my daughter needs to clear on asent is this OK?

[JBRES1]

I clear on both ascent and decent. I clear by either holding my nose and blowing, moving my jaw, swallowing, or just blowing a little air out of my nose thru the mask as I am swimming along.
I do have a harder time clearing in cold water more so than in warm water, but thats just me.
Jim Breslin

 

[Kendall Raine]

My 13 year old daughter is taking up diving. She is in the process of being certified and I know that she has trouble clearing, she found that the 'yawning' technique works. Her instructor found it odd that she needs to clear on the way up as well as the way down. Is this odd? do others need to clear both up and down?

It is not odd, particluarly for children. The geometry of the eustacian tube is still changing. Even more so if she has any residual congestion from a cold. Something to keep in mind is that a reverse block-failure to effectively clear during ascent-can be very scary. It can also lead to vertigo if the ears equalize asymetrically. She should be taught how to deal with both a reverse block and vertigo.

Barring injury, her difficulties may lessen as she gets older. The key is to use good technique and avoid injury in the mean time.

Lastly, I find it much easier to equalize in a head up position, particularly in the first 70 feet. Steep head first descents are an invitation to severe sinus pain for me.

 

[DixieDL]

I have sinus issues and I have to clear often, both on decent and accent.. I just make sure I continue to clear often and then I am fine....

Good luck to your daughter..

 

[Craig Baumann]

Dennis - When I perform the Emergency Swimming Ascent skill ten times in classes, once individually for each of my students, I can hear the air escaping from my ear. I consulted with a physician, and air escaping from my ear from behind the ear drum was the explanation. He checked, and I do not have a problem by his assessment. No perforation.

Best of luck..

 

[fast5frog]

Mine usually just squeek onthe way up, but here's an issue I have..when wearing a hood does this ever keep air trapped in the ear?? Just curious if antone else feels this with a hood on...

 

[DennisW]

Dennis - When I perform the Emergency Swimming Ascent skill ten times in classes, once individually for each of my students, I can hear the air escaping from my ear. I consulted with a physician, and air escaping from my ear from behind the ear drum was the explanation. He checked, and I do not have a problem by his assessment. No perforation.

Best of luck..

I was just confusedby your statement. The ear drum is a very thin membrane, however it seals your ear canal from your inner ear unless it has been perforated. So, the air must be coming out of your inner ear through your eustacian tube into your throat. Not out of your ear canal.

 

[fisherdvm]

I think it is important to remember this aspect, as some folks will get barotrauma on ascent.

It is amazing how the masseter muscles can close off the eustachian tube. I remembered trying to open the door to my house once with too much in my hands. So I hung a 25 lb bag of grocery on my jaw by clenching my teeth... Grunt.... And pressurized my ears accidentally.

Guess what, now I have pressure in my left ear.... I wiggled my jaw, and it cleared!!

I think this is something that was not taught in my OW class, and could perhaps saved myself from 1 episode of barotrauma last year.

 

[Craig Baumann]

Dennis - I will have to get this cleared up, because now I'm especially curious.

When I perform a relatively fast ascent probabely 60 feet per minute, as most will remember the CESA (controlled emergency swimming ascent) to be, when I get to the surface I can actually hear the air zinging out of my ears... zzzz-zzzz-zzzz! Perhaps I'm the odd one here, but I know for certain the air is not being released into my throat. If you put my ears back in the water at that point at the surface, you could probably see the bubbles.

But hey! I come from a family where my son's eyes bubble, so who knows? I'll check into it again. Either way, I don't have much trouble clearing going down or up, so I know in that way I am fortunate.

Appreciate your input!

Craig

 

[DennisW]

My eyes do the same thing if I perform the Valsalva Maneuver. If you have air escaping from your ear canal, you have a perforated ear drum. There is not supposed to be any way for air or water to get past your ear drum. If you did, you would have all kinds of inner ear infections all the time.

 

[Craig Baumann]

Got it! THX - I must be hearing things.

Take care!