Equalizing Ears - Beginner Questions

[Jaeger62]

I am taking a discover scuba class soon and if that goes well, will take my OW certification class.

My biggest concern is being able to equalize my ears at depth. I've experienced pain in my ears before when trying to go to the bottom of the pool in a diving pool. Granted, I didn't know what I was doing and just went straight down, but it has me with a bit of a mental block with my ears.

I also don't think I have luck clearing my ears by holding my nose and blowing. Maybe it's because I waited too long, but that method tends to hurt my ears.

Now, I have no problems on planes. I just chew gum and swallowing or yawning tends to unplug my ears easily.

Any suggestions on what to try when I go on my discover course? And what do people mean when they say practice at home? Holding my nose and blowing doesn't seem to do anything at all.... so I'm not sure what is supposed to happen I'm practicing that.

Thanks!

 

[dmaziuk]

Do that chewing/swallowing/yawning thing all the time until you can pop your ears at will. Don't try to hold your nose and blow hard, block it slightly so there's still air escaping and breathe out normally through it. Try combining with the "jaw wiggle" from method #1.

 

[Jaeger62]

I think I'm confused about practicing clearing or popping my ears while sitting around the house.

If my ears are already unplugged or equalized while sitting around, how am I supposed to tell that my ears are popping or clearing?

I guess I just don't know how I am supposed to practice clearing or equalizing already cleared/equalized ears...

 

[fmerkel]

Planes change pressure very gradually. Water changes it fast due to density. "Early and often" means, at the surface, and every 2' down to say 30'. Then you can back off a little.

If doing the Valsalva maneuver hurts, it maybe means you have already opened and equalized and now are just pushing air pressure on the eardrum.

That little PoP you get when you equalize is the walls of the Eustachian canal opening up to let the air in. If you pay attention when doing the Valsalva maneuver and continue to blow.....gently after the POP, you can feel the pressure IN your ear.What you are REALLY practicing is the opening of the Eustachian tube. Once open equalization happens very quickly

If you have the time and a swimming pool with at least 10' of depth, 15' would be better, I'd go play around with it. Descend feet first (you might need a little weight in your pockets), gradually, and try both the swallowing/yawning/jaw wiggle method and the Valsalva maneuver. If you get pain > STOP!, ascend, and start over.
If you go past 4' and you KNOW you haven't cleared yet, STOP!, ascend, and start over. The first 10 feet are very critical. If you go past 6' with no equalization at all and then you force it you have a much higher risk of damage.

Diving head first to depth quickly is much more challenging to clear safely. It's easy for some people, almost impossible for others.

I clear easily on land just with a quick jaw movement. Can't hardly do it at all in the water.

 

[RyanT]

What fmerkel said. It's really important to equalize early. The deeper you go without equalizing, the more difficult it becomes.

Diving head first to depth quickly is much more challenging to clear safely. It's easy for some people, almost impossible for others.

Yes again. Everyone is a bit different. For me, I find that a rapid, head-first descent is the easiest way to clear my ears. If I have to wait around and/or get vertical in a head-up position, it starts to get harder for me to equalize. You'll have to play around a bit to find what works for you, but regardless the position, early and often.

 

[Jaeger62]

Is it easier to clear your ears while breathing through a regulator than it is free diving? I've never tried it with scuba gear.

 

[Killerflyingbugs]

Is it easier to clear your ears while breathing through a regulator than it is free diving? I've never tried it with scuba gear.

it's the same for me.

 

[fmerkel]

Is it easier to clear your ears while breathing through a regulator than it is free diving? I've never tried it with scuba gear.

More like different.
If you want to get a LOT of info about ear clearing, go to this site and watch the video, then read the article.
"The Diver's Ear - Under Pressure" grab a beer, long video but excellent. When you get done you'll know more than most divers, which is NOT the same as DOING it.
Middle Ear Barotrauma: A tutorial on prevention of Ear Squeeze.

 

[Beau640]

I feel your pain.

Ear problems run in my family (infections, ETD, etc) and when I flew on a plane my whole life, I would get absolutely nightmarish pain to the point where I almost passed out any time a plane would land because of the pressure against my ear drums and them feeling like they were going to rupture. I really thought I wasn't going to be able to scuba because of my eustachian tube dysfunction.

In my open water class, I did have difficulty at first equalizing my ears. I would have to descend really slow. I mean SLOW. Don't worry about what everyone else is doing when they sink straight to the bottom. If you have ear clearing issues, take it slow, and as soon as you feel any sort of pressure on your ears, stop, clear them, and don't descend until that feeling goes away. If you are feeling pain, you descended too far and there will be no way to clear through that pain. You need to ascend a little until the pain goes away, clear, and then try again.

I would say it took a good 10 dives (including my pool sessions) to get a hold of ear clearing and not have to descend super slow. After that, my ears just sort of got used to it. When you are diving frequently and working out your eustachian tubes, they actually do become more open and easier to clear. Now, I can clear them without even thinking about it. Don't struggle at all. And flying on planes is a breeze now and I can clear them on descent in a plane (life changing!).

Keep at it. Take it slow. The more you dive and the better your technique gets and the more your eustachian tubes get used to it, the easier it will get. If you can fly on a plane, you can learn to learn to clear under the water. I couldn't even fly on a plane and I learned. If i can, anyone can!

Good luck and keep diving.

 

[TMHeimer]

As RyanT said, everybody is different. All those passages in your head--that's why people talk and sing differently. I too was very concerned about ear pain prior to OW course since I snorkeled for years without knowing anything about equalisation AND I wore conventional ear plugs....! You'll get every bit of advice here on every method. I'll throw in this:
When you yawn (not underwater...), you will hear that "pop" (I like to call it a quick "crackle"). That is when you are actually equalising. Try to "hold" yourself --internally ear wise--in that position. Your hearing will now be muffled. That has nothing to do with equalising while diving, but is interesting... You do what you have to in order to get that "crackle", and as often as needed to avoid any pain at all. Some like myself can achieve this with no other movements like swallowing, etc. But everyone is different. Good luck.
Oh, you will hear that crackle when you swallow, and MAYBE if you wiggle your jaw. Same thing.