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What's up with Valselva technique?

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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skarz

Rasta Freediver
Mar 4, 2004
199
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Sorry if i'm butchering the spelling of "Valselva" if that's correct.... i was just wondering if im not doing it right, because i can not get it to work past 25-30 feet, and i can't do the Frenzel yet. Can anyone get the Valselva technique to work in deeper water? I don't really see how i could be doing it wrong... all you do is plug your nose and blow the pressure out your ears as far as im concerned. Either way, i'm going diving this weekend and i would like to get it to work better so i don't have to be in such shallow depths.
 
Had the same problem with that technique at 15m....that was my max....after I 'mastered' the frenzel i have no problem with eq.
 
I was wondering, does the Valselva technique just not work at depths that deep? I haven't heard anyone that has gotten it to work in deep depths. Does everyone here use Frenzel instead?
 
I used valsalva till 25m with no problems at all. Then I learned the Frenzel and do it because it feels more comfertable, not because valsalva stoped working.
I guess valsava just doens't work for some people.
 
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You must have pretty clear eustachian tubes Michael! I can't use the valsava past 13 meters and only if I keep my head up or at least horizontal. The Frenzel is a lot easier and requires less effort plus I can equalize head down.

Lucia, have you found Eric's document that explaind the Frenzel step by step? It's here:
http://www.ericfattah.com/equalizing.html

Adrian
 
I've talked to divers who've done Valsalva deeper than 40m. Unfortunately, one of them had a serious lung squeeze early this summer and has been out of the water since. Squeezing all those chest muscles is probably not what you want to be doing once you're near your residual volume.

As for Frenzel, I personally found that none of the instructions I was given helped, until I was told the one thing that made it perfectly clear to me and it just worked. I recommend you work at it until it comes naturally (it's probably something you can already do but just aren't identifying as the Frenzel). It's much easier, and much safer. It can be fun for the whole family! :)
 
I have tried to learn the Frenzel, but can't seem to get it to work! I'll keep trying though.

Lucia
 
I'm assuming Valsalva is the traditional "pinch nose and blow" technique. If so...

My deepest dive is 70ft... I usually go to 50ft and tool around and never touch my nose the whole time, I just do what I recently learned is called BTV. Sometimes though, when I go past 50ft, BTV doesn't work on the left side so I have to do the old nose pinch. It NEVER fails to work immediately though, even at 70ft, and I'd imagine it would keep working deeper. It works very quickly for me, even quicker than my BTV which is usually sufficient...
 
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