Fast equalizing and negative entry

[Dody]

I will be careful and slow. If I can’t equalize, I call the dive.

 

[Centrals]

I will be careful and slow. If I can’t equalize, I call the dive.

Know you limit.
If you cannot do fast descend then make sure you will never sign up any dive that may require one. There are better things to do in life.
Good luck.

 

[Dan]

My question is: is there a way, a technique or a method to equalize faster? I use the Valsava technique but it is not always effective at this 5/6 meters barrier. Any magic advice?

My method (which may not be the best, but it works well for me in 10-day of diving, 4x/day, except on the last day for a total of 39 dives, without missing a dive):
1. Deflate my BCD
2. Backroll off RIB
3. Pinch my nose, inhale and equalize the ears at every breath I take as I’m descending until about 10m depth where I no longer feel any differential pressure on both side of my ear drums.

If you feel pressure building up on your eardrum, you don’t equalize often enough and begin over stressing your eardrum. You may be feeling fine after a few dives in a couple of days. However, it won’t be sustainable over the whole week of diving. Over stretching your eardrums would start swelling the outer ear tunnel and makes it difficult for trapped air and water to travel in & out of your outer ear tunnel. You might start hearing the trapped air whistling out of your ear, feeling ear pain and fluid might be accumulating in the inner ear, which may take weeks to drain out of the inner ear.