Pain in ears at depth...Is scuba for me?

Hi,
I travel tot he Caribbean a lot and love to snorkel so I am thinking
about taking scuba lessons this summer, but now I rememeber that when I
swim down the the bottom of the pool (12 foot depth) I get acute pain
in both ears that forces me to quickly return to the surface. So my
question, is that pain normal? If I can expect to experience that pain
while scuba diving, and worse at lower depths, I don't think I will
enjoy it, however if everyone gets that pain at first and it goes away,
thats another story. Or if there is some headgear that solves the
problem please let me know. Thanks

Strangways@gmail.com a écrit :
>
> Hi,
> I travel tot he Caribbean a lot and love to snorkel so I am thinking
> about taking scuba lessons this summer, but now I rememeber that when I
> swim down the the bottom of the pool (12 foot depth) I get acute pain
> in both ears that forces me to quickly return to the surface. So my
> question, is that pain normal?

No, this pain is happening only because you don't do the right things.
Your scuba instructor will tells you exactly what to do.
Scuba diving doesn't hurt !!!
after, even in a swimming pool, at 12 foot deep, if you use the correct
way to equilibrate yours ears, you won't feel anymore pain.

> If I can expect to experience that pain
> while scuba diving, and worse at lower depths, I don't think I will
> enjoy it, however if everyone gets that pain at first and it goes away,
> thats another story. Or if there is some headgear that solves the
> problem please let me know. Thanks

the pain will turn in an accident. No doubt about that.
the more deeper you will go , more the pain will be stronger.
I can tell you that headgear will not be the solution.

Other people on this forum will tells you the same thing, with a better
english than I did ...

Good Scuba lessons !!!
Benoit.

<Strangways@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1145885637.416574.180810@v46g2000cwv.googlegr oups.com...
> Hi,
> I travel tot he Caribbean a lot and love to snorkel so I am thinking
> about taking scuba lessons this summer, but now I rememeber that when I
> swim down the the bottom of the pool (12 foot depth) I get acute pain
> in both ears that forces me to quickly return to the surface. So my
> question, is that pain normal? If I can expect to experience that pain
> while scuba diving, and worse at lower depths, I don't think I will
> enjoy it, however if everyone gets that pain at first and it goes away,
> thats another story. Or if there is some headgear that solves the
> problem please let me know. Thanks

Do an internet search on equalizing your ears and get some information. The
problem you are having is normal, but putting up with the pain is not.
You're risking permanent damage by not knowing how to equalize the pressure
inside your ears with that which is outside. You will learn how to do this
is scuba training, but I don't recommend you wait. The risk is real, now.

Lee

On 24 Apr 2006 06:33:57 -0700, Strangways@gmail.com wrote:

>Hi,
>I travel tot he Caribbean a lot and love to snorkel so I am thinking
>about taking scuba lessons this summer, but now I rememeber that when I
>swim down the the bottom of the pool (12 foot depth) I get acute pain
>in both ears that forces me to quickly return to the surface. So my
>question, is that pain normal? If I can expect to experience that pain
>while scuba diving, and worse at lower depths, I don't think I will
>enjoy it, however if everyone gets that pain at first and it goes away,
>thats another story. Or if there is some headgear that solves the
>problem please let me know. Thanks

Pain is your body's way of telling you something is wrong. You should
equalize your ears while snorkeling and there are techniques for doing
so. It is also easier, in my opinion, to equalize while on SCUBA than
while free diving. My tubes usually block early in my dives so I
pre-press with a Valsalva maneuver on the surface and then I repeat
the equalization very early and often in the descent. Once I am down I
generally have no problems and never block on ascent. Many people
don't have problems equalizing on SCUBA and a simple jaw movement or
head turn can often do it for them. Head down descents also aggravate
the equalization problems and this is usually very necessary in
snorkeling but seldom necessary on SCUBA. You will learn all these
things in SCUBA training and it will be a high priority I am sure.

