help with equalizing

[Teamcasa]

From a similar thread

I really wish that instructors would spend more time in basic OW class explaining ear anatomy and the various techniques of ear equalization.

... Practice until it becomes second nature...

This seems to be one of the biggest issue with new divers and one that is so easily solved if addressed early.
Practice on land and once you have mastered the technique that works for you, any problems equalizing while diving will disappear.

Rule of thumb for new divers, equalize more often and before you feel any hint of discomfort.

 

[gmrviper]

Huh thats great advice. I have an office job so i do that as often as i would like. I try to remimber to do it a few times a day anyway.

Here's a piece of advice I was first given by my Course Director in my IDC some years ago after having a similar blockage that prevented me from completing a fun dive after our IE. Keep in mind that your Eustachian tube and the area inside your ear that you are trying to equalize the pressure in, is tissue. Just as we'd no sooner hop up from our computers right this moment and run a 100 meter sprint and expect our body to perform without some sort of negative and probably painful reaction, we shouldn't expect our ears to suddenly be subjected to this forced pressure and pressure changes without some sort of similar resistance.

He advised me that in his experience, if I were to get into the habit of clearing my ears every hour or so through out the day prior to my diving, my ear canal would be a lot more accustomed to performing the task I'm asking it. Very similar to stretching before a workout or run. Medically, I cannot say whether that advice is sound for that particular part of the body, but I can attest to the fact that it was the last time I've experienced any ear blockage of any type in 17 years.

It's also advice I've passed on to my students and instructor candidates over the years, and to my sometimes foggy knowledge, I cannot think of a student I've ever had who has been forced to abort a training dive due to equalization problems.

 

[Maximum Overdive]

In the beginning I found that I was equalizing too often causing me to have problems getting down. I learned to only equalize when I felt the pressure build up. Getting down becomes easier in time and with more diving. Dive safe my friend!

 

[DianeKim]

I have suffered with equalizing my ears since I started diving in 2001. Have suffered through a few barotraumas as well. However, as mentioned in this response, for the past 6 months, I have been regularly practicing equalizing my ears on a daily basis while not diving and I have noticed the difference in the flexibility of my eustacian tubes. In addition, I'll take a warm shower the morning of my dive along with equalizing during the shower to loosen things up and this has helped as well. The last time I dove in March I had no trouble equalizing - I hope it's the same when I go to Cozumel next week!!

 

[gmrviper]

Yeah best of luck to ya. Hope it goes smoothly for ya.

Everyone is right, seems like the more i go the easier it gets. Ive been down at Bull Shoals lake all weekend and have had 3 really smooth dives. Nothing deep. 30 ft and up and everything has just seemed to work this time.


I spent alot of time in 10 ft water just watching some perch and bass. I felt really safe just enjoyed playing around in the shallow water. I think its the most fun i have had so far.

 

[dive pro]

Hola from Cancun
Equalizing, like many aspects of Diving is different for each person, due to everyone having different reactions. After looking at the recommendations of nasal spray etc. I would not recommend you practice and practice too much specially not underwater, you may harm your membrane(swollen)
Maybe you want to do several tricks while you are descending, a very effective one is a massage to the muscle right behind your jaw, also bringing your ears up and down directly pointing towards the surface, swallowing helps, and moving your jaw, (chewing gum pre dive is also good)
if you have achieved a depth of several feet, try going up a little and trying this moves, and try to go down again, for some people it is best not to plug the nose but to move the jaw etc.
Always take your time descending, let your group of dive buddy know about this, and practice a lot while diving!

 

[g1138]

So i have made a total of 5 dives. 3 at the swimming pool and 2 at our local lake. Im unable to get my ears to equalize. At about the 10 ft mark i have go back to the 8 ft mark to relieve the pressure. I have watched the diving doc video and have found that the maneuver where you plug your nose blow and swallow works the best for me. I can feel and hear the crackle. But i still feel the pain when i descend down to 10ft. I tried probably 20 times yesterday to get the pain to go away. I would go down a ft equalize go another equalize. I even equalized a couple times on the car ride down. My instructor seems confused. He sent me to a doctor and he said i have no issues that he can see. But he gave me some nose spray and allergy pills to try. This was a couple of weeks ago.

Anyone else have this issue. It was really a bummer to be at the lake for the first time and not get the chance to really see anything. Everyone else got to see an old house and school bus. I was just kinda stuck for 2 hours trying to equalize. I hear sudafed is a good thing to try and maybe the docs pro plugs? I have no history of ear infections or problems with my ears prior to this. I think i can lick this problem, but im just missing something. Thanks for the help and advice.

Relatively the same exact problem. For me my right ear is problematic to clear.
But I've found a way.
For me I have to really open my jaw and thrust it forward and slightly left to get my throat really open. From there I either breathe out and maybe do a nose pinch followed by a swallow and that usually sets me. What I've found is that even though you THINK you've equalized, you may not be FULLY equalized. Keep equalizing at your current depth until you get two equalizes in a row that feel the "empty" (ie you're no longer equalizing any further).

Here's how I discovered my personal method (everyone's method will be slightly different, so practice):
First practice clearing your ears on land. Listen to the pop. Try it by pinching your nose and blowing or even swallowing. You should get that weird over pressurization feeling in your ears, one that will stay there until you release it yourself (ie by yawing, jaw wiggle etc) That's what you're aiming for. Now practice doing this using different methods.
Finally try working on consistency.
When you're in the water try the equalization method that you've practiced. Sometimes you may even have to make a hybrid of the two, like what I did.

And one more thing, take a break from diving or even swimming to depth. Sometimes your ears can't equalize because they've been injured and need to recover. Take a few days off, practice, then try it in the water.