Equalizing air spaces during scuba diving is crucial to avoid discomfort and potential injury from pressure changes. Here’s how to do it properly:
Equalizing the Ears
1. Start Early and Often: Begin equalizing your ears on the surface before descending.
2. Valsalva Maneuver: Pinch your nostrils shut, close your mouth, and gently blow through your nose. This increases pressure in the nasopharynx, opening the Eustachian tubes to equalize middle ear pressure.
3. Toynbee Maneuver: Pinch your nostrils and swallow. Swallowing activates the muscles that open the Eustachian tubes, allowing pressure to equalize.
4. Frenzel Maneuver: Pinch your nostrils, close your mouth, and use your throat muscles to push your tongue against the roof of your mouth as if saying the letter “K.” This helps open the Eustachian tubes.
5. Lowry Method or Swallowing and Jaw Movements: Regularly swallow, wiggle your jaw, or perform exaggerated yawns to keep the Eustachian tubes open.
6. Edmonds Technique or Voluntary Tubal Opening:Tense Your Throat and Push Your Jaw Forward
To perform this technique, tense the muscles of your soft palate and throat while pushing your jaw forward and downward, similar to initiating a yawn. These actions help to open the Eustachian tubes. Mastering this method requires significant practice, but with dedication, divers can learn to control these muscles and maintain their tubes open for continuous equalization.
Equalizing the Mask
Exhale through Your Nose: To equalize mask pressure, exhale a small amount of air through your nose into the mask, balancing the internal mask pressure with the external water pressure.
Equalizing the Sinuses
Avoid Congestion: Ensure you are not congested when diving, as congestion can block the sinuses and Eustachian tubes, making equalization difficult. Avoid diving if you have a cold or sinus infection.
Dive to dive another day
General Tips
1. Descend Slowly: A slow and controlled descent allows more time for equalization and reduces the risk of barotrauma.
2. Stay Relaxed: Tension can make equalization more difficult. Stay calm and relaxed during the descent.
3. Abort the Dive if Necessary: If you experience pain or cannot equalize despite repeated attempts, stop your descent and ascend slightly until the discomfort subsides. If you still can’t equalize, abort the dive to prevent injury.
Again, dive to dive another day.
When to Equalize
Surface: Equalize even before starting your descent.
Descent: Equalize every few feet (1-2 meters).
Ascent: Equalization during ascent usually happens naturally, but be prepared to exhale gently through your nose if you feel pressure building.
By following these techniques and tips, you can ensure proper equalization of air spaces, leading to a comfortable and safe dive.