Had 2 scary experiences: How to avoid in future?

[fisherdvm]

How can you clear your ears before you dive? You clear to equalize the pressure difference across the eardrum. If there's no pressure difference there's no way to clear other than just temporarily increasing the air pressure behind your eardrum.

I think this is simple physics. Pre dive pressurizing your ear will pressurize your inner ear, eustachian tube, and also your pharynx. This will maximize the diameter of the eustachian tube, where the obstruction in barotrauma occur.

Maintaining this slightly positive pressure as you descend slowly, will assure that your small eustachian tube is constantly opened.

On the opposite side, waiting till it hurts before you clear means that your eustachian tube had already shut down. You already have negative pressure in your eustachian tube. It is much harder to pressurize and open a clamped down eustachian tube that's got negative pressure behind it to keep it shut, then to pressurize the same tube that is already opened.

I think the key here for folks who can't clear when descending is to learn to pressurize on the surface, gain buoyancy very early, and continue to pressurize frequently as you descend. Don't wait till the pain before you pressurize your ears.

 

[RonFrank]

How can you clear your ears before you dive? You clear to equalize the pressure difference across the eardrum. If there's no pressure difference there's no way to clear other than just temporarily increasing the air pressure behind your eardrum.

Well, maybe clearing is not the right word, but I can wiggle my jaw, or clamp my nose and blow, and make sure I can get the tubes working. Even if the pressure is equal, you can open up the passage, and feel that it's open. I just did it, twice in fact while writing. I've also read doing this is like exercising the Eustachian tubes, but I'm not a doctor, and am repeating things I've read.

It's clearing, or for all intensive purposes, it feels exactly the same. When I am congested I can not do this on the surface, or UW. If you can not do it on the surface, then you are not going to be able to do it UW. I also think it kinda breaks the ice so to speak, and when I go to clear UW after doing so at the surface, it's a non-issue.

Another bit of advice for the newer diver, be mindful of the ears especially on shallow reefs when one is doing a lot of depth changes up and down, and this is true on deeper dives as well but even more so in the first 33 feet. On shallow reefs where the pressure changes are more pronounced in the first 33 feet, going from 33 feet up to 10 feet on coral heads, and then back down can stress the ears.

 

[RonFrank]

Actually the PADI standards don't require much in the way of buddy skills and gas management isn't taught at all...they tell you to watch your gauge...but don't tell you what to watch for.

This statement is NOT true. I think it speaks to the instructor NOT the agency. It also is going to depend on the student as I do agree that passing a PADI OW class does NOT require the diver to even begin to master or comprehend what is in the OW book.

Take a look at the PADI OW "Go Dive" manual. The Buddy System, Gas management, communication, and dive planning are all there. In chapter two under the heading Buddy System Procedures it provides the following:

1. Agree on entry/exit points and techniques
2. Choose a course to follow.
3. Agree on time and Depth limits.
4. Establish and review communication.
5. Establish returning air pressure.
6. Discuss techniques to stay together.
7. Agree on what to do if separated.
8. Discuss emergency Procedures.
9. Agree on Dive Objectives.

Later in the chapter it says, plan to surface with at LEAST 300psi, and many divers plan to surface with at least 500 psi. Monitoring air, buddy diving, and gas management are found throughout the PADI OW manual.

I think if people who criticize PADI would take a few minutes to review the OW book, one finds that most everything a recreational diver needs to dive safely is covered.

The problem IMO is that PADI's bar is not real high for passing OW classes, and a lot of students just want to dive, and are not interested in the details. Another issue is the instructors. Mine were great, and did a wonderful job. Like any job, there are the good, the bad, and the ugly!

 

[RonFrank]

Breck5Girl,

Welcome to SB! We have a forum for those that live in the RockyMtn Region. If you go under forums->Regional Travel and Dive Clubs->US->Rocky Mountain Oysters you will find a group of divers local to the RM region. It's not a real active forum due to where we live, and the LACK of diving. However I've made some good friends there, and we generally go and dive at Blue Hole a few times a year just to keep our dive legs in shape so to speak.

I was in Coz in January, and we had a SB dinner with over 25 ScubaBoard divers in attendance, and no, we did not really plan on all being there together, that was just how many happened to be in that spot during that week. I think over 10 were from Colorado!

You started out with a good topic, but unfortunately you ran into the idiot factor as well! :shakehead Ignore people who are quick to call TROLL, and post off topic, and enjoy the many good people here. I have dove with people in FL, NM, COZ, and CO all buddies whom I've met on SB. You can hook up with people from around the world, and get great advice on good DiveOps. SB buddies tend to be great divers, and that is a good thing to find especially if on vacation.

