How do freedivers clear their ears so quick when they rocket down on sleds

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

slackercruster

Contributor
Messages
420
Reaction score
0
Location
NE US
# of dives
50 - 99
How do freedivers clear their ears so quick when they rocket down on sleds...or even when kicking down without stopping?
 
Practice
 
They use "wet equalization".
It means that in certain depth they let water in, flood the sinuses and so they don't need to equalize at all all the way down as there is no air inside the nasal and ear cavities.
Well, but this require even more practice I guess. :wink:
 
:)
Almost - depends if you are able to control your epiglotis to prevent water from entering into your lungs.

But not every diver do it that way. Some use so called Frenzel-Fattah manouver using which one can get to depth around 90m without wet equalization.

BTW - on the way down, when kicking, your descend isn't so fast to make classic equalization impossible or difficult. You can count 1 meter per second.
 
and those blasted blessed ones that can do BTV method of equalizing.

There is no way you can do the valsalva while freediving for depths.. it just takes too much energy and is not efficient.. fine if you have a tank on your back, but not for a quick breathold drop.
 
SparticleBrane:
Nuts to that. I'm too impatient. :D
Thats why I don't freedive. :wink:
 
Doesn't letting seawater into your sinuses, at that magnitude, create the possibility of mass infection?

How about filling a medium/high volume mask with clean saline solution prior to the dive, and using that?
 
It definitely does create chances of infection. But - when they want to go that deep - what they can do? :)

And - you are right - the liquid-filled goggles do exist and are used. But using it - you only can solve equalization of space inside the mask but not inside your head.

Another air-saving possibility is to use normal "micro-volume" swimming goggles with small hose attached to them. By blowing air into goggles through that hose you can equalize them with less air then when using normal diving mask.
But still - once you are in 120-140 ft depth approximatelly, your lungs get so pressed that it's impossible to push air out of them into mask and ears.
So you have to use above mentioned Frenzel-Fattah or do the wet if you want to go that deep.
 

Back
Top Bottom