New diver with ear problems (go figure)

[towtruck]

Hello all, I have 7 dives under my belt now(including check-out dives). I have not yet been successful at equalizing my ears in the water. Just recently i was driving home after work & yawned, while in the middle of this yawn I pinched my nose & blew gently, I was amazed at how effortlessly my ears equalized. I have since been practicing this technique & felt as though I had it mastered, so off to the pool I went. No luck, I was not able to duplicate this technique under water. I've been doing allot of research on "the 5 different techniques" and haven't found the one that works for me. I really enjoy diving & would hate to give up on it, so if anyone has any suggestions no matter how off the wall it may seem I am willing to try just about anything( even surgery if practical ).

 

[markmantei]

The largest pressure changes in the shortest distance are at the surface. "Pressurize" your ears before you start descending, and make sure to take it slow, equalizing on every breath as you descend. Once you get down past 15 feet or so it will get much easier.

I found on a couple of occasions that if I got distracted for a few breaths and didn't equalize (near the surface) that I had to go back to the surface and start again. Practice, practice though and you should be fine (barring any medical issue that could be contributing). If your not sure though, don't push it, not worth causing permanent damage because you don't want to delay a dive for a couple of minutes while you surface and start again.

 

[mwalsh787]

Just to to echo what Mark so capably said, equalizing on every single breath of the descent worked for me.

I, like you, was having problems after about 10 dives and no matter what I tried, still had problems equalizing. I think some folks are more prone to that than others. I "pushed" it a few times and am just flat lucky that I didn't do any real damage. I would echo what Mark said, if it isn't working, don't push it. There will be other dives.

The turnaround came when I read a Dive Training article that suggested that, if you equalize gently with each exhale of a descent, it allows your ears to gradually adapt to the pressure changes where they are the greatest. Sure enough, I tried it and it worked. I have done it on every single dive since.

Like others, when I occasionally forget of take a few breaths off, I feel it. In that case, I usually ascend just a touch, take the breath, equalize and re-start the pattern. Only takes a few seconds and by the time I reach depth, I'm all set.

For me it is the most "ear friendly" way to equalize and it works every time...every time I remember to do it correctly that is...

Good luck and good diving!

Mike

 

[newyorkdiver]

I have the same problem, equalizing. Now, you mention ideas, even off the wall, so here's what I did in my last 4 dives. Another diver, seeing that I kept on hovering on the surface for at least 10 minutes, when everybody was way below, recommended I take a decongestant 45 minutes before diving. I did not have a cold, neither do I suffer from allergies. I hate taking medication, but I was desperate, so I decided to give it a try. It worked! I talked to a doctor (not a specialist, but a doctor nontheless) and he told me that I might have very narrow eustachian tubes that can easily get blocked. By drying them out, your sinuses too, with a decongestant the small canal opens and it allows the air through to equalize.
I did try equalizing with every breath every foot I descended, and swallowing saliva, however, it took me from 10 to 15 minutes to equalize.
At the moment I am looking for a doctor that specializes in Divers because I don't want to continue having to take a decongestant each time I dive.

 

[DandyDon]

Hi and welcome to SB. This is the most common subject on our Medicine forum. Look there are threads on the subject. Lots of help...

I have the same problem, equalizing. Now, you mention ideas, even off the wall, so here's what I did in my last 4 dives. Another diver, seeing that I kept on hovering on the surface for at least 10 minutes, when everybody was way below, recommended I take a decongestant 45 minutes before diving.

I got to ask: Where was your buddy? My home bud always has to have extra time at 15 ft to clear, and of course I stay with him even as much as I'd like to be dropping.

I did not have a cold, neither do I suffer from allergies. I hate taking medication, but I was desperate, so I decided to give it a try. It worked! I talked to a doctor (not a specialist, but a doctor nontheless) and he told me that I might have very narrow eustachian tubes that can easily get blocked. By drying them out, your sinuses too, with a decongestant the small canal opens and it allows the air through to equalize.
I did try equalizing with every breath every foot I descended, and swallowing saliva, however, it took me from 10 to 15 minutes to equalize.
At the moment I am looking for a doctor that specializes in Divers because I don't want to continue having to take a decongestant each time I dive.

My home bud always has to take decongestants before any diving or he can't dive. We've tried everything and some things helped, but mostly he has to have the OTC meds.

 

[newyorkdiver]

Thanks for the advise.
About my dive buddy, he was a few meters below. The visibility was crystal clear, no current so I told him to go ahead. He did keep on looking up giving me the Ok? signal.

 

[DandyDon]

Thanks for the advise.
About my dive buddy, he was a few meters below. The visibility was crystal clear, no current so I told him to go ahead. He did keep on looking up giving me the Ok? signal.

Ok, I'm sticking to: Buddies descend and ascend together for safety. Plenty of Accident reports start off otherwise.

 

[helimvee]

I had the same issues when I first started diving. I have small eustachian tubes and also had a terrible time on airplanes.

I tried all the usual suggestions and, while they helped, I still had trouble.

It may sound strange, but what helped me was changing to a comfo-bite mouthpiece. My jaw was more relaxed and that allowed my ears to clear much easier.

Now I have absolutely no problem clearing my ears. The added benefit is that I also have no problems when flying.

I hope you can resolve this.

 

[Stout]

I can't say I've ever had problems equalising but....

I have managed to perforate my eardrum, twice

What my ear doc thinks is happening is, the repeated descents are creating tiny holes in my eardrums, seawater is entering through these, I'm getting a middle ear infection and that's popping my eardrum out from the back.

Doc said........don't dive

So...I bought a special mask, the Pro Ear 2000. aka the Micky mouse mask. It keeps your ears dry and makes equalizing a breeze. Cheaper than surgery.