Recent Incident - What did I do wrong?

[TheRedHead]

Any suggestions on how to prevent it in the future?

Any comment would be great, thank you.

Since you had blood in your mask that came out of your sinuses, I don't think it is your hood. Do you do a valsalva to clear your ears?

 

[WetFatCat]

Is bleeding without prcedibg simptoms common? I believe that I should feel or do something wrong far before bleeding started. Like sharp pain or extraforced equalizing.

 

[speedhound]

Is bleeding without prcedibg simptoms common? I believe that I should feel or do something wrong far before bleeding started. Like sharp pain or extraforced equalizing.

I've known a couple of people that are susceptible to this, and the first they know of it is when they surface with red/pink/brown water in there mask. If you're having trouble clearing, then you will eventually feel pressure and pain in the sinuses.
For people with "weak" sinuses, they simply don't feel anything.

 

[mikerault]

Underwater it will look neon yellow....on my second OW dive after qualifying I had it happen...but nothing since.

Mike

 

[Glitchrf]

The blood in my mask was from my bleeding nose. Unfortunately the hood is connected to the 7mm Semi-dry full wetsuit (see the picture in my profile), I have a feeling it is to tight, anyway to modify it? How hard should you blow when you pinch your nose, I think I blow a little bit to hard?

Thank you for you continuing suggestions.

 

[TheRedHead]

Try swallowing instead of blowing. You can irritate your eustachian tubes causing them to swell if you blow too hard. When they swell, you are at risk of a reverse block.

 

[gangrel441]

Also, using the blowing technique, make sure some water is inside your hood and at your ears. You cannot equalize if the hood seals off your ears and causes a vacuum effect. This is the case with my hood. As I said earlier, hook the edge of the hood with your finger and pull it away from your face to allow water to get to your ears, then try equalizing.

 

[minnesota01r6]

glitchrf - www.wiscuba.com and www.mnscuba.com are your best bets for dive buddies in this area. A lot of MN scuba divers go to WI to dive because it's closer than the good quarries/lakes in MN.

Mods: I don't mean to link to other dive websites, but in this case most members of mn/wi scuba are members here, but go there for more interaction from LDS and local buddies. You can delete my post if it doesn't meet the TOS.

 

[mobster75]

How hard should you blow when you pinch your nose, I think I blow a little bit to hard?

Thank you for you continuing suggestions.

You shouldn't have to blow very hard at all through your nose to equalize. All it takes me is a slight puff to the nose after I pinch it and then the pressure is relieved and makes that slight "pop" noise inside my ears. If you're putting a lot of pressure on your ears from blowing, then you might need to try a new technique or have an ENT have a look at your ears, eustachian tubes, etc.

 

[jgmaroe]

As far as blowing too hard, blow lightly, then swallow right after. Combining the techniques works well, at least for me.