how deep before you feel need to equalize?

[ballastbelly]

going by the book you are supposed to equalize on the surface & continually as you go down. but i wanted to survey in practise what people here find convenient for them.

i like to snorkle. if i am taking a closer look at something 3m i dont usually equalise, i used to need to, but over the summer my ears have apparently become used to this pressure & no discomfort is felt any more - i just hear this *loud* sound in my ears when down there, sort of like water/steam rushing through pipes.

going on to 6m(the bottom around here) then i will need to pop them at 4 & 6m.

[kb8lxc]

I start on the surface and then probably every 3 to 5 feet as I descend.

I actually start the day before the dive to make sure everything is equalizing easily and then every 20 minutes or so on the way to the dive site.

[Red_5]

maybe 3-5 here as well.

[gypsyjim]

Snorkel or diving, you can not clear too often. The sooner you start the less likely you will have any problems.

[madprops]

going by the book
i like to snorkle. if i am taking a closer look at something 3m i dont usually equalise, i used to need to, but over the summer my ears have apparently become used to this pressure & no discomfort is felt any more - i just hear this *loud* sound in my ears when down there, sort of like water/steam rushing through pipes.

this is becuase your ears fill up with fluid so the air space in them gets smaller meaning you won't feel the need to clear as much. this is not a good thing it can and will affect your hearing!
is it really that hard to clear all the way down if your only going to 3m or even 6m?
dive safe
Darcy Hinds

[rexwang]

i usually descend quickly, so i equalize the entire time. i just apply slight pressure the whole time and i never have a problem. i can hear the air passing through the passages the whole time too.

[tflaris]

going by the book you are supposed to equalize on the surface & continually as you go down. but i wanted to survey in practise what people here find convenient for them.

i like to snorkle. if i am taking a closer look at something 3m i dont usually equalise, i used to need to, but over the summer my ears have apparently become used to this pressure & no discomfort is felt any more - i just hear this *loud* sound in my ears when down there, sort of like water/steam rushing through pipes.

going on to 6m(the bottom around here) then i will need to pop them at 4 & 6m.

At the surface and every couple of feet

[David Griffith]

Clearing every few seconds during a swimming descent probably equals 5 or 6 feet. This keeps me from ever feeling any discomfort or pressure in my ears. Frequent equalizing also makes it easy to clear since there's not a great pressure differential acting on the tubes in your ears.

[rickdean]

Equalize even now, sitting at your computer reading this. . .never hurts to constantly equalize gently, as it comes to mind. . .helps keeps your Eustation Tubes streched . . for sure a day or two before your dives, on the way to the dive site, before you start descent and all the way down. . .if you wait til it hurts, you are already in some trouble.

Rick

[Arubandi07]

going by the book you are supposed to equalize on the surface & continually as you go down. but i wanted to survey in practise what people here find convenient for them.

i like to snorkle. if i am taking a closer look at something 3m i dont usually equalise, i used to need to, but over the summer my ears have apparently become used to this pressure & no discomfort is felt any more - i just hear this *loud* sound in my ears when down there, sort of like water/steam rushing through pipes.

going on to 6m(the bottom around here) then i will need to pop them at 4 & 6m.

Next time you go, compare your approach to descents with surface/continuous interval EQ, and you will most likely notice, that the "sound" in your ears doesn't appear, and that it takes less force to equalize as you go down deeper.
Re my EQ routine, I do surface and 3-4' intervals, regardless whether it's a 10' or 50' dive.