Opening the e-tubes?

[Simos]

I'm a bit confused about the technique here - you're saying that you open the tubes and then you use pressure, such as with Frenzel - to equalise. Do you mean that with the tubes open you don't need to pinch your nose in order to force air into the tubes? So, if you were dry and without a mask then would it also work? Or do you need the partial resistance that a mask (or water) offers against your nostrils in order for it to work?

Also, in terms of the external noises getting louder or muffled - if I Frenzel right now, then the noises definitely get muffled. But if I do it really, really lightly then the first effect, right as it feels like the tubes are opening, is the same as when I'm contorting my face to try and get them open hands-free.

However, one possible give away - I find it hard to hum and release the muscle I need to release in order to get that feeling: does anybody else have that difficulty?

Yes when I dive I don't pinch my nose to equalise. I just open the e-tubes and push a small amount of air up using frenzel and if I do this all the way down it seems to get enough air into my e-tubes to equalise. It's not like when you pinch though and a lot of air goes in at once, it's like 'topping up' the e-tubes with a bit more air very often. I only pinch once on the surface before I dive and equalise just to help open my e-tubes and with the equalisation in the first couple of meters. (reduces the pressure difference)

I used to think that this would only work with a mask after reading here that people equalise 'against the mask' and I thought I was doing the same but then I tried doing a shallow dive (5-6m) without a mask and I could still equalise fine without pinching my nose, so my conclusion is that the mask has nothing to do with it.

I really don't know if what I am doing is ok etc - i wasn't taught to do it this way or anything, I just couldn't equalise for the first couple of years (especially my right ear) using any other method and this the only method I've found that works for me. I still cant equalise head down if I pinch my nose, no idea why! Maybe if I practiced that I would get it but I like hands-free anyway so I don't think I'll ever go back to pinching my nose unless there is a reason.

 

[sai]

The reason sounds get muffled when you eq dry is that you put positive pressure on your eardrum and therefore it can't "vibrate" (hope you know what I mean) like it's used to.

 

[ThomasB]

you didn't mention the burp-eq, does that happen to you too?

Yes, I can't equalize shit but when I burp suddenly I'm the free hand guru .

 

[azapa]

The reason sounds get muffled when you eq dry is that you put positive pressure on your eardrum and therefore it can't "vibrate" (hope you know what I mean) like it's used to.

When you dry equalize hands free I doubt pressure us applied anywhere. Its more a case of allowing ambient pressure to be the same on either side of the drum, it should be nuetral.

It makes sense sounds would get louder (as they would travel up the etube from the mouth cavity to the inner side of the drum). I can not think why they would get muffled though??

 

[gwpcasey]

Just to follow up - I had my flight this morning and I was able to equalise hands-free on the way up and on the way down (which we did about 4 times), but I did that just by opening the tubes and didn't have to apply any pressure (we didn't fly higher than 1,500 feet the whole time).

So, for now, I'm concluding that I am able to open my tubes and now I have to learn how to do a Frenzel while I'm keeping them open. Thanks for all the tips and suggestions! I'll leave the server room alone for a few days...

 

[Simos]

Just to follow up - I had my flight this morning and I was able to equalise hands-free on the way up and on the way down (which we did about 4 times), but I did that just by opening the tubes and didn't have to apply any pressure (we didn't fly higher than 1,500 feet the whole time).

So, for now, I'm concluding that I am able to open my tubes and now I have to learn how to do a Frenzel while I'm keeping them open. Thanks for all the tips and suggestions! I'll leave the server room alone for a few days...

Cool sounds like you are on the right track - just a small thing, you don't really have to Frenzel in theory, just opening your e-tubes should suffice to equalise.

Indeed if I start descending head up on a rope for example and I open my e-tubes using BTV, I feel air rush into my tubes and pressure is equalised.

In practice, at least in my case, I've found it a lot harder when descending head first so adding some pressure using Frenzel made it a lot more consistent to equalise hands-free.

 

[RPGgrenade]

I'm currently sick at the moment with sore throat and a bit of mucus build-up in my sinuses, so i can't practice equalize atm. But i did however discover a strange possibly unorthodox way to hands-free equalize, maybe some of you have done it before. And i got the idea literally today, when i sorta half burped, i instantly equalized (like what happened to Simon i guess), then i figured out i could equalize by swallowing air.... kinda. it's the same motions and swallowing air that one would normally do if they wanted to belch or something. except right before my limit where the air would pass onto my stomach (which is a specific spot i have located over the years of belching in front of male classmates), righ tbefore it passes the esophagus, i bring it back up by relaxing the throat and it automatically makes a type of "soft hiccup" that instantly equalizes both my ears , or at least my right ear. I'm wondering if anyone else has figured this out and know if this is a good method or not. maybe it would activate a gag reflex in people who don't normally belch.

 

[Simos]

I remember mentioning something similar for deeper equalisation some time ago as an idea but nobody seem to have tried successfully, I didn't have time to try it even on the shallows but I think it'll end up being impractical for everyday diving but maybe you are a lot more proficient in moving air around this way.

You can try it in the water and see if it works, my guess is that it will be hard or will not work when you go deeper. My original idea was to store air in the stomach before the dive (by a packing action) and bring it back up when deeper when you need to fill the mouthfil. Most the time it'll come out of the other end but still it should make you go a bit faster lol

For sure apart from the curiosity to see if it can be done, you are better off practicing the more conventional equalisation techniques than trying to invent one