List of all known equalisation techniques and how to do them!

[EcchiK]

Ok, now we're getting somewhere. I was thinking it would be very helpful to start a thread that lists all the equalization techniques in one post. But to do this I need your help. Please post any info on the techniques you know/use, how to use them, the depths that these techniques can be used, and the difficulty level of learning/performing these techniques.

More coming later, I need a break!

Please note that I do not take responsibility for the consequences of your actions based on this post. Please be responsible when doing these techniques and always dive with a buddy.

Thanks to the below people for their input and help:
samdive
efattah

I will update this thread as more techniques can be used.

Valsalva Technique
Depth: 0 - ?? m
Difficulty: Easiest
Method:
1) Close mouth and pinch nostrils closed.
2) Blow air into mouth.

Frenzel Technique (non-diaphragmatic)
Depths: 0 - Failure Depth (25m+)
Difficulty: Medium
Method: http://www.liquivision.ca/frenzel.doc
Reader's Digest Method:
1) Close mouth and pinch nostrils closed.
2) Fill mouth with air.
3) Close Epiglotis (aka throat).
4) Move soft palate to neutral position.
5) Perform a tongue block.
6) Push tongue upwards while keeping tongue block. (This should pressurize the ears)
TIP: Steps 4 - 6 can be combined by trying to make the 'k' or 'guh' sound.
Reference/In-depth Material: Please refer to attachments "frenzel.doc", "frenzel fattah.doc" & "Equalisation Techniques.doc"

Diaphragmatic Frenzel Technique
Depths: 0 - {50 to 90m}
Difficulty: Medium
Method:
1) Close mouth and pinch nostrils closed.
2) Fill mouth with air by pushing stomach in and using diaphragm to fill mouth forcefully with air.
3) Close Epiglotis (aka throat) immediately to prevent air from flowing back into lungs.
4) Move soft palate to neutral position.
5) Perform a tongue block.
6) Push tongue upwards while keeping tongue block. (This should pressurize the ears)
TIP: Steps 4 - 6 can be combined by trying to make the 'k' or 'guh' sound.
Reference/In-depth Material: Please refer to attachments "frenzel.doc"

Frenzel-Fattah Mouthfill Technique
Depths: 0 - {50 to 90m}
Difficulty: Medium
Method: (Taken paraphrased from "frenzel.doc" since Eric Fattah explains it so well)1) Find the depth at which the diaphragmatic Frenzel technique fails for you. Assume failure depths is X meters.
2) Your mouth-fill depth will usually be between 0-30m depending on your target depth. Set your dive watch depth alarm to this depth. A mouth-fill can be performed at any depth, but the following guidelines may help you learn the optimal:

• Inhale Dive: 20-30m for dives up to 100m
• FRV/FRC Dive: 10-15m for dives up to 60m
• Full exhale Dive: 0-5m for dives up to 30m (use extreme caution)

3) Begin your dive.
4) When you hear the depth alarm, bed forward slightly, pull your stomach in and push all possible air into your mouth. Your cheeks should fill up completely. It should be difficult to keep your mouth closed because the air will almost want to escape through your lips.
Demonstration Vid: www.liquivision.ca/frenzelfattah1.mov
Demonstration Vid Close-Up: www.liquivision.ca/frenzelfattah2.mov
5) Immediately close the epiglottis, and keep it closed for the entire remainder of the descent. You may find it useful to 'inhale' against the closed epiglottis. It helps to keep it closed.
6) Keeping the soft palate in the neutral position, you can continue to equalize with the Frenzel technique. Remember to keep your epiglottis closed at all times.
7) You should be able to equalize many times with the air in your mouth and cheeks.
8) You can also equalize your mask with the air in your mouth by doing a Frenzel without plugging your nose.
Reference/In-depth Material: Please refer to attachments "frenzel.doc".

Toynbee Maneuver
Depths: 0 - ?? m
Difficulty: Easy (However, should not be used during rapid descent)
Method:
1) Close mouth & pinch nose.
2) Swallow
3) The muscles in the back of the throat pull open the Eustachian tube and allow air to equalize if a gradient is present.
Reference/In-depth Material: Please refer to attachment "Equalisation Techniques.doc"

Beance Tubaire Volontaire (BTV)
Depths: 0 - ?? m
Difficulty: Hard
Method:
Muscles of the soft palate are contracted while upper throat muscles are employed to pull the Eustachian tube open. This technique is similar to the events that happen in the back of your throat at the end of a yawn. It is also similar to wiggling your ears.
Reference/In-depth Material: Please refer to attachment "Equalisation Techniques.doc"

