Scuba Diving

[~Leah~]

Hey, I was about to hijack the Thailand flights thread then figured I should just start a new one.

In regards to diving... I was thinking about getting certified here but when I did scuba in high school in Regina, I couldn't even go to the bottom of the 16 ft. pool without my ears causing me an immense amount of pain. I tried to pop them a bit but nothing worked. Is this normal? Is there anything that could be done to stop it or let me go deeper?

[handsomebassman]

I had the same problem when i started getting into it. It got real bad, and i never did it again. :(

[Khyron]

Your ears MUST be able to pop, otherwise you'll have a miserable time and will not be able to dive. Diving into a pool and touching the bottom and experiencing some pain is one thing, it's different when wearing a mask and gear. You need to do it about every 8-10 feet or so.

Pinch your nose shut and LIGHTLY try blowing out your nose - your ears should pop even when sitting at your desk. Yawning and trying to do it by moving your jaw is not reliable.

You may have gone too deep too fast (normal if no gear) which would make it harder for you to equailize. If that happens when diving you're supposed to ascend a few feