The Importance of Equalising Your Ears Frequently on every dive
Equalizing your ears is a crucial skill every scuba diver must master to ensure a safe and comfortable dive and something that is taught on the PADI Open Water Course Diving course. The pressure changes that occur as you descend and ascend in the water can affect your ears, and failing to equalize properly can lead to discomfort, pain, and even injury. In this blog, we’ll explore why frequent ear equalization is essential, the techniques to do it effectively, and how developing good equalization habits can enhance your overall diving experience. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced diver, understanding the importance of equalizing your ears can help you enjoy the underwater world to its fullest.
The Most Common Scuba Diving Injury
Scuba diving is a relatively safe sport when you adhere to the rules and guidelines. However, one of the most common injuries divers experience is ear problems, often resulting from improper equalization techniques or failure to equalize the ears properly. It is crucial to stop your descent and inform your guide, instructor, or dive buddy if you encounter any equalization issues while diving. Understanding how to equalize your ears correctly is essential for a safe and enjoyable diving experience.
In scuba diving, “equalizing” refers to balancing the pressure between the inside of your ears and the underwater environment. Our ears naturally compensate for external pressure changes in daily life, such as when flying in an aeroplane or driving up or down a mountain. However, the underwater environment presents unique challenges, as the human body is not well-adapted to the rapid pressure changes experienced while diving. As you descend, the pressure increases, and your ears must be manually equalized to maintain comfort and prevent injury.
Failing to listen to your body or instructor and not equalizing properly can lead to various ear injuries, ranging from minor bruising to more severe damage, such as torn or ruptured eardrums. These injuries are generally treatable, but they can be painful and inconvenient.
Treatment for ear injuries caused by improper equalization typically involves a combination of antibiotics, ear drops, staying out of the water, and rest. Depending on the severity, recovery can take anywhere from one to three weeks. Therefore, mastering proper equalization techniques and maintaining awareness of your body’s signals are vital for preventing ear injuries and ensuring a safe and pleasurable diving experience.
PADI How To Equalise Video
What Happens In Our Ears When Scuba Diving
As we enter the water and begin our descent, the water pressure increases with depth due to the weight of the water above us. To compensate for this pressure increase, we need to add air to our ears by pushing the Eustachian tube outward. The Eustachian tube is a small tunnel that connects the middle ear to the back of the nose and the throat.
One of the easiest ways for divers to equalize their ears is simply by swallowing. Even underwater, with the regulator in your mouth, this is not a difficult task, and many divers prefer this method. Another effective technique is to gently pinch your nose and blow air softly; remember, the key is to be gentle—never forcefully equalize!
We always remind our students and divers to equalize often and gently when descending or changing depths during a dive to prevent discomfort or, worse, ear injuries. If you find that you can’t equalize or feel any pain or discomfort, stop your descent and try again. If these techniques don’t help, it is always safer to abort the dive to avoid potential injury.
Frenzel Equalization Method
The Frenzel equalization method uses your tongue and vocal cords to help balance pressure in your ears. First, you need to seal the air inside your mouth by closing the glottis and vocal cords. Then, push your tongue upward, which compresses the air in your mouth and creates pressure, leading to the “pop” sound in your ears as they equalize. It’s important to keep your soft palate, the back part of the roof of your mouth, in a neutral or open position while doing this. This technique is effective for equalizing pressure quickly and is popular among freedivers.
10 Tips for Easy Equalisation
Middle-ear equalization is a basic, required sill that every diver needs to do on every single dive, frequently. Proper technique enables the equalization of the pressure in the sinuses and middle-ear spaces with ambient (surrounding) water pressure. If you are doing it properly you should just feel your ear “pop” like it does in an aircraft or going up/down a big hill, you should not feel any pain or discomfort.
Here are 10 tips from PADI & DAN for easy equalizing
When it comes to equalizing your ears while diving, both PADI and the Divers Alert Network (DAN) offer valuable tips to ensure a safe and comfortable experience. First, begin equalizing early and often, even before you feel pressure, to prevent any discomfort. Swallowing or gently pinching your nose and blowing are basic techniques to try. It’s important to descend slowly, allowing your ears time to adjust. Stay hydrated, as dehydration can make equalizing more difficult, and avoid diving with a cold or congestion, which can block the Eustachian tubes. Practising different equalization techniques on land, like the Frenzel maneuver, can help you find what works best for you. Use a descent line to control your speed, and tilt your head from side to side if you experience difficulty. If you feel pain or discomfort, stop your descent and try to equalize again before continuing. Finally, be patient and never force equalization, as doing so can lead to injury. Following these tips can help you equalize effectively and enhance your overall diving experience.
1. Listen for the “pop”
Before you even board the boat, practise some ‘pre-equalisation’ and make sure that when you swallow you hear a “pop” or “click” in both ears. This tells you both Eustachian tubes are open.
2. Start early
Several hours before your dive, begin gently equalizing your ears every few minutes. “This has great value and is said to help reduce the chances of a block early on the descent,” says Dr Ernest S. Campbell, webmaster of “Diving Medicine Online.” “Chewing gum between dives seems to help,” adds Dr. Campbell.
3. Equalize at the surface
“Pre-pressurizing” at the surface helps get you past the critical first few feet of descent, where you’re often busy with dumping your BCD and clearing your mask. It may also inflate your Eustachian tubes so they are slightly bigger. The guide here is to pre-pressurize only if it seems to help you and to pressurize gently.
4. Descend feet first
The air tends to rise up your Eustachian tubes, and fluid-like mucus tends to drain downward. Studies have shown a Valsalva maneuver requires 50% more force when you’re in a head-down position than a head-up.
5. Look up
Extending your neck tends to open your Eustachian tubes.
6. Use a descent line
Pulling yourself down an anchor or mooring line helps control your descent rate more accurately. Without a line, your descent rate will probably accelerate much more than you realize. A line also helps you stop your descent quickly if you feel pressure before barotrauma has a chance to occur.
Middle-ear equalization is a basic, required diver skill that enables the equalization of the pressure in the sinuses and middle-ear spaces with ambient pressure. Here are 10 tips for easy equalizing:
Pulling yourself down an anchor or mooring line helps control your descent rate more accurately. Without a line, your descent rate will probably accelerate much more than you realize. A line also helps you stop your descent quickly if you feel pressure before barotrauma has a chance to occur.
7. Stay ahead
Equalize often, trying to maintain a slight positive pressure in your middle ears.
8. Stop if it hurts
Don’t try to push through pain. Your Eustachian tubes are probably locked shut by pressure differential, and the only result will be barotrauma. If your ears begin to hurt, ascend a few feet and try equalizing again.
9. Avoid tobacco and alcohol
Both tobacco smoke and alcohol irritate your mucus membranes, promoting more mucus that can block your Eustachian tubes.
10. Keep your mask clear
Water up your nose can irritate your mucus membranes, which then produce more of the stuff that clogs.
Practice Makes Perfect:
Divers who experience difficulty equalizing may find it helpful to master several techniques. Many are difficult until practised repeatedly, but this is one scuba skill you can practice anywhere. Try practising in front of a mirror so you can watch your throat muscles. For a list of methods used to equalize your ears, check out this DAN blog on How To Equalize Your Ears.
If in doubt speak to your PADI Professional.
