Teaching Equalization

[Smache]

Does anyone have any advice for teaching equalization, other than "pinch your nose and blow"? I recently had a student who could not clear her ears, even on the surface. I've had pretty good luck with having students blow their nose to get rid of any mucus that might be interfering, but I don't know what to do if that doesn't work.

As an aside, anyone teach Frenzel equalization? It seems like most divers (myself included) eventually pick it up organically, since it makes it easy to equalize in any orientation even with empty lungs. However, I have no idea how I would go about teaching it to new divers.

(Asking here instead of one of the instructor forums in case a non-instructor has something to share)

 

[tursiops]

6 Methods to Equalize Your Ears

All methods for equalizing your ears are simply ways to open the lower ends of your Eustachian tubes, so air can enter.

dan.org

Beat the Squeeze: Equalize Like a Pro

Keep your ears protected by understanding how they respond to pressure and learn how to properly equalize them while diving.

dan.org

 

[TMHeimer]

I've never taught it of course, but one idea is to yawn and listen for the crackling sound in your ears. If you can achieve that sound you can equalize without any of the other methods. If you can "hold" where that sound is it will muffle your ears from loud sounds like passing 18 wheelers (not talking underwater here...).

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

I personally have no issues equalizing with a simple "swallow / gulp" maneuver. But when teaching.....my best advice was to press your tongue as much as possible to the roof of your mouth, then pinch nose and blow through nose.

 

[Barryattle]

I was thinking I might not be able to keep diving when I first got certified due to equalization difficulty. (I have always had problems on plane descents, too.) Yawning while twisting neck, popping jaw, swallowing, etc. - nothing. I finally found that pinching and blowing did work, but it was super important to start doing it before I even noticed any discomfort from the pressure difference - much harder to equalize when the pressure difference gets larger. And, I know this is frowned up, but I found that a spray in each nostril of oxymetazoline (generic Afrin) in each nostril before diving really helped me, for whatever reason - for ear equalization, not sinuses.

 

[boulderjohn]

I was thinking I might not be able to keep diving when I first got certified due to equalization difficulty.

Same here. I even had an instructor tell me that diving might not be in my future--that's how much trouble I had.

What I learned most was that when they say "do it early; do it often," it meant starting to work on it a couple weeks before a trip, and doing it as often as possible during those weeks. I would sit on the sofa and equalize while watching TV. I equalized on the plane heading for the dive site (usually Cozumel in those early years). Before my first dive, I got in the water with a snorkel and free dived as deeply as I could as often as I could. I equalized on the boat heading for the dive site. I equalized just before splashing.

On a multiday trip, I found it got better every dive on a day and every day of the trip. By the third day, I had no trouble.

Before too long, it all became easier and easier. Today I have no trouble at all.

And, I know this is frowned up, but I found that a spray in each nostril of oxymetazoline (generic Afrin) in each nostril before diving really helped me, for whatever reason - for ear equalization, not sinuses.

Lots of people do that. Lots.

In those earlier years I described above, I used a variety of such things. When I was in Australia and preparing for a trip on a liveaboard, I went to a flea market, and there I bought a little jar of eucalyptus oil. I just lifted the lid of that and took a sniff before diving, and everything cleared up instantly.

Yes, I used Afrin as well.