[azapa]

The 'ole right ear left ear thing, happens to everyone. My left is easier dry, but often lags the right in the water! It sometimes help to "think" more air into the lagging side, try it, it works.

RESUMED Results of this thread so far:
- what do you hear or feel?
Most people here a crackle (as per any equalization) with an accute awareness of the breathing sound within ones inner ear, it's loud. The sound sequence would be:
a. crackle the ears
b. the "hearing own breathing" remains as long as the tubes are held open. Longer the better for EQing

- look at yourself in the mirror, do you see anything change, adams apple, thoat, jaw?
Very little can be seen. The ulva (dangly thing) can be seen to tilt forward and go up. The effort to open should be really minimal. If you are straining and, muscles are popping out, your going the wrong way. Aim to have no visible signs

- what was the "turning point" for you learning this, or could you always simply do it?
I would say 75% learned as a kid, or could always do it. Those who learned as a freediving adult, 25%, seem to find it harder or less reliable than those who have always done it.
Turning point seems to be LOTS of idle time practicing, breaking down the yawn (majority) or the swallow actions to the steps that produces the crackle

- in the water, is if sufficient to simply hold this muscle postion and let the mouth equalize the inner ear via the open tubes, or are you doing some movement to make that happen?
After a certain depth pressurizing against the mask creates a mores effective pressurization.

- what if any are the depths or conditions that BTV starts to fail?
Most talk of three steps:
a. Only BTV (to 10, 20M)
b. BTV with gentle pressurization (after 20M)
c. switching to frenzel totally (after 40M)

More info welcome.

I managed to do some "BTV walking" this weekend along the shore, EQuing every second pace, and sometimes in between, using very light swallows.