).

Since I have to pass this 15 feet dive without dive gear, I have about one minute (the max I can hold my breath) to descent and ascent. Hopefully I my ears would be able to equalize in the short period of time (30 sec)... Man, I couldn't wait for next week to come to test which technique would work best for me :-D


Patrick

 

[huskychemist]

As a relatively new diver, one thing that helped me was "practicing" the ear equalization while hanging around at home. I'd be sitting on the couch watching TV and pause to pinch my nose and breath out slowly, trying to practice. It worked. I got better and better, and now have a lot less trouble than when I first started diving. Swallowing with my regulator in my mouth was fairly difficult for me, but I've gotten better at that over time as well. I've found that to be a good technique also.

Hope you get it figured out. Diving is great stuff.