No hands equalisation.

[Yeti]

Nvy, that sounds familiar. Ted, mind if I have a go?

I’ve always found equalising hands free as an almost intuitive response (which I guess it is really, if you look at how many times you must do it subconsciously) and tried in vain to explain the technique to plenty of people but it’s not something I can quite put my finger on either. Some would say lucky, but like you guys say, trying to put your finger on it is equally frustrating, but I’ll have a go too!

I guess the best people to explain their understandings of the technique are always those who have learnt and trained how to do it!

THIS SHOULD AT NO POINT CAUSE ANY DISCOMFORT so if it does, stop!

Like you guys suggest, I’ve also found it a good training exercise. It involves creating a slight negative pressure in the ear (internally) to simulate preferably a dive, but what you might feel in an aeroplane from time to time. It is intended to be very gentle without the complications of using submersion to experiment, and is merely an attempt to stimulate the muscles involved so you can feel them.

I’ll try and explain how I simulate it. It is the same as suggested really but sometimes different descriptions hit the mark for different people.

If you can equalise ‘pinching’ then this is just the reverse in principle to start with;

Instead of creating positive pressure in your mouth throat, by whatever means you use, ‘pinch’ and VERY GENTLY draw the tongue down or pretend you are sucking on a very thick milkshake. This should cause a slight negative pressure in the ears. I find it is indicated by sound getting very fuzzy, almost like that confusing sound effect swimming pools seem to create, with high pitch noises becoming more significant (my computer fan suddenly becomes much noiseier whilst other sounds are deadened).

THIS SHOULD AT NO POINT CAUSE ANY DISCOMFORT so if it does, stop!

Once this negative pressure is created I find it will generally stick just enough to hold and you can let go with the ‘pinch’.

What this then enables you to do is try all of the different movements, jaw, muscular, whichever, but the important thing is you can now work at isolating the miniscule, as that is all it takes, exact stimulus that allows you to clear the ears. Bingo!

The ears can at any point be cleared very easily by the method normally used.

I really do not know the physical implications or effects of doing this long term or for prolonged periods, so please, either wait for other opinions or use a bit of common sense and go steady.

(Ted, I’ve never had a headache from it. How long do you do it for?)

I have been doing this, initially out of curiosity before diving, for years and seem to have had no problems, and can now create a (again, SLIGHT) negative pressure lock with just a quick sniff as there is enough resistance created breathing in through my nose as long as I don’t flair my nostrils as I do it.

Who knows, it may work for some!?!

Failing that you could practice on the real stuff and use it as an excuse to eat loads of milkshakes!!

[tylerz]

I hands free equalize and have done so since I was 10 or so, when I accidentally discovered I could do this to rid the pain while going to the bottom of a pool. However, it also recently occured to me, thanks to Anneko, that I have been opening my Eustacian tubes purposefully since before then, but had no clue what it was I was doing. I used to refer to it as "clicking my ears". I could also move my ears I discovered and over time learned to do that more so. I associated the two because often I would hear the clicking when I moved my ears.

The other day Anneko asked to place her ear against mine while I opened my tubes. I had asked somebody once before if they could hear me doing so but not believing they would, I did so at a distance. With Anneko's ear pressed against my own, she could hear the exact sound I was hearing every time I opened them. Hope this does not become a public tendency of freedivers... we may get a wierd public image. She even can hear it in a quiet room if I am a half-foot, or so, away from her.

So how can that help people trying to equalize? I am not sure yet, but you could listen to your buddy to hear if they are successful without having to dive. Maybe a recorder would even pick it up, or you could set up a microphone to play it through a stereo. Lots of fun for the whole family.

Anyhow, maybe most people hear this "clicking", gritty, crumpling bag, kinda sound. So if you hear something like that in your head you are probably doing it. But it should be loud and very close to your ears as opposed to the throat or nasal area.

[tylerz]

Another thing that I would think to share is that all of us who drive through mountains as well equalize. And I noticed that people who are not good at equalizing, do not grab their nose and blow as they are driving, to assist with equalizing. This leads me to believe that many people already have the ability to equalize hands free if they are relaxed and not trying. As soon as you try however, you could be causing the muscles to tense up and close the eustacian tubes as opposed to contracting and opening the tube. This shows the need to find the conscious control of this muscle and cause it to contract. But first to do so it may require doing attempts to equalize by relaxing and not trying to equalize. Then learning from the sensation as to gaining control of the same muscle that moved during automatic equalizing.

So, you may be expelling energy to the correct muscle with no success of equalizing and feeling hopelessly far from finding the muscle, because you are sending the muscle the wrong signal.

[tylerz]

Any equalizers out there who can equalize further than residual volume but at some general depth suddenly (or used to) find they have extreme difficulty equalizing, this being your limitation? That is you are already doing mouthfill techniques but still run into this problem?

Cheers,

Tyler

[sublimished]

Today I was practicing in the pool with my mask and can now say I can equalize without hands - at least till 10 or 12 feet :P. I just do frenzel with the mask and I think it is using the masks pressure to cause the air back into my ears like someone mentioned earlier.

[sublimished]

But I dont know how deep I can do this - it seems so simple that instead of pinching my nose the mask is acting to block any air from coming out and pushing it back in.

Are some of you saying you could equalize hands free without a mask?