Saline/Sea Water “Wet” Equalizing (aka Wet Frenzel)
Depths: 80m+
Difficulty: Hard (I stongly advice not to attempt without expert supervision)
Method:
0) Used when goggles, no goggles, or no mask is used when diving.
1) Let sea water flood your sinus' by removing your nose clip.
2) Equalize using Frenzel.
Reference/In-depth Material: Please refer to attachment "frenzel.doc"

Other Techniques:

Wet methods:
- Watersuck method
- Passive sinus flood
- Angled sinus flood
- Active sinus flood

Dry methods:
- Diaphragmatic frenzel
- Frenzel/BTV hybrid
- Cheek squeeze
- Jalandhara method

References/Attachments:

 

[EcchiK]

P.S. If anyone wants to explain the Frenzel technique in lamens terms for me I'd appreciate it.

I read both the .doc and the stuff in the "Manual of Freediving" but I'm either too uncoordinated or don't understand it to be able to compensate this way.

 

[Fondueset]

sure, you get some air in your mouth, close off your throat, and use your tongue to pressure the air into your Eustachian tubes. The trick is to keep you lungs out of it once you have your initial mouthfill.

It definitely takes some getting used to.

 

[bite ya]

Having some problems myself so this should be a good thread, i know its all been said before but i still cant do it right. I am now at a stage that equalising is my limiting factor now!

 

[JennyWren]

One thing that helped me learn mouthfill was how Mandy-Rae Cruickshank and Kirk Krack taught it. With your mouth closed, you make what they call a "grouper call" sound - kind of a moan. By making a sound with your throat you are keeping your airway controlled while bringing air up to fill your mouth (from your lungs). It is of course possible to do this without making a sound but I find that this way I am "pulling" the air up with my mouth, rather than "pushing" it up with my diaphragm (as in Valsalva). I suggest practicing this on an exhale, try to fill your mouth up with air.

The second part, equalizing your ears/mask with the air that is now in your mouth, is a whole second trick! I just think to close off my air way at the back of my throat, behind my tongue, so that I can leave my trachea and lungs out of the mix while I'm actually focussing on adding air to my ears/mask.

It's a two-stage process. Air from lungs to mouth. Then air from mouth to ears/mask. Keeping these two stages separate is what makes it work, for me at least. It's like a system of locks in a canal.

For me, learning Frenzel while diving was tricky - everything was new and there was too much to think about - also my dives aren't so deep that Frenzel is always necessary. So it's a good idea to practice in a pool. Try some negative pressure dives in the deep end - either exhale first, or exhale once you're underwater, then practice your mouthfill and equalizing. With extra air in your mouth you can practice bubble rings too =0) Just remember to always have a trained buddy!

 

[bite ya]

Still dont get it? Sorry!

 

[EcchiK]

I think I have a couple problems that I need to work on.

1) When moving my tongue, I automatically open my throat.
2) Not sure how to properly use my tongue as a piston to pressurize the ear canal.

 

[DivingDane]

quick test sit on your couch at home take a mouth full of water, tilt your head back with mouth open and equalize. if you can equalize this way then you are doing frenzel keep working on it until it becomes second nature then start doing it in the pool or ocean.

for the tongue block (must do before being able to pressurize the tubes) blow a controlled amount of air out of your mouth and practise stopping it with your tongue against your teeth (mouth still open) this is creating a seal between your teeth and tongue.

from here you then maintain the seal and klift th back of yourn tongue up to touch the roof of your mouth this compresses the air and forces it up into your tubes or back down into your lungs.

so allyou have to do then is maintain a closed epiglottis and the ONLY place the air can go is to your ears. DONE.

DD

 

[apneaboy]

Still dont get it? Sorry!

Just blow like this.... see easy peasy

 

[Fondueset]

I use grenades.

 

[apneaboy]

That would certainly stop any further Tympan probs. No Tympan, no probs.

Sharp pencil.

 

[samdive]

these might help - from my training library!

Sam

 

[efattah]

In addition to what Sam posted, there are other techniques not listed, including:

Wet methods:
- Watersuck method
- Passive sinus flood
- Angled sinus flood
- Active sinus flood

Dry methods:
- Diaphragmatic frenzel
- Frenzel/BTV hybrid
- Cheek squeeze
- Jalandhara method

 

[JennyWren]

- Jalandhara method

I've not heard of this one - what's the basic premise?

