That makes some sense. Less forceful movement and less air used from the lungs to equalize the middle ears and sinuses means more air left in the lungs and thorax to offset ambient water pressure on the outside. But whether he used BTV later in his dive or not, I still think he started the dive with as much water as he could get into his middle ears and sinuses.his equalization technique does not involve forcefully expelling air from the lungs
His history, Pipen's, his words, the speed of descent, and the video all suggest it to me.
don