Hello all,
I recently completed a beginner freediving course headed by Kirk Krack, and while doing some open water dives, I noticed my left ear was having much more difficulty clearing than my right one. The right one would pop clear with no real effort, whereas the left one would squeak and crackle while equilizing, if at all. It would get to a point where I couldn't dive below about 5 meters. I was using the good ol' Valsalva clearing technique, as I haven't quite got a handle on our good friend Frenzel yet... :duh
The divers I was with that day said it may have been the relative coldness of the water (lower teens in Celcius, I believe...) that didn't help. Also, according to my mom, I had several ear infections as a young 'un, which I didn't recall, so maybe it's something physiological?? :head
Keeping in mind this is my first time trying to dive, does anyone have similar experiences and/or advice about overcoming this problem? All advice is welcome!
Cheers!
I recently completed a beginner freediving course headed by Kirk Krack, and while doing some open water dives, I noticed my left ear was having much more difficulty clearing than my right one. The right one would pop clear with no real effort, whereas the left one would squeak and crackle while equilizing, if at all. It would get to a point where I couldn't dive below about 5 meters. I was using the good ol' Valsalva clearing technique, as I haven't quite got a handle on our good friend Frenzel yet... :duh
The divers I was with that day said it may have been the relative coldness of the water (lower teens in Celcius, I believe...) that didn't help. Also, according to my mom, I had several ear infections as a young 'un, which I didn't recall, so maybe it's something physiological?? :head
Keeping in mind this is my first time trying to dive, does anyone have similar experiences and/or advice about overcoming this problem? All advice is welcome!
Cheers!