Hands free equalization - mask helps??

[dimitris33]

Hi,

I'm trying to make hands free equalization. i visited a doctor and i've made an endoscopic exam for my frontal sinus because i cannot equalize easily there. He also checked my eustachian tubes and told him to see if they open when i make an inside click and roar inside my head. So i saw it on the video screen, indeed i can do that.

So, i'm practicing now to keep the eustachians tubes open continously rather than making equalization every second but, it only works for my right ear very well. I can hear my breath inside my head only with my right ear when attempting to keep eustachians tubes open for time. Any opinion about whats wrong with my left?? Is it a matter of practicing or something else?

Also, when i wear my mask (lince or minima, lince fits better for me) does it help to have mask tight and blow air to my nose so that to perform a hands free eq??

Have never dived more than 10 meters because of the frontal sinus problem...doctor say maybe need to perform a small ballon surgery..first i will make a CT to see whats going on there.

Have seen "Le Grand Bleu" abt 35times...so you can understand...

mayol, majorca, pello, pipin, genoni, misfud, nitch, etc..are very familiar names to me...

waiting your experts advice,

many thanks, appreciate,

dimitris

 

[Kajojek]

You don't want your mask too tight as it will be harder to equalize it with greater depth. If you tighten it up so hard that you can equalize your ears by blowing air into it the mask will get you an "eye squeeze" if you dive deeper. Most commong equalization methods require you to use hands unless you use a nose clip and liquid googles/pipe mask. Normally both ears should equalize without any problems. You may have some blockage, try equalizing in different positions underwater.

 

[haughki]

it only works for my right ear very well. I can hear my breath inside my head only with my right ear when attempting to keep eustachians tubes open for time. Any opinion about whats wrong with my left??

When I equalize hands free (have always been this way), I hear a small "click" sound in both ears. I can also feel certain muscles flexing inside of my head, near my ears. I too can hear "breath inside my head". I think my right tube opens more than my left one, for some reason. I can hold them both open, but it gets pretty tiring after more than a minute or so, so I just do it over and over as I descend.

Not sure why you'd get one side but not the other. It sounds like you're really close to getting it. I would keep practicing, doing your best to be aware of the feeling of the side which works (especially the feeling of the muscles contracting), and mimicing this with the left side: try to stay relaxed but trying at the same time, if you know what I mean.

Good luck!! I think you've gotten a lot further with it than many people who've tried.

Have never dived more than 10 meters because of the frontal sinus problem...doctor say maybe need to perform a small ballon surgery..first i will make a CT to see whats going on there.

Surprised you can get 10m if you have serious frontal sinus problems. Normally, you'd feel it in the first 2-3 m. The relative pressure changes are greatest closer to the surface. What are your actual symptoms? A scan (more likely an MRI) should show any severe anatomical problems.

 

[dimitris33]

Have sent an email to my doctor regarding the left ear. Hope he kept my video on file folder so he can see any anatomical problem on the left eustachian tube or so. I'm waiting for his reply but in the meantime I'm appreciate your responses and i'm keep practicing.

Re frontal sinus, i feel pain from the first meters and not when i reach -10. When i reach -10 is the bell ringing "stop cause you gonna have damage"! Its not all the time but most of the times. Doctor said to make a CT scan as i already have an MRI but he couldnt see anything on cause is not the right examination. MRI shows most the guts of the head whilst the CT scan shows most the bones of the head.

I'm also curious if day and night flushing with physiomer,new sept,etc could help on equalizing frontal sinus.

 

[Kars]

A: Regular cleaning of sinus and tubes would help.

B: Training the muscles involved.

C: Making your tubes more flexible.

D: Improving relaxation.

E: Equalise more often, at shorter depth intervals.

F: Pre-equalise at the surface before you dive.

G: Have a warm head -try having extra insulation in the form of a swimming cap under your hood.

H: Practice BTV with a sloped dive profile, say going down following the gradually deeper bottom.

I: Practice BTV doing VWT heads up.

J: When you experience a gentle block, in my experience it's best to turn intermediately and slowly get to surface. There inhale through your nose any mucus in that has come loose with the previous dive. With some knocking and rubbing on the sinuses you can loosen up some more.

K: Avoid mucus forming foods and drinks, milk, meat, butter, cheese, sugar etc. before the dive.

L: Have a good hot shower before the dive landing on your forehead. Rinse your nose with a Netti pod and physiological salt solution.

M: Learn to do frenzel-fattah, it saves much energy to equalise from the mouth.

N: If you have a girlfriend she can help you with some nice distractions while you practice.


Let us know of your progression!
I Know it's worth it, my two best, most memorable, dives were both ones where I did manage to equalise Hands free. I would say it make the freedive experience 50% better!

 

[cdavis]

What Kars said.

If you can frenzel and you can easily do BTV by moving the two muscles that surround the eustachian valves, it often helps to do both at the same time. Using frenzel to produce even a slight pressure against the mask makes BTV quite a bit easier and more effective. Slight pressure can be developed without holding your nose. Having a tight mask isn't necessary, but might help some.

Sounds like the sinus needs something to open up the air passages to it, surgery, ??. Ask you doc about using a short round of cortizone to shrink inflamation either before or after cleaning out the passages.

Good luck with it.

Connor

I think most divers have one ear that is harder to equalize. If you are doing BTV as you describe, the more you do it, the stronger those muscles get and the easier it becomes, but one is still likely to be harder than the other.

 

[acevedo joseph]

Wow thanks for this great response Kars!! very informative for sure


Letter K: is the one thing that stinks about free diving , :vangryit kills me to have to pass on stuff like a good pizza,spicy foods or a few cold beers just because im diving the next day !!

A: Regular cleaning of sinus and tubes would help.

B: Training the muscles involved.

C: Making your tubes more flexible.

D: Improving relaxation.

E: Equalise more often, at shorter depth intervals.

F: Pre-equalise at the surface before you dive.

G: Have a warm head -try having extra insulation in the form of a swimming cap under your hood.

H: Practice BTV with a sloped dive profile, say going down following the gradually deeper bottom.

I: Practice BTV doing VWT heads up.

J: When you experience a gentle block, in my experience it's best to turn intermediately and slowly get to surface. There inhale through your nose any mucus in that has come loose with the previous dive. With some knocking and rubbing on the sinuses you can loosen up some more.

K: Avoid mucus forming foods and drinks, milk, meat, butter, cheese, sugar etc. before the dive.

L: Have a good hot shower before the dive landing on your forehead. Rinse your nose with a Netti pod and physiological salt solution.

M: Learn to do frenzel-fattah, it saves much energy to equalise from the mouth.

N: If you have a girlfriend she can help you with some nice distractions while you practice.


Let us know of your progression!
I Know it's worth it, my two best, most memorable, dives were both ones where I did manage to equalise Hands free. I would say it make the freedive experience 50% better!

 

[Kars]

In regard to K, you can compensate some of the mucus forming nutrition a bit by drinking extra water and going to bed early.
Also in regard to hands free equalisation, once you'll start to get it it will get better, your tubes and muscles become better and you'll be able to be less strickt with diet, rest etc.

For me it is rather clear, in the beginning of the season equalisation is of a medium difficulty, but as I put more dive time on the clock, preferably 3 or more times a week, long sessions in warm water, with plenty of recreational coastal dives the tubes get much more flexible and the muscles strengthen.

But in order to get there, you need to practice and have focus, dedication and some persistence to succeed. Learning is challenging, relearning is a whole lot simpler. And believe me, when you succeed in having that hands free line dive to say 40m, all the way down, you will be hooked because it's so much more immersive!