Ear pain at even shallow depths

[Bobc]

Hi folks
Always wanted to try spearfishing but recently tried a practice snorkel with a few dives to only 2 or 3 meters and experienced quite unpleasant pain in my ears.
Holding my nose and blowing to pop my ears didn't seem to help
Thinking back now to when i was a kid i remember experiencing this pain when doing swimming qualifications divind for weights at the bottom of an 11'6" deep pool
Does this sound normal and can i learn a technique to sort it or may i have an issue with my ears that is going to be a problem for me diving?
Any thoughts gratefully received
Thank you
Bob

 

[SubSub]

Hi folks
Always wanted to try spearfishing but recently tried a practice snorkel with a few dives to only 2 or 3 meters and experienced quite unpleasant pain in my ears.
Holding my nose and blowing to pop my ears didn't seem to help
Thinking back now to when i was a kid i remember experiencing this pain when doing swimming qualifications divind for weights at the bottom of an 11'6" deep pool
Does this sound normal and can i learn a technique to sort it or may i have an issue with my ears that is going to be a problem for me diving?
Any thoughts gratefully received
Thank you
Bob

Hi Bob


That nosesqueezing-popping-the-ears-thing you talk about is called the Frenzel maneuver. You should do this very often when descending, not start with it when it starts to hurt, then you're to late.

Check this vid för proper technique.

 

[Bobc]

Thank you
I will watch this and try to learn the technique and hopefully it will help

 

[Bobc]

Just wondered are any type of ear plugs an option??
Thanks

 

[SubSub]

Nope. No plugs will help equalizing.

 

[SubSub]

The main thing is to do it all the time and way before you feel pain.

 

[Mr. X]

I agree with what has already been said & shown above. I hesitate to mention this but I often equalize simply by swallowing or wiggling my jaw from side-to-side to open the eustachian tubes, less faffing around, no hands involved. Caveat emptor: Not sure if these are approved techniques and I rarely dive below 10m or so.

Note if you have a lot of mucus or blocked/infected/inflamed/sore eustachian tubes or ears then you probably shouldn't be diving and, if it persists, you should consider a visit to your GP or, perhaps, Pharmacist. Last time I did this, the locum, a retired GP was brilliant, h prescribed the same medication he used when his hearing aid cause his ear to be sore. I believe it was a combination of 3 types of medicine but I forget the details - it worked quickly and effectively. Aspirin & ibuprofen are a cheap, over-the-counter anti-inflammatories - but a some people are allergic to them (inc. ~20% of asthmatics), so be careful

 

[Pinniped72]

Excellent advice given above, I used to struggle with equalisation and found that learning to do a proper frenzel and equalising at the surface before diving helped me out no end Good luck with it all and dive safe

 

[Davos]

As above, ensure you're equalising on the surface and once every metre (until about ten metres). Practice helps too.


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[americandiverintaiwan]

I hesitate to mention this but I often equalize simply by swallowing or wiggling my jaw from side-to-side to open the eustachian tubes, less faffing around, no hands involved. Caveat emptor: Not sure if these are approved techniques and I rarely dive below 10m or so.

Wiggling the jaw can work for some people, but it's definitely not a sure thing. In freediving & spearfishing, you definitely want a method that will work consistently. As a beginner, it is very easy to make the mistake of "riding" the flexibility of your eardrums, which can lead to inner-ear barotrauma and ruptured eardrums.

The Frenzel technique is the way forward. It may not come naturally at first as we tend not to be aware when our soft palette is in the neutral position and when our glottis is closed, but with plenty of dry land practice -- perhaps sitting or laying down at home and attempting the Frenzel maneuver 100x in a session (this doesn't really take that long), you should be able to develop a good Frenzel in no time!

--David
(Advanced Freediving Instructor)



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[Bobc]

Thanks very much to all of you for your advice, i will definitely try to learn the frenzel technique and I hadn't picked up on the need to equalise prior to diving so I will try that as well.
I have an appointment with an ear specialist soon regarding deafness in my left ear ( burst ear drum from loud noise many years ago)so will talk to them about this as well and see if they can check me out to make sure nothing thats treatable is adding to the problem
Thanks again
Bob

 

[SubSub]

I'm sure you will succeed, but good luck anyways!

 

[Bobc]

Thank you, hopefully I will get off spearfishing sometime soon,only been 30 years since i read modern spearfishing by vane ivanovic and decided I must have a go at it!