Newbie help for equalizing pressure in ears and buoyancy control

[darren_uk]

All good advice - I'll add my comments as if I hadn't read other replies.


Buoyancy is something you'll get used to over time so I won't bother with that subject: it's covered in your training.


Equalizing:


Have you ever been on a plane? Or been on a mountain road and come down into the valley in the car?


Did you feel the pressure on your ears?


If so: how did you correct it? Swallow? Pinch your nose and gently blow?


That's all you have to do when scuba diving with one important difference: do it more often.


The reason you have to do it more often is because pressure changes more frequently in depth of water than in depth of air because water's heavier. So every metre / 3 feet you should be pinching-and-gently-blowing / swallowing. If you leave it too long then the pressure of the air that you're breathing may be a little too high and actually, counter-intuitively, be forcing the little tubes in the back of your throat (the eustachian tube Eustachian tube - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) shut. Solution: don't let the pressure build up too much before equalizing, and the way to achieve this is to equalize often during decent. Initial dives are likely to be down a reference line for you to hold on to, or down a sloping bottom (e.g. a shore) so the depth increases gently whilst you get your buoyancy improved.



This all assumes that you have no congestion. There's no harm in having a quick check with a dive doctor - he'll use one of those devices to look in your ear and ask you to swallow to observe the eardrum moving as the eustachian tube is pressurised from the swallowing.

 

[Dhboner]

I'm not sure why this works but it DOES work...try "puffing up" your cheeks before you pinch and blow. Back when I had trouble equalizing someone suggested this and it works like a charm. Fill your cheeks with air, pinch your nose and gently blow.

 

[skb0203]

I just finished my open water in Mexico in Nov. Newbie to newbie I experienced the same problems as you.

On equalization the pinch and blow wasn't working too well. I found swallowing while looking up worked much better. After a discussion with my instructor he suggested racking my jaw side to side. Bingo this worked for me. As I descended I wiuld equalize every few feet pinch blow and rack my jaw instant equalization. Back at the hotel I practiced this technique. He also told me that if one ear is giving a problem tilt the head to the side facing that ear toward the surface this helped my wife.

On buoyancy my instructor did a great job assisting me in weighting correctly. He again stressed to work on weighting at every opportunity. When we got home I started going to my pool and marina getting geared up with a full 80 and worked on my weighting and trim. When you get your own gear do the same. I now know about how much weight to start with when im diving in salt or fresh. In a wetsuit or just my bcd. Owning my own equipment has proven a big plus in my buoyancy. I'm now dealing with known quantities and it has really helped. Now its practice practice practice....Oh darn to practice I gotta get wet and go diving.

Have fun on your open water! The Carriebean is a great place to learn. Not sure where you are going but I learned in Playa Del Carmen Mx. It was amazing!!!! I have so many memories and photos!!!

Good luck relax have fun and be safe!!!!

 

[RonFrank]

I like the idea of clearing while sitting on the couch, or in the car, or watching the NFL. If you can not clear on the surface it does not get easier underwater.

Do a weight check when you get to the Caribbean. If you do not have an empty tank you still can do it. Remove weight until you will not sink. Then add 1 lbs at a time until you can sink. Then add 6 lbs to account for an empty tank and a bit of wiggle room. Try and soak your wetsuit before doing the weight check. Having a floaty wetsuit results in more weight than you need. Also if possible do another weight check after you dive.

 

[TSandM]

Sorry if I missed it, but it did not appear that anyone had linked to this video for you: Doc's Diving Medicine Home Page (Warning, it's long, but it's very informative.)

Equalizing goes better if you do it early -- even pre-pressurizing your ears before descending if necessary. We have not infrequently encountered students who "blow gently", but they aren't getting any air through their Eustachian tube because they are being just too careful. It may take a bit more effort, but should never be painful. If you can clear your ears when going up and down in an airplane, you should be able to learn to equalize while diving.

As far as buoyancy control goes, it's a matter of nuance. New divers often make adjustments, whether with breath or with their BC, that are too big -- and they don't wait long enough to find out what the result is, before they make more corrections. Our students are often very surprised to see that I can cruise back and forth from the deep end of the pool to the shallow end without adjusting the air in my BC at all -- this is done simply by adjusting my breathing. It DOES require that you be more or less correctly weighted, though, and students are often heavily overweighted by instructors, so that they can remain stable on the bottom of the pool. A weight check is the first step in good buoyancy, whether it's in a pool or in any new dive conditions or equipment!

 

[Jelly1]

I agree with diveprof I think your trouble may be that you are over weighted.

 

[greylion]

My wife had trouble clearing her ears and someone told her to let some air out of her nose before she pinches it and she's never had trouble since.