 

[EcchiK]

Looks like I have some work to do! Good job guys, will be updated once I've read the two files samdive posted.

 

[cebaztian]

Hi

I would say there are only TWO ways to equalize your ears.
TWO ways to pressurize air into the esutachians.

Valsalva
Frenzel

The rest are supportive techniques regarding getting air to the mouth, keeping it there, opening or helping opening the esutachians (which is not the same as getting air through - there has to be pressure), e t c

The only thing I can add to all posts above would be what I consider the MAIN problem when it comes to failure in equalization: the entrance to the eustachians are ABOVE the soft palate. The soft palate can close upwards.

Many people that try to pressurize air in the mouth (something that is so easy to do that it is hard to explain ;-)
ALSO pull back the softpalate and block upwards - thus no equalization.

Sebastian

 

[efattah]

Hi

I would say there are only TWO ways to equalize your ears.
TWO ways to pressurize air into the esutachians.

Valsalva
Frenzel

Sebastian

If you break it down, I would say that there are more than that.

Fundamentally, you have several ways to equalize:
1. Force air into the eustachian tubes (valsalva, cheek squeeze, frenzel, jalandhara)
2. Open up the opening to the eustachian tubes so that they equalize automatically (BTV, toynbee)
3. Flood the eustachian tube with water
4. Combination of the any of the above three

The cheek squeeze method is what you use after a big mouthfill, before frenzel becomes possible. Your cheeks are inflated, you squeeze them together to create pressure. Works better than valsalva, worse than frenzel, but essential to a good mouthfill technique.

The jalandhara technique is when you touch your chin to your chest (jalandhara bandha), collapsing the air in your mouth. This means the neck muscles are providing the crush pressure. This is normally done as the mouthfill is shrinking. It is often combined with the BTV technique to get one last equalization after there is insufficient pressure by the jalandhara technique alone.

 

[jome]

I like to classify dry methods to "active" and "passive".

Passive meaning methods where you don't actively create positive pressure to "force" the equalization.

Active methods are frenzel, valsalva etc,

Passive: btv etc

Passive is of course always better (healtier for the ears) IF you can do it, but for most they are out of reach for one reason or another.

Speaking of dry methods of course

 

[jome]

I like to classify dry methods to "active" and "passive".

Passive meaning methods where you don't actively create positive pressure to "force" the equalization.

Active methods are frenzel, valsalva etc,

Passive: btv etc

Passive is of course always better (healtier for the ears) IF you can do it, but for most they are out of reach for one reason or another.

Speaking of dry methods of course

 

[azapa]

Jenny, I was taught it seems from the same or similar source as you (Martin Stepanek) but must say in retrospect that the "grouper grunt" or reverse pack as it really is, set me off a little wonky on depth. I would head down until I could no longer EQ and start grunting and equalizing again, until the grouper grunt would bring up no more air. Typically that would be 40-45M.

What got me through that depth was a decent and early mouth-fill. A good early and easy fill at 20-25M and there should be no need to grunt at all, or again. I'm still crap at it though, and loose my mouthfill (some through my lips which I can't seem to close tight enough).

Subtle point, and too rambling an answer from me, but I now realize that thinking "mouthfill" is the way deeper.

One thing that helped me learn mouthfill was how Mandy-Rae Cruickshank and Kirk Krack taught it. With your mouth closed, you make what they call a "grouper call" sound - kind of a moan. By making a sound with your throat you are keeping your airway controlled while bringing air up to fill your mouth (from your lungs). It is of course possible to do this without making a sound but I find that this way I am "pulling" the air up with my mouth, rather than "pushing" it up with my diaphragm (as in Valsalva). I suggest practicing this on an exhale, try to fill your mouth up with air.

The second part, equalizing your ears/mask with the air that is now in your mouth, is a whole second trick! I just think to close off my air way at the back of my throat, behind my tongue, so that I can leave my trachea and lungs out of the mix while I'm actually focussing on adding air to my ears/mask.

It's a two-stage process. Air from lungs to mouth. Then air from mouth to ears/mask. Keeping these two stages separate is what makes it work, for me at least. It's like a system of locks in a canal.

For me, learning Frenzel while diving was tricky - everything was new and there was too much to think about - also my dives aren't so deep that Frenzel is always necessary. So it's a good idea to practice in a pool. Try some negative pressure dives in the deep end - either exhale first, or exhale once you're underwater, then practice your mouthfill and equalizing. With extra air in your mouth you can practice bubble rings too =0) Just remember to always have a trained buddy!