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lmscott

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Location
Georgia, USA
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Hi, everyone. I've just joined the forum after spending hours looking at the many photos posted here. I'm very much new to diving. Just got certified a bit over a week ago. Still trying to get over a stopped up ear, but ready to get back in the water as soon as I can. Speaking of ears, has anyone else out there had a lot of ear pain when going down for the first time? I really hope that my problem was just something that happens to beginners.
 
Welcome to the board!
Yes, I had lots of ear pain when I first started diving. Clear early and often! Don't wait until it hurts. I tell student to clear their ears three times before the top of their head is underwater. From there on it is easy.

Joe
 
I had the same ear pain when I first started - as well as nose bleeds, etc. It seems that the more you dive the easier it gets to clear. Convienent isn't it?
I had also heard that the more you exercise your eustachian(sp?) tubes they get easier to equalize. So you can start equalizing a few hours before you dive - if this is true or not I don't know but it used to help me.

Shaun
 
Most divers have experienced ear pains and equalization problems when new to diving. Just relax and remember to clear and not to try too hard or you'll get a nosebleed.

Congratulations on your certification and Welcome to Scubaboard.
 
I am recently certified as well, and the frist two or three times I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to dive because of my ears. i always clear before i go down and it seems easier after I go under. Also when I am having trouble, if I go down by the rope and clear every couple of hands down that helps too. I still hve problems at times, but my instructor tells me that happens to everyone.

SkyBird
 
Hi! Yes, I've experienced a lot of ear pain in the past -on my first dives for certification and every time I've been on an airplane. I had a lot of ear infections as a child and always wondered if it was a physical problem. However, my last 4 "refresher" dives proved that it can be done! I took a look at this website:
http://faculty.washington.edu/ekay/MEbaro.html
Practiced a few of the techniques that I felt comfortable with a few days before going diving. The day of the dives I took a 12 hour decongestant 2 hours before the first dive of the day, and started equalizing more and more the closer to the dive I got. At first I could only get one ear, but eventually I got the other ear to pop as well -then came the moment of truth...

Now, the more relaxed you are the easier it is to clear, or at least that seems to be the case for me. I got in the habit of equalizing about every other breath on the way down and actually found that the normal technique of pinching the nose and trying to blow out of it would pop my right ear, and then a hard swallow would pop the left. Weird, but whatever works, right?

The keys, I think, are practice and relaxation. Even right now I can pop my left ear by swallowing. The right one takes the pinched nose technique and a lot of pressure to pop, but it will pop.

There's also a video presentation (fairly long) about ear clearing complete with an "ear-o-scope" to show exactly what happens when you "pop" your ears. I'm kindof a biology geek, so I found it very interesting: http://www.uwtv.org/programs/displayevent.asp?rid=789

Last thing: The biggest change in technique from when I started out to now is that before I'd go down until I felt pain, then try to clear. That doesn't work -there's already too much pressure. You have to clear BEFORE you feel the pressure -hence my "every other breath" technique and all of the suggestions of "clear early and often". They're right on the mark. You can't clear it too often (unless you get light-headed) :eyebrow:
 
Be sure to check out our New Divers forum. And yeah - almost everyone has ear problems at first. I'm different, as I didn't have them until later - everytime I forgot to treat them with alcohol...

:cowboy2: don


And don't be shy about posting. Click Forums above, tour the long list of choices, and jump in anywhere you're qualified. PM me with any questions, and I'll try to find a pretty good answer.
 
Welcome to the diving community. I have terrible problems with clearing and would like to add to the previous good advice on this thread. Try tilting your head left and right while blowing, it will stretch tour estacian,poorly spelled, tube. It usually gets easier the more you dive. Clear early and often and make sure both are clear before you descend further. if you have any pain its better to ascend alittle before you try to clear as it will aggrevate it further with a forcefull clearing. Tom
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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