Equalizing

[jacket_fan]

The frustration mounts.

I printed out the text of this post and took to the pool last night as reference to practice. My dive buddy and I went up and down about 8 times total.

I am still not sure which of the two of us had the most trouble equalizing. This is in a 12 foot deep pool and just getting to 10 ft is a chore. I can feel the pressure at 2 feet or so. Seems like we can get to about 6 feet and if you haven’t equalized by this point, you really can’t go any further. If you can get equal there you can go another few feet down and you have to get equal again. It feels like I am getting pressure on my ear drums when I blow, but I don’t equalize. Tilting my head from side to side just gets water in my ears.

Although we both could eventually get “equal”, it took quite a few minutes to get there. We started at the surface. Tried the different techniques, but none was a real breakthrough. For me it is almost as if all of the nose pinching and blowing does no good, just being at that depth for a few minutes and you somehow just majically equalize by default.

Swallowing seemed to help me, but trying to swallow with dry air and a regulator in my mouth can get to be a chore.

I also have the sensation of vertigo when ascending. There is no ear pain or discomfort, just a light headedness and spatial disorientation. Very annoying. Is this reverse squeeze or just a sinus thing?

I was speaking with the LDS owner and he recommended Sudafed an hour and a half prior to diving to shrink the sinus. Good idea or not? I really don’t want to rely on drugs to be able to dive.

How long does it usually take an average person to go from the surface to 30 feet?

 

[glbirch]

The average person can equalize fairly easily. I know on a good day I can get to 30 feet in under 10 seconds. I used to dive with someone who loved the sport but could never easily equalize. If you were going out with him you just had to budget an extra ten minutes for him to get to depth.

You may want post over in the Diving Medicine page. I'm sure they could give you much better advice about using drugs, and whether the vertigo thing is something to worry about. Possibly even some advice about your eustachian tubes.

 

[strider]

Take the sudafed, extra strength 12 hour. The primary concern with this type of medication is that it will wear off while under water and you wont be able to ascend without a reverse squeeze.
This will add one more point to your dive planning, but 12 hours should be more than adequate to get 2 or 3 dives done.
As you learn equalizing it will become easier and you should make dives without the medication. I will still take the med occaisionally, but I have no problem equalizing and diving without it. If you get dependent on the medication and forget or run out on a dive trip you may as well have forgotten your tank or regulator or plan on learning to equalize for the first time.
I use it if I'm a little snotty or doing something difficult where I may be preoccupied, full face mask with students or something, I can equalize without trying if I take it, I just yawn a little.
Hope this helps,

Justin

P.S. - I would be hesitant to practice equalizing in the pool, especially with the feeling that you need to learn quickly. In the pool you have one breath of air and feel rushed to equalize, descend and get back up, witha scuba you are assured of having plenty of air and can take more time to practice, never forcefully equalize, a few minutes of rushing to equalize can lead to several months of waiting for your ear to heal enough to dive again.

 

[Michael Schlink]

Jacket_fan, go back and read my post #7. I'm no doctor but I'll bet you have a physilogical problem iE; block tubes or something like. Sudafed is an option but there are much better alternatives. I probably would not be diving today without seeing my doctor, along time ago, and getting on a protocol that includes Entex LA. I just recently returned from a trip to Indonesia. I made aboout 40 dives, all pain free and not one problem equalizing. I took one or two tabs a day and felt great before , during and after EVERY dive. See a doctor, it will be worth it. You'll know one way or another. You seem to be performing the vasalva or frenzel so if you can't move the air thru your tubes it won't matter how hard you try!! Good luck-M

 

[Scott M]

I had a lot of problems with my right ear - similar to what you have described. I first went to an ENT just to be sure it wasn't a physical thing. Turns out it wasn't (slightly deviated septum but not enough to hinder clearing.) So I started to work on other solutions. What I came up with was a combination of some a few of the ones mentioned above.

#1) I start by taking sudafed prior to diving. (I tolerate Sudafed well, some people do not)

#2) I then begin to clear my ears several times a couple of hours before diving. I use the Valsalva move with a twist. First I squeeze the center of my nose as apposed to just blocking the nostrals as I have seen some people do, then I very gentle blow out and very gently suck in repetatively. This for me works like a charm. If your doing this right you will hear a clicking sound back and forth. It is very very gentle but works. The more you do it the easier it gets. The Valsalva on it's own (just blowing out slightly) does not work at all for me.

#3) Relax, I found the more uptight I got about it the worse it was.

Good Luck

 

[TCooperWFI]

jacket_fan, welcome to SB!
Keep us updated, I'd like to know your final resolution.

 

[miguel sanz]

Hi Jacket_fan, welcome to the incredible world of scuba, and good luck.
All the answers you´ve got are really interesting and IMHO very accurate. Just my 2 cents: I would say this is the most prevalent problem for beginners. Although rare, you could have a physical problem so go see your ENT (you probably won´t).
About the pool clearing training: are you doing it with scuba or free-diving? it´s very important at the beginning (when you´re phaeringeal muscles don´t know exactly what to do) to use whatever or all of the tecnics discribed before, is TO RELAX, relax your throat, your face, your breading. Descend VERY slowly, DON´T WAIT TO HAVE PAIN, and don´t do the YO-YO (going up and down). I´ve found that the best way to get beginners to equalize is to hang from a rope and take your time (even 20 minutes sometimes).
Good luck and don´t loose faith, you´ll get to it.

 

[teamheatwave]

I know you are just in the beginning stage of your diving career. Your instructor should have or most likely will tell you a little about Divers Alert Network (DAN). Here is a link that you can follow and you can surf their site to see what they are all about. And while doing so, in the top corner is a search box. Type in equalizing and you will have numberous "hits" which will provide a lot of additional information on not only equalizing but numerous other topics as well.

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/

 

[pt40fathoms]

Equalize early and often, that means start equalizing as soon as your head is submerged and every 6 inches thereafter. I have worked with some strudents who are almost ready to give up entirely, they all have been able to overcome this just as you will. One point I'll pass on is to Look Up when you are equalizing. This will have the effect of streching the eustachian tubes a small amount, often enough to allow easier air flow to the middle ear. Secondly, try to thrust you lower jaw forward slightly at the same time as you equalize. And for heavens sake, DO NOT BLOW HARD. You should only have to give a gentle puff to equalize.

Good luck and don't give up.

 

[jacket_fan]

Thanks for all the support.

Current plan: We are scheduled for another pool session. This does include tanks, so my buddy and I will be in the water again on Friday trying out the your methods. We will give Sudafed a try to see if it helps. We will equalize early and often. Hopefully, I will be over the vertigo on the ascent.

I went through the DAN operator to try and find a diver friendly ENT in Atlanta. They directed me to a hyperbaric (sp) facility who in turn directed me to an ENT. The earliest I could get an appointment was the end of the month, after the scheduled OW certification dives.

So, thanks for all the advice.

The DAN site has some interesting info as well.