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Bishop posted:
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Mar 7, 2012 01:48
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| # ¿ May 2, 2024 07:10 |
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So I've been doing a lot of reading about freediving and have convinced a friend of mine to get started with me. The breathing exercises (breath up, apnea walk training, etc) have been going great, and family friend of mine who did SCUBA back in the day is so excited about me getting involved in watery adventures that hes offered to pay for a 7mm suit for me (I live in the SF bay area). We went to a place with a 12 foot pool to do some practice/get our feet wet (I had to say it) and I'm having a big problem with equalization - namely, my left ear just WILL NOT loving equalize. I should add that I have done some reading and understand that Frenzel is the preferred method, especially if you ever want to go deep. I'm working on some tips for controlling the two thingy's in your mouth but am not there yet. My right ear equalizes like a champ with very little effort with Valsalva and I can pop it rapidly with only a modest exhale on my closed nose. The left just gives no fucks and generally refuses to go. When it does, its because I'm blowing as hard as I can and its a very sharp and strange pop. The only way I can usually get it to go is without that is the Toynbee (pinch nose and swallow) but that feels uncomfortable after the first clear. After researching it further, I've come to the conclusion that my bad spring allergies (I take a benedryll each morning) and a series of bad ear infections when I was kid (I had tubes put in) could be the culprits. I wanted to ask for help before coughing up for a doctor visit. I'm still having a lot of fun with the breathing and relaxation, and we can do that stuff in the pool, but I'm going to have to get this solved before I go any deeper than ~10 feet (the depth at which I don't feel comfortable doing the Toynbee). Thoughts? Help, I want to swim in the pacific and shoot things with spears while being one with nature.
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May 30, 2013 00:51
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Thanks. I think I'm just not 100% if blowing that hard to clear the other ear with Valsalva is ok. It feels like I'm REALLY hammering it before it goes and it feels not only dangerous, but exhausting.
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May 30, 2013 01:37
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Spent a glorious, 80 degree afternoon yesterday in the pool with a mask and snorkel on, practicing clearing as I descended down a rope I tied to a 25 pound plate weight hanging off my friends diving board. The deep end was only 10 feet but I got a lot of good practice in clearing with Valsalva, especially upside down. I can now get the right ear, the easy one, to clear all the way to 10 feet upside down, but lefty is still a problem. I also almost gave his girlfriend a heart attack. She didn't know we were home and when she walked by the sliding glass door into the yard, saw me floating face down in the pool and apparently sprinted halfway there, ready to dive in to save me, before my friend saw her and shouted for her to stop. My snorkel is light blue and hard to see against the pool background and she didn't see her boyfriend tanning to the side (I was sticking my finger above water every now and then to let him know I was ok). I was pretty relaxed and didn't really hear him shout, and surfaced after a good breath hold to find her really upset  Made up for it with a good bottle of wine and we laughed about it latter, but I'll have to be more careful pretending to be a dead body!
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Jun 1, 2013 16:01
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Driving today I think I figured out an important step for me: I was pinching my nose too far up the nostril. Instead of pinching halfway up the nose, above the nostril openings, I pinched at the very bottom and both ears cleared right away. Its not 100% but I can usually seem to get both now. I don't know, maybe that gives more room for air pressure or something?
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Jun 2, 2013 05:14
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Bishop posted:In my experience, if you can clear your ears by holding onto any part of the nostrils while at surface level, you are good to go. Crunkjuice posted:You probably weren't closing your nostrils when you pinched up high. If you feel around your nose, the bottom of it where your nostrils are, its soft tissue. Higher up its cartilage, and isn't nearly as flexible. This is one of those experience things that you kind of figure out after diving a while.
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Jun 2, 2013 07:51
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| # ¿ May 2, 2024 07:10 |
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Equalization Saga Update: I figured this poo poo out! After a few days of reading up on and trying out tips, I came across one that suggested you stretch your muscles there by touching your ear to your shoulder (head tilt). It helped a bit and then I lucked into trying to equalize with my head to the right (to stretch the left side). Left ear equalized perfectly at the same time as the right! I can now quickly, easily and simultaneously equalize my ears with Valsalva if I do it with my right ear about 2/3 the way to my right shoulder. Open water course, here I come!
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Jun 4, 2013 22:10
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