[cdavis]

Hi azapa,


BTV means you can open the Eustachian tube valves more or less voluntarily, without frenzel or valsalva. They still "crack" when they open. Some lucky people have voluntary control over the two muscles that surround the valves, and can open them just like you move your fingers. Most folks find some other way, some other motion that pulls open the valves. You will have to find your own way on this one. Once you find it, practice will make it much easier.

BTV works great until you get close to negative pressure. Everybody's different, but for me, 60 is about it for pure BTV. Most of the time, I use a combination of BTV and Frenzel against the mask. It's still hands free, to about 80, but takes both techniques. After 80-90, I usually have to hold my nose and frenzel. Deepest I ever did hands free was 100.

In front of the mirror, all I can see on the outside is a very slight pulling in, directly below the ear and behind the turn of the jaw. Put my hand there and I can feel a muscle moving, but it feels deep below the surface and higher than it looks.

I could always do this, way before I could swim. I always had voluntary control over those two muscles. It was a great day (at about 7 years old) when I discovered that cracking my ears would allow me to get down to the bottom of the pool's deep end. Some divers seem to find those muscles eventually, others find some other combination of movements that accomplishes the same thing.

I normally equalize more or less continuously, crack, crack crack, all the way down. You can get the valves open and leave them open. I've played with it, but never used it extensively.

Hope that helps.


Connor