10 tips for comfortable equalization of ear pressure

Middle ear pressure equalization requires the skill of a scuba diver to equalize the pressure in the adjacent cavities of the nose and in the middle ear spaces with external ambient pressure. Here are 10 tips for easily relieving ear pressure:

1. Listen to "click"
Before getting dressed in a diving suit or boarding boat, make sure you hear a "click" or a "pop" in both ears when swallowed. The sound means both ears Eustachian channels (eng.Eustachian tube) are open.

2. Start on time
Several hours before diving, start gently flattening your ears every few minutes. "It is of great value and is believed to help reduce the chances of blocking at the start of a descent," says Dr Ernest S. Campbell. "Chewing and chewing gum have been shown to help between dives,"

3. Straighten your ears before entering the water
"Pre-pressure boost" helps to immerse yourself in the first meters when the diver is venting the BCD and blowing the mask. It can also "move" the ear Eustachian channels, so it 's a little bigger. The advice provided here may be helpful to many, but not all.

The air tends to rise up over the ear Eustachian channel, and liquid - like mucus tends to drain downwards. Studies show that Valsalva technique (eng,Valsalva maneuver; ear pressure equalization with nasal compression) requires 50% more force when you are head down than up.

5. Look up, stretching your neck
Extending the neck also opens the ear canals.

6. Use a landing rope

By sticking to the anchor or mooring rope, you can control your descent speed more precisely. Without a rope, your descent speed will probably accelerate much more than you realize. The descent rope also helps to quickly stop the descent if you feel a lot of pressure before it is possible ausu baro trauma.

Adjust often, trying to maintain a slight positive pressure in the middle ears.

8. Stop diving if it hurts
Do not try to suffer from ear pain. Yours Eustachian channelsmay be blocked by a pressure difference. If your ears start to hurt, lift up one meter and try to level again.

9. Avoid tobacco and alcohol
Both tobacco smoke and alcohol irritate your mucous membranes, promoting more mucus that can clog your mucous membranes. ear canals.

10. Clean the water in the mask
Water rinsing in a diving mask on the nose can irritate the mucous membranes, which then produces more mucus in the nose, which is disturbing and needs to be cleaned.

Practice makes perfect:

Divers who have difficulty equalizing the pressure in the ears may find it helpful to learn a number of techniques, such as training the swallowing reflex. For many, it is difficult at first to start practicing ear pressure equalization, the process is easier. Ear leveling is a scuba skill that you can practice anywhere. Try to practice in front of a mirror so you can watch your throat muscles. For a list of methods used to straighten your ears, see How to straighten ears.

You have no experience then let's get started diver training with the Open Water Diver course, which is the foundation and knowledge base for all future courses. We offer 30 different specializations in diving training and the issuance of international PADI scuba diving certificates.