equilizing

[diverdown247]

H2Andy hit the nail on the head.

If you're new to diving, you may not remember this:

Equalizing happens usually in two well known manners.
1. Pinching the nose and forcing air through the sinus cavity

2. Pinching the nose (or not) and moving the jaw, opening the jaw, or simulated swallowing motion.

These two are usually taught in OW classes as they are known to work the best for the most people.

I have found that in some cases, you can tug on the bottom of an ear as you do this with the head tilted to the opposite ear as you move your jaw/simulate swallowing to help this. The same applies, but tilting in the opposite fashion if you have water in your ear that refuses to come out (not always though).

Above all else, stop and go back up a few feet if you can't equalize. Sometimes, the pressure relief will make the ears pop just enough that you can successfully equalize.

Trust me, inability to equalize is a bad thing for those of us who have become accustomed to going right to the bottom.

 

[LSDeep]

have to agree, start already before the dive with a couple attempts and once youre in the water start at the surface with a slight attempt. head back and sometimes shaking your head left to right helps, so does the yawning attempt (watch your mout / reg) and swallowing. while sudafed and friends might help, i would be careful with it, it might cause a serious reverseblock problem on the way up. also doublecheck with your doc (assuming he is halfway firm with diving related probs) while sudafed is fairly harmless, some meds can give you some trouble due to side effects what might just show up under increased pressure (tell your doc that i expect a commission for sending you ).

 

[scubabrn]

thx everyone. We (I) do all those things, I guess I was hoping to get a "secret". Our instructors told us that ears will get accustomed to eqing, I'm just wanting it NOW.

 

[diveprof]

My recommendations re clearing - try this at the surface:
Step 1 - Pinch nose
Step 2- look up
Step 3 Put tongue on roof of mouth and close mouth on reg (on surface just close mouth)
Step 4 swallow

For an ear that doesn't clear, point it more upward.
It's a kinder, gentler clearing....

Feel the crackle in your ears - you are clearing... Do it early (at surface and with each breath as you descend until you relax and this gets easy.