Issues after first pool dive - please help

[bedazzled]

Hi all, I'm currently on holiday with my husband and kids on a small island in Fiji. Husband and I signed up to do the Discover Scuba course (it seems to be a very well-run operation, with a low instructor: student ratio, it would just be the two of us with the instructor on the 'real' dive).

Yesterday, we did the theory portion and the pool dive. All went well - better than expected, actually, as I was convinced I would freak out underwater - and our instructor scheduled our 'proper' ocean dive for tomorrow. The pool was around 1.5 meters in depth and I never equalized my ears, as I didn’t feel the need to (and assumed I wouldn’t have to at such a shallow depth).

Last night, 12 hours or so after the pool dive, I lay down to sleep and became aware of a very loud tinnitus sound in my ears. It really freaked me out, and was loud enough to stop me sleeping (even with white noise on to try and drown the high-pitched noise in my ears out). I didn't have any pain, just a slightly odd sensaton on one side (fullness, maybe?)

This morning, I saw the resort's on-site nurse (they don't have a doctor) and he looked at my ears with an otoscope. He said that I had mild swimmer's ear in one ear (the one with the louder tinnitus) and a buildup of wax in the other. He gave me some drops for the swimmer's ear, some others to soften the wax, and said I would be totally OK to dive tomorrow. I messaged my ENT back in my home city of Los Angeles, and he said that diving doesn't usually cause tinnitus, and that if the nurse says the eardrum looks OK, then I'm fine to do the dive. I've postponed the dive until Tuesday but I'm wondering if it's sensible to do it at all. I'm really concerned about the tinnitus (it's still there as I type, although not as loud as it was last night) and I'm worried I've already done some permanent damage to my ears. The resort nurse seems fairly clued up but he is also keen to make me a happy holidaymaker: 'I don't want you stuck in the room on vacation!'

I should clarify that this dive is probably a 'one and done' scenario, something I've had on my bucket list forever, but will likely not have the time/money etc to do for a very long time. I know that nobody can dispense medical information over the internet, but as a brand new (and very anxious) dive novice I would really appreciate some advice.

Thank you very much in advance.

 

[Griffo]

Firstly, equalise early, equalise often! Particularly for a new divers it's critical that you equalise in that first metre.

My second piece of advice would be try to get to a doctor who will syringe your ears. Personally I sometimes suffer from ear-wax buildup after the first dive if I haven't dived in a while. It'll either come out, or decide to impact itself. I find those drops actually make things worse. For me, the fix is to find a nurse or doctor who will syringe that stuff out of there. Plan B is to get some 3% hydrogen peroxide which you can put in - be prepared for the fizzle! Dont worry it's just dissolving the earwax. If you can only get stronger, water it down, otherwise you may feel it getting uncomfortably hot.

Thirdly - can you equalise? Hold your nose and do the Valsalva maneuver - if your ears don't pop, don't dive. You should be able to load them up the. Release the pressure by wiggling your jaw.

 

[bedazzled]

Firstly, equalise early, equalise often! Particularly for a new divers it's critical that you equalise in that first metre.

My second piece of advice would be try to get to a doctor who will syringe your ears. Personally I sometimes suffer from ear-wax buildup after the first dive if I haven't dived in a while. It'll either come out, or decide to impact itself. I find those drops actually make things worse. For me, the fix is to find a nurse or doctor who will syringe that stuff out of there. Plan B is to get some 3% hydrogen peroxide which you can put in - be prepared for the fizzle! Dont worry it's just dissolving the earwax. If you can only get stronger, water it down, otherwise you may feel it getting uncomfortably hot.

Thirdly - can you equalise? Hold your nose and do the Valsalva maneuver - if your ears don't pop, don't dive. You should be able to load them up the. Release the pressure by wiggling your jaw.

Thank you for replying. Yes, I can equalize, and the resort nurse said he is going to ‘flush’ the ear wax tomorrow. I can’t see a doctor until I fly back to Los Angeles. The issue I’m having is the tinnitus, which is much worse on the other side (the ear which supposedly has mild swimmer’s ear). I’m worried that diving to 30m could make this worse, or that it could be a permanent issue. Really hoping I haven’t already done something dreadful by not equalizing in the pool

 

[Griffo]

Thank you for replying. Yes, I can equalize, and the resort nurse said he is going to ‘flush’ the ear wax tomorrow. The issue I’m having is the tinnitus, which is much worse on the other side (the ear which supposedly has mild swimmer’s ear). I’m worried that diving to 30m could make this worse, or that it could be a permanent issue. Really hoping I haven’t already done something dreadful by not equalizing in the pool

Super unlikely there's any damage from that pressure load. They're probably just a little cranky. Over the counter anti histamine or anti inflammatory drugs may help.

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

I doubt that you did permanent damage going to 1.5m. It’s more likely that your issue was caused by not even attempting to clear your ears and the constant descent and ascent that happens with a discover dive class...even just a shallow pool session. I ran into the same thing with the discover course I took early on.

As @Griffo said...get some swimmers ear or something similar.

For the discover dive session I did...even clearing my ears early and often...I still ended up with issues after the I got out of the pool. My ears were so clogged up that driving home...I couldn’t even hear my trucks engine.

I was concerned that it would be an issue going forward, but it hasn’t been a problem...as long as I stay down for the duration of a dive. If I have to pop up (ex. Follow a buddy up to see why he’s surfacing)...I tend to run into clogged ears for a few hours after the dive.

 

[Altamira]

I start clearing my ears before I start the descent. Also, on a Discover Scuba course, you are likely going to 40' max depth. There is no way you should be taken to 30 meters on that type of course. OW students in training are not taken below 60', and my two grandkids did not go below 40' on their Discover Scuba courses.

 

[chillyinCanada]

It's the first 30' thst ate the most troublesome for our ears anyway, so even though won't be going deeper than 40', equalizing is still a huge item of concern.

As for the tinnitus, were you listening to any music or loud noises that evening before bed or in recent days?

 

[bedazzled]

No loud noises or music (very quiet on this island!) I can only attribute the tinnitus to the dive, unless it’s the swimmer’s ear that is causing it? I’ve definitely learned my lesson about not equalizing.

It's the first 30' thst ate the most troublesome for our ears anyway, so even though won't be going deeper than 40', equalizing is still a huge item of concern.

As for the tinnitus, were you listening to any music or loud noises that evening before bed or in recent days?

oud l

 

[saxman242]

No loud noises or music (very quiet on this island!) I can only attribute the tinnitus to the dive, unless it’s the swimmer’s ear that is causing it? I’ve definitely learned my lesson about not equalizing.

Ringing in the ears can be a symptom of swimmer's ear.

 

[HKGuns]

I just completed my OW certification this weekend. So take my advice, based on my limited experience.

On my third dive I surfaced and the instructor said my nose was bleeding, likely sinus issue, but I felt fine and kept going for dive four.

What I discovered on dive four is that after the first 20 feet, where I had to close my nose and clear quite often, once past 30 feet, all the way down to 60 feet, my ears would clear simply by swallowing. So it actually got easier the deeper I dove.

I think you will be fine. Just don’t forget to clear early and often. Also practice clearing when you aren’t diving and it should help you in the water.

Hope you make out alright.