How do they clear ears in helmets?

[Pseudocyber]

I was watching a show tonight where they were diving with some kind of helment with a large face plate which seemed to seal against a collar around their neck. They had a light to show their face, seemed to breathe normally, and could talk through a radio.

How did they clear their ears without being able to pinch their nose!?!?

 

[emttim]

I was watching a show tonight where they were diving with some kind of helment with a large face plate which seemed to seal against a collar around their neck. They had a light to show their face, seemed to breathe normally, and could talk through a radio.

How did they clear their ears without being able to pinch their nose!?!?

Well, I'm not an expert or anything, but can't you swallow or work your jaw in lieu of pinching your nose to equalize?

 

[Pseudocyber]

Not consistently. Perhaps a diving skill I should work on?

 

[Gilldiver]

If you look right below the face plate on many newer helmets like the Kerby Morgans, you can see a small push rod. This is a rod that goes through a gland with a padded fork on the inside. You push it in to pinch your nose and pull it back out of the way once you have equialzed. As for the old Merk V style helmets, they just push their noses against the helmet as best they could or worked through the pain till they cleared.

Many old style SCUBA masks in the 50s up into the 70s did not have the nose pocket molded in, the old round masks, you did it about the same way, "crush the nose till you can blow."

They were tough guys back in the day.

 

[Thalassamania]

If you look right below the face plate on many newer helmets like the Kerby Morgans, you can see a small push rod. This is a rod that goes through a gland with a padded fork on the inside. You push it in to pinch your nose and pull it back out of the way once you have equialzed. As for the old Merk V style helmets, they just push their noses against the helmet as best they could or worked through the pain till they cleared.

Many old style SCUBA masks in the 50s up into the 70s did not have the nose pocket molded in, the old round masks, you did it about the same way, "crush the nose till you can blow."

They were tough guys back in the day.

It wasn't as bad as you think. Some divers wore loosely fitted, clip style noseplugs, that you could exhale past with some effort: so you tried to exhale, popped your ears and then equalized your mask, helmets, of course, do not require that kind of equalization. Many oval masks had a nose block, a small pad of neoprene, glued under your nose and as the mask crushed slightly from an increase in external pressure it blocked you nose, a gentle exhalation cleared your ears and then equalized the mask. Some poeple needed to push up on the mask a hair. Some Mark V style helmets had a small shelf, built in shelf off to the side in that you could glue a nose block to and use by rotating your head scrunching down a dash. I hope that answers your question.

 

[Gilldiver]

When I was a kid in the 60s using the old round masks I just used to do what you said, push up the bottom. But sometimes I need some extra help, so I just pulled the mask off my face, pinched my nose, cleard my ears, then cleared the mask.

 

[Thalassamania]

When I was a kid in the 60s using the old round masks I just used to do what you said, push up the bottom. But sometimes I need some extra help, so I just pulled the mask off my face, pinched my nose, cleard my ears, then cleared the mask.

Hm ... no one ever taught you to glue a little block of neoprene in there? I think Dumas discussed that in "The Complete Manual of Free Diving," I'd check, but my library is packed for our move.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

I don't plug my nose when I clear. Maybe I'm a freak just don't seem to need to do that. Maybe it can be learned???

 

[haha49]

i never had a problem clearing my ears.. i just do it when ever i feel like it.. and i dont even have to move i just move a mussle between my jaw and ears and that seems to do it just fine i did it while looking in a mirror and i couldnt tell i was doing it.. but then agian i get swimers ear every year and i know when i have it really early as it gets hard to clear my ears just while walking around it seems like they get bubbled up then it gets alot worse if i dont use the ear drops.. it really depends on the person i was always in the water as a kid and liked to swim along the bottom of lakes and i just kind of learned to do it while swimming..

also when i was little when driveing up montains my ears would bubble up and then hurt eventally i got good at clearing them from doing that and now i kind of just do it when ever with out even thinking about it..

 

[300bar]

As you can see in my avatar,been there, done that

You just swallow,mind you there is no water in/on your ears so it's much easyer than in water.If you have a chance of trying a brasshelmet dive,go for it it's great fun.