Welcome!

 

[DandyDon]

I am sure that this was a mind typo...!!
"I even did buddy breathing and emergency breath hold ascents."

These are never, ever done. Well, I saw one guy that did one, rushed to shore, amblance waiting, but he survived. Poeple read over threads, picking up pointers, and this needs to be known as a mistake...!!

 

[bluewatertoy]

Coz SB member Dinner on 1/12/2007!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There are a number of people going to be in COZ from SB on 1/12/2007, sooooo how about a Get Together for Dinner. After all it IS Friday night (my ONLY friday night in Coz ) and we ARE in a GREAT place!

Based on another thread, the suggestion is:

Sonora grill at 7pm on the 12th.

I'll be diving with BlueXT all week. I'm a Caribe Blu just FYI. I'll put this on the calender, so post by next Wednesday.. 1/3, and I'll make arrangements for the number that respond.
__________________

Ron


You really should'nt call people idiots Ron, it's not very nice. Telling stories about how you met 25 people for dinner in Cozumel unplanned is just about as bad, considering you helped set the whole thing up. You should try and remember your previous posts or maybe all that thin air in Colorado is getting to you.
Kelly

 

[Gombessa]

You really should'nt call people idiots Ron, it's not very nice. Telling stories about how you met 25 people for dinner in Cozumel unplanned is just about as bad, considering you helped set the whole thing up. You should try and remember your previous posts or maybe all that thin air in Colorado is getting to you.
Kelly

This sounds pretty harsh. Ron never singled anyone out as an idiot (I daresay we're all prone to the "idiot factor" once in a while). Also, your characterization of the "unplanned dinner" is misleading--it's pretty clear from both your quote and Ron's recent reply that the dinner was set up, and the only thing claimed to be "unplanned" was "being in Coz" together--this wasn't a SB-planned trip to Coz, a lot of people just happened to go at the same time.

Nothing was personal, and the unkind replies to the OP were reasonably seen by many as unwarranted.

 

[DandyDon]

Coz SB member Dinner on 1/12/2007!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There are a number of people going to be in COZ from SB on 1/12/2007, sooooo how about a Get Together for Dinner. After all it IS Friday night (my ONLY friday night in Coz ) and we ARE in a GREAT place!

Based on another thread, the suggestion is:

Sonora grill at 7pm on the 12th.

I'll be diving with BlueXT all week. I'm a Caribe Blu just FYI. I'll put this on the calender, so post by next Wednesday.. 1/3, and I'll make arrangements for the number that respond.
__________________

Ron


You really should'nt call people idiots Ron, it's not very nice. Telling stories about how you met 25 people for dinner in Cozumel unplanned is just about as bad, considering you helped set the whole thing up. You should try and remember your previous posts or maybe all that thin air in Colorado is getting to you.
Kelly

What...?! :11:

I think that Ron meant that we were not in a large group that traveled to Coz together, but that 25 or more of us who were going to be on Island from various origins, staying different hotels, diving with different Ops, all met and had a wonderful dinner together. We do that on the Coz forum often. Lordie!

 

[RonFrank]

You really should'nt call people idiots Ron, it's not very nice. Telling stories about how you met 25 people for dinner in Cozumel unplanned is just about as bad, considering you helped set the whole thing up. You should try and remember your previous posts or maybe all that thin air in Colorado is getting to you.
Kelly

Well others have already replied, but what I said was: "unfortunately you (the OP) ran into the idiot factor as well! :shakehead :shakehead "

I did not attack anyone, and the Coz dinner certainly was planned. However as Don and ElGuano suggest, what I was attempting to convey is that there are a LOT of SB members diving at destinations all over the world at any given time, and the board is a great way to hook up with divers whom one would otherwise never meet. After the less than warm greeting she received from some of the posters on this thread, my post was an attempt to suggest that the board does have many good folks, and is worthwhile.

I have met, and dove with too many people to list from all over the world thanks to SB, and it is a really cool thing to have buddies that you *know* when diving alone on vacation. When first in FL, I dove Jupiter with a boat entirely consisting of SB members. What a treat! I continue to meet, and dive with SB members every time I go places, and it's wonderful

So Kelly, WHAT exactly was your point? Ahh, it comes clear now, you jumped on the Troll Bandwagon. Maybe a chill pill is in order for that, and for the record, trolls generally don't hide behind valid questions as the original OP posted. I can always blame the altitude even if it's not needed, so what is your excuse?

 

[bluewatertoy]

I apologize RonFrank. Sorry if I took your post in the wrong context.
Kelly