Depth limited by squeeze - what now?

[Wannabee]

Probably a stupid question, so please refer me to archive threads and I'll just go there.

I would dearly like to dive to 30m.

I dive with full lungs, neutral bouyant at about 10m, freefall from about 10m, feel the pressure from about 15m and cannot manage beyond about 23m. No air left to compensate my mask or ears, an almost eary, panicky feeling when sucking the mask onto my face with eyes popping out. Intimidating and fearsome for someone who had been spearfishing for many decades to around 10m.

Reduce the volume of the mask with epoxy putty? Dive without mask? Packing?

Here's a question: how does the volume of a ("low volume") mask relate to the volume of lungs filled at the surface and compressed at 30m? 10% 50% 90%
Note that breath-hold is not my problem. After surfacing from 23m I hold my breath for another while just to build confidence - after a very slow and relaxed ascent. My static is an easy 4min and I have done 5min with a push.
Thanx

 

[Dennis77]

You´re not relaxed. You´re to focused on depth. So you´re stressed. And once you´re stressed, you can´t equalize properly.
Relax. Enjoy the depth. Go to 20, enjoy some time there. Let your body get used to the depth. So you´ll feel comfortable down there. And then, some day, you´ll reach your 30 meters.

Look. I´ve been to my second course last November. I wanted to reach 20 meters by myself. Constant with fins or free imersion, doesn´t matter. All the time I thought about the depth, and I had to fight. But I didn´t reach 18 meters.
And then one instructor told me the following. "The next dive, I don´t want you to watch for your technique. I won´t watch it, too. I just want you to enjoy the water. Enjoy yourself, have fun. That´s what I want to see. Nothing else." I did a free Imersion. Slowly. Very bad technique. No full pulls with my arms, and so. I decided to turn at the point I feel the best. I reached the surface. I didn´t felt I have to breath immediately. It was all so easy, so much fun. I looked at my computer, and I couldn´t believe it. 23,4 meters.

 

[cdavis]

Hi Wannabee,

"for someone who had been spearfishing for many decades to around 10m."

Man, you sound just about like me when I discovered DB and started to dive deeper.

What you are experiencing is pretty common, not to worry. Don't worry about packing, mask modification, etc. None of that is necessary until you get to very deep diving. The relax advice is good, but I suspect you have a problem with chest flexibility. Diaphargm stretches , 5 minutes a couple of times a day for a couple of weeks will make a big difference. Search Diaphragm and you should find how to do it. If not, ask again. Now, after stretching a bunch, go get a weighted line and dive down the line. Pull down at first, so you can concentrate on relaxation. Do it slow. Equalize your mask so it isn't uncomfortable. Pretty soon 20 meters will be easy and comfortable, then start duck diving and swim to twenty. Once thats easy, pull down to 25, and so on. Somewhere south of 20 meters you will probably get to a point where your chest feels very strange, lots of pressure and like it wants to have a huge contraction. Stop decending, relax and control it. Once you are used to it, you can go deeper. You might have to do a few sessions and stretch some more, but 30 meters should come pretty quick. You already have all the basics, and then some.

Good luck and let us know how it went.

Remember, this is supposed to be easy and fun. Pushing until it is uncomfortable is often counter productive.

Connor

 

[apneaboy]

Three tips.

Relax, relax, relax.

All will come in time. Build your depth in stages to where you feel comfortable.

 

[efattah]

1. 'squeeze' refers to lung/trachea/bronchi damage from negative pressure in the lungs, resulting in blood spitting and other horrible effects. So technically you are not limited by squeeze, but inability to equalize.

2. The best approach is do to hundreds of dives around 18-22m over a period of a year or so. Your flexibility, relaxation and comfort will all increase.

 

[Mullins]

Sounds like you simply need to open your throat to let some air into your mouth to equalise with. And blow out slightly through your nose to equalise your mask. Well, you actually open the soft palate and there's no need to 'blow', but it's more straightforward to explain it that way.

 

[Arjen]

This sounds a bit like the problem I had as well. At first I could not pass around 25 meters, mostly because I was not relaxed. So after that trip I went home and continued training in the pool. Just recently I wanted to do some more depth training and I went over to Egypt around new year to have some fun. On the first day they asked how deep I was planing to go and I said I was happy if I managed 20 meters, knowing how I did last time and that this was the first session going deep in three months. The rope went down a bit deeper, to around 50, but I did not really care about that. I was doing ok and was very relaxed so I thought, lets do a dive to where I start to feel squeezed, thinking that this will be around 20 to 25 meters. I came up and had done a 30 meter dive with ease. Deepest I had done to that moment. Because I did not have expectations and was feeling relaxed.

So don't worry. You'll get there. Just relax, enjoy, keep training and extend your comfort zone gradually.

 

[Wannabee]

There are more than one hint in these answers worth pursuing. That is what I will do. I have more confidence too - for the "impossible".
Thanx a lot guys

 

[Salehthefish]

What about negative lung pressure? Actually recently i stopped diving now it is for 1 month approximately and i am feeling hard to breath even while walking has it got relation with that? X-Ray was showing Exaggerated marks in lower parts of lungs and in capacity test they said i am using like 4-5 Ltrs our of my total lung capacity which is 9 ltrs Best i could hold my breath 3 minutes but feel that i can go up more... Note: I used to smoke like three packets/day quit the cold turkey 2 years ago... Is it related to my diving? or is it related to smoking? I know your not doctor but wish if someone has an idea about it could help to answer this...

 

[blue immersion]

hey wannaby
like all the other post i will advice to relax.
try to don t focus on the depth dive to point where you feel relax and enjoying what you doing like spearfishing...
and believe me is not with doing packing or depending on equipment that you will improve or fix your problem.
if you can not focus on all your body to be relax,relax at list on your chess,neck and diaphragm .
is very important to let the diaphragm moving up ton compensate the pressure.
the most important thing to remember is enjoy you dive and you will see the depth will reach you.
akim

 

[DivingDane]

As everyone else has pointed out relaxation is key. i went through almost exactly the same feelings and emotions when i was starting to dive a bit deeper too.

i found that having safety divers i really trust made a huge difference and also doing:

- Diaphragm stretches
- rib cage stretches

these really helped to soften up my ribs and allowed me to reduce my residual volume and equalise deeper.

not sure if your doing it but alot of people as they get close to there limit in depth look up(Down) at the plate/bottom. this tightens the neck muscles and makes EQing almost impossible, next time you do a dive make sure your head is facing forward and tuck your chin into your chest a bit, thrust your jaw forward a bit and see if you can equalise, chances are it will come much easier. make sure that your head is facing forward the entire dive not looking towards the bottom, it is a much more relaxing body position and improves your streamlining.

other than that just enjoy the diving and add meter by meter slowly over successive dive days.

good luck and enjoy

DD