Thus spake Strangways@gmail.com :

>Hi,
>I travel tot he Caribbean a lot and love to snorkel so I am thinking
>about taking scuba lessons this summer, but now I rememeber that when I
>swim down the the bottom of the pool (12 foot depth) I get acute pain
>in both ears that forces me to quickly return to the surface. So my
>question, is that pain normal? If I can expect to experience that pain
>while scuba diving, and worse at lower depths, I don't think I will
>enjoy it, however if everyone gets that pain at first and it goes away,
>thats another story. Or if there is some headgear that solves the
>problem please let me know. Thanks

If you are suffering pain and it suddenly goes away, something VERY
BAD has happened.

With proper instruction (as everyone else has already pointed out)
you'll do just fine.
--
dillon

I didn't climb to the top of the
food chain to become a vegetartian.

"Geoff" wrote

> Head down descents also aggravate
> the equalization problems and this is usually very necessary in
> snorkeling but seldom necessary on SCUBA.

Totally incorrect. The position of your head while descending head
first helps ease equalization.

> You will learn all these
> things in SCUBA training and it will be a high priority I am sure.

Not sure what the feet first descent is about, unless it's related to
the diver in the wrong position trying to walk through water. But,
even there, remember being told to raise your head as you equalize?

BTW, damn near never descend feet first, funny watching that in an
upward flow.

Curtis

"Magilla" wrote:
>
> Totally incorrect. The position of your head while descending head
> first helps ease equalization.

You're the first person I've heard say so. It's always been much harder
for me.

"Greg Mossman" wrote

> "Descend feet first, if possible. This allows air to travel upward into
> the eustachian tube and middle ear, a more natural direction. Use a
> descent line or the anchor line." -- Instructions for Equalizing Ears and
> Sinuses, Allen Dekelboum, M.D.,
> http://www.scuba-doc.com/Equalizing_Techniques.pdf
>
> "Air tends to rise up your Eustachian tubes, and fluid-like mucus tends to
> drain downward. Studies have shown a Valsalva maneuver requires 50 percent
> more force when you're in a head-down position than head-up. " --
> http://www.dansa.org/downloads/The%2...he%20Ear.p df
>
> "Descend feet first to prevent changes in the throat that will block the
> Eustachian tubes when your head is down." -- "Ears and Diving", Fred Bove,
> M.D., PhD,
> http://www.skin-diver.com/department....asp?theID=629


Think you are confusing head first with totally inverted. My actual
head position is similiar, just body position and direction of movement are
different. Valsalva works better when chin is up, something I learned way
before my caving adventures started.

Curtis

"Magilla" wrote:
>
> Think you are confusing head first with totally inverted. My actual
> head position is similiar, just body position and direction of movement are
> different.

Yeah, basically level but tilted head down isn't bad for me. Freediving
straight down is still an issue.

"www.save-money-diving.com via ScubaMonster.com" <u21233@uwe> wrote in
message news:5f70a1d0abd25@uwe...
> Whistler wrote:
>>> Totally incorrect. The position of your head while descending head
>>> first helps ease equalization.
>>
>>You're the first person I've heard say so. It's always been much harder
>>for me.
>
> Quite simply get some advice and or take a course from your local scuba
> dive
> instructor. There is no mystery to equalizing your ears when diving on
> scuba
> or snorkeling. As a scuba instructor you will find many people dive down
> head
> first. You stop and equalize often , every few feet or as needed. It's
> easy
> to learn and advisable for any type of diving.

Quite simply, you're full of shit.

PADI has a course in equalizing now, or what?

An -experienced- instructor would tell you that the reason there are so
many different ways to equalize is that one way doesn't work for everyone.

Different bodies will equalize better using different methods.

When I dive for the first time, my left ear is all but impossible to clear
(Right one's like a wind tunnel).

I usually take my mask off, and blow my nose repeatedly, dozens of times,
to get it to pop.

I tried valsalva, jaw clench, swallowing, coughing, gouging a thumb into
my neck, rolling my head like a wino.

Must be feet down, -period-.

5 dives later, I just stretch my neck left and right, bingo.

I always pre-equalize before getting off the boat, and huff Sinex in a way
that would make a coke whore blush.

I had the doc check my ueyooo...eau.... ewuu.. tube thingies and he said
they look fine to him.


>
> Kind Regards
> &
> Best Fishes
> PADI MSDT



--
Popeye
"If one does as God does enough times, one
will become as God is." -Dr. Hannibal Lector.

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