First time in the pool with new gear, got a few questions.

[philipraposo1982]

So I spent a bit over and hour on the pool today trying out my new gear. The comfort was superb, felt like I could wear that stuff all day long. My old setup was a cheap dalphino set which didn't fit at all and needed to be super tight to get any kind of seal.

I watched some videos about equalizing the mask and your ears and you dive down. As well as mask clearing techniques. I was trying to practice these things and ran into some issues which I am.looking for tips on.

First, as I descended I could feel the mask being pushed on my face. I would slowly breath out my nose to fill the mask and equalize. That seemed to go good. The problem is how do you do that and at the same time equalize the pressure in your ears? Another thing I noticed when diving was that I felt like a pressure headache type of feeling In the front part of my head. Pretty mild but it was noticeable. Is this normal? How to overcome this sensation?

Another issue I ran into was when attempting to clean my mask, I would til my head back looking up at the surface of the water and then try to breath out my nose. Problem was as I tilted back I would get water coming through my nose and was unable to clear. I could clear my mask if the amount of water in the mask was minimal, no issues there.

Final thing I noticed was that I had a hard time keeping water out of the nose portion of the mask. It was just a tiny bit in there but I could feel it on the bottom of my nose. I think it got in quickly after I breath out of the nose. Not sure if its normal to always have a tiny bit of water in there or not but it seemed like I did.

I do have a full beard and did trim a tiny bit under my nose to try and get a good seal. Maybe I will have to shave that area instill of trimming the hairs short.

 

[Freewillow]

For all your questions, blow through the nose

 

[oly5050user]

Are you a certified diver? If not do not use gear again without getting an instructor and become certified.

 

[TSandM]

Your instructor should have gone over some of this in your certification class -- I assume you are certified?

The answer to equalizing the mask and ears is that you don't do both at the same time.

The water running down your nose when you try to clear is almost certainly because you are doing so in a vertical position. When you are vertical, there is no need to tip the head back, because the bottom of the mask is already the lowest point. If you do tip the head back, you create a situation where any water in the mask will run by gravity down the base of the nasopharynx, into your throat. The head tipping advice is for divers in the normal, horizontal diving position, where they are likely looking somewhat down.

If you are having pain in your face or forehead, you may not be equalizing your sinuses. If you can clear your ears easily, but you are still having facial pain, you probably need to see an ENT doc to see what's going on.

 

[philipraposo1982]

I use snorkel gear not dive gear.


I am not scuba certified.

 

[TSandM]

Sorry, I didn't understand that you were freediving. Hopefully a freediver will chime in with strategies for equalizing ears and mask, but I don't think you can do both at the same time. My advice about the mask clearing still stands.

 

[Phantom Menace]

You cannot equalise ears and mask at exactly the same time - although for the depths you can get to in most pools (usually a maximum of 5m / 16 ft) you shouldn't need to worry about mask squeeze (i.e. no need to equalise the mask).

For deeper dives when i do need to equalise my mask I just loosen the pinch on my nose a little to let a little air flow into my mask

If you are getting pain in your forehead as you descend then I would say your are not equalising properly. The first tip is to START equalising before you leave the surface. Practice equalising and duck diving at the same time so that they become second nature. Equalise little and often as you descend. At this stage focus on the Valsalva equalising technique until you get comfortable with it (loads of descriptions of it floating round the internet) and then, if you start doing deeper freedives (beyond pool depths) have a look at the Frenzel technique.

If you are getting a little water in your mask then:
* shave a little of your moustache - just below your nose to provide a smooth surface for the mask to seal
* consider putting a little vaseline below your nose to help with the seal

Every beard is different. I have to get quite hairy before I have problems with my mask sealing while other friends have to shave regularly if they want a good seal.