Equipping the eyes, the nose, the ears...

[subaquaticus]

In the sub forum "Equipment for freediving" you have three sections :

1. bi-fins

2. mono-fins

3. wetsuits

Wouldn't it be wise to create a fourth section in this sub-forum dedicated to equipping the eyes and the nose, taking into account the ears...

There are many posts dedicated to nose-clips, fluid goggles, new regulations allowing the nose-clip, etc... The choice of a good mask is also liable to some literature...

This fourth section might be entitled : "Masks, goggles, nose-clips"

By the way, I have always heard that you should NEVER put ear plugs while doing apnea...

Last week I introduced a friend of mine to the joy of swimming - freediving in the pool ; she is a very good swimmer but while swimming backstroke she made the typical beginner's mistake consisting in holding her head "in the dry", which prevented her from lying horizontal, relaxing and gliding on the surface... As I did the remark to her, she told me that she did not want any drop of water in her ears, which surprised me : I am personally very annoyed by water in my nose but not at all by water in my ears...

Then my question is : to what extent can we use ear plugs for swimming ? What is the maximum depth allowed with such things in the ears ? Is there a serious risk if we dive a little deeper ?

[Polorutz]

Originally Posted by subaquaticus

In the sub forum "Equipment for freediving" you have three sections :

1. bi-fins

2. mono-fins

3. wetsuits

Wouldn't it be wise to create a fourth section in this sub-forum dedicated to equipping the eyes and the nose, taking into account the ears...

There are many posts dedicated to nose-clips, fluid goggles, new regulations allowing the nose-clip, etc... The choice of a good mask is also liable to some literature...

This fourth section might be entitled : "Masks, goggles, nose-clips"

By the way, I have always heard that you should NEVER put ear plugs while doing apnea...

Last week I introduced a friend of mine to the joy of swimming - freediving in the pool ; she is a very good swimmer but while swimming backstroke she made the typical beginner's mistake consisting in holding her head "in the dry", which prevented her from lying horizontal, relaxing and gliding on the surface... As I did the remark to her, she told me that she did not want any drop of water in her ears, which surprised me : I am personally very annoyed by water in my nose but not at all by water in my ears...

Then my question is : to what extent can we use ear plugs for swimming ? What is the maximum depth allowed with such things in the ears ? Is there a serious risk if we dive a little deeper ?

The risk of having plug is the fact that air gets trapped between them and your eardrum... that air compresses and pressure is created in that space... diving with plugs would equal to diving with swimgoggles, you can't equalize them and you can generally take more pain in your eyes than in your ears... you could rupture your eardrums outwards if you used plugs