Equalization: should I hear a pop?

[havnmonkey]

yeah, I was freediving at Little Devil and if I went down 20 ft without clearing atleast 3 times it was harder to equalize at depth; do it often and it gets easier.

 

[H2Andy]

yah, always equalize early and often

if you find yourself at depth having trouble equalizing, just ascend a few feet
and try again ... it will be much easier

 

[Jason Ooi]

I hear a light pop

 

[Fernando]

I am really allergic and I have to blow my nose very often. Everytime I did it, I used to hear that same pop.

When I started diving, I heard the pop everytime I tried to equalize, and figured it was no big deal, since I was used to that when blowing my nose, and my ears were fine.

Then, at the end of full day of diving, my ears heart a lot. During the last dive, it was hurting a lot whenever I tried to equalize. My instructor told me I wasn't doing it often enough. I found out that the trick for me was to equalize all the time during the descent, BEFORE I felt any pressure changes in my ears.

That's what I have been doing since, and it's working very well. You have to focus on equalizing during the descent (at least I have to) since you'll generally only do it when the pressure reminds you to. That's already too late in my case.

Hope it helps.

 

[ScubaMike05]

yah, always equalize early and often

if you find yourself at depth having trouble equalizing, just ascend a few feet
and try again ... it will be much easier

Confuscious is getting to you Andy. Look at how wise you are now.

Get it checked out man! I know you're excited and you don't want to hear the doc say "you can't dive for a month" or something.

You can try doing the yawn, just don't breathe in and you can hold your reg in your mouth as you do it so water doesn't get in.

 

[diveprof]

Another method of clearing that works good for many:

1. with a closed mouth (or reg in mouth), put your tongue on the roof of your mouth.
2. Pinch your nose
3. Look up
4. Swallow

If one ear is not clearing as well as the other, as you are looking up point that ear a little higher. Might want to try this procedure on the surface to see if your ear is clearing well. Clear early and often.

 

[chrisch]

Another method of clearing that works good for many:

1. with a closed mouth (or reg in mouth), put your tongue on the roof of your mouth.
2. Pinch your nose
3. Look up
4. Swallow

If one ear is not clearing as well as the other, as you are looking up point that ear a little higher. Might want to try this procedure on the surface to see if your ear is clearing well. Clear early and often.

This is good as is the "jaw wiggle".

The valsalva method is not the best and can cause problems if you have a PFO (more for you to look up!!) I have seen a number of people make their nose bleed from squeezing too trying too hard. As everyone says a little and often and take it easy in terms of descent speed.

Chris

 

[Walter]

If you hear a pop, you've probably waited longer than you should to equalize.

 

[scubafool]

i hear a light pop, sometimes a "whistle" sound, sometimes a light "hiss"

Have you changed the air lately?

 

[David The Gnome]

If you hear a pop, you've probably waited longer than you should to equalize.

My instructor said the same thing. I was describing the sounds I heard from my ears as I ascended and he told me I was coming up to fast if I was hearing noise in my ears. I usually keep clearing my ears the whole way down so I don't usually hear anything then.