[unirdna]

(Ted, I’ve never had a headache from it. How long do you do it for?)

Ohhhh, during a two-hour movie in the theatre (got bored - popcorn was gone before the promos were done).

Sublimish,

I can equalize hands-free, without a mask.....but at the cost of a bunch of water going up my nose. The eustacian tubes 'pull' in whatever air is near. With a mask, the only air it can pull is the stuff from your lungs. Without a mask, it will pull it from your nose as well. And...when that air is pulled in, it pulls the outside water along with it.

So when I screw around without a mask, I need to use a hand to equalize hand-free .

[sublimished]

Yea I see what your saying haha

I could probably do it without a mask too but eventually the water would just go all the way up my nose and I'd have to stop . I'll have to try it next time

[naiad]

I am learning to equalise hands free, and it seems to be working in the pool. I have never done depths, but hopefully it will work when I do. The reason I need to equalise this way is because the Valsalva (normal) method doesn't work at all for me, whether dry or in the pool, and I haven't managed to learn the Frenzel.

Yesterday I practised in the pool - I ended up with everything full of water, but it worked!!!

Lucia

[The111]

Originally posted by Yeti
Like you guys suggest, I’ve also found it a good training exercise. It involves creating a slight negative pressure in the ear (internally) to simulate preferably a dive, but what you might feel in an aeroplane from time to time. It is intended to be very gentle without the complications of using submersion to experiment, and is merely an attempt to stimulate the muscles involved so you can feel them.

I’ll try and explain how I simulate it. It is the same as suggested really but sometimes different descriptions hit the mark for different people.

If you can equalise ‘pinching’ then this is just the reverse in principle to start with;

Instead of creating positive pressure in your mouth throat, by whatever means you use, ‘pinch’ and VERY GENTLY draw the tongue down or pretend you are sucking on a very thick milkshake. This should cause a slight negative pressure in the ears. I find it is indicated by sound getting very fuzzy, almost like that confusing sound effect swimming pools seem to create, with high pitch noises becoming more significant (my computer fan suddenly becomes much noiseier whilst other sounds are deadened).

Heh, that's exactly the same thing I described in this thread. Although I don't use my tongue or anything "external" body parts. I simply clear hands-free (not sure how to describe it, but nothing moves except the things inside my ears) and then breathe in really hard through my nose. That causes the feeling that they've gone inside out and I get the thing you referred to where everything is now quiet, and I have to "equalize" to fix it back to normal. Believe it or not, I've done this at loud concerts where I didn't have earplugs, and left it like that for an hour. It builds up a small headache though and when you finally clear it, it's a great relief.

I never thought of doing it for "practice" for equalizing though, since I've never had problems with that.

Regarding hands-free equalization while diving - I have noticed I can do "discrete" equalizations (every 10 feet or so, pressure builds up each time), or I can simply move the "equalizing muscle" in my ear (for lack of a better word) and leave it "flexed", so that I am CONSTANTLY equalized throughout the whole dive (pressure never builds up). I like that way better now. Anyone else do this?

[naiad]

Does anyone else find it impossible to equalise with Valsalva, and if so, how have you managed to solve the problem?

[skarz]

Hey i just had a nagging question. When you're using a full face mask, you don't have access the pinching nose, so do you HAVE to use hands free equalizing? I mean how else would you clear it out?

[The111]

Originally posted by skarz
Hey i just had a nagging question. When you're using a full face mask, you don't have access the pinching nose, so do you HAVE to use hands free equalizing? I mean how else would you clear it out?

Unless your "full face mask" is ancient, it should have a contoured fit around the nose that allows you to pinch your nose THROUGH the mask. You've never seen anything like that?

[rslomkow]

reading this thread many years later!

I wish could equalize hands free. I could probably due it if I would only descend 1m per minute

I can do hands free on mountain passes.

I clear my ears 2-3 times in 5m (16feet)! and I give off an audible squeak heard across the pool!

The deeper I go the less frequently per meter I have to clear my ears. Freediving I have done 26m and my ears were not the problem, SCUBA diving -45m no problem (I have to use my hands, but no serious problem)

I have been trying to do nose excersises on dry land, just attach the nose clip and breath and practice clearing my ears. Every once and a while I can hear the squeak.

But after doing it a bit my ears become very ticklish. I am carefully not to blow too hard hurt my ear drums, but it just feels like there is something very very tickly in my ears and I am not sure on which side of the ear drum.

Anybody else here every worked on loosening their Eustachian tubes?

Does it tickle?
Does practice help?
Has anyone hear gone from not being able to clear easily to being able to clear hands free?

After sucking my ears in I cannot clear them without hands unless I suck them very mildly.

[Morg]

Originally Posted by naiad

Does anyone else find it impossible to equalise with Valsalva, and if so, how have you managed to solve the problem?

Yes I've ALWAYS had problems with equilizations even with Valsalva... I am constantly getting slight pain in my left ear and discomfort in my right. I always stop when I feel more then discomfort. Even when I was 12 years old getting my PADI Open Water I couldn't equilize.

I do sometimes manage to equilize or get past it somehow but that comes after a few attempts.

I am working on the hands free and I have that 'crackling' noise down and I am practising it as much as I can. I am working on doing it upside down out of the water. I figure doing this in the water will prove difficult for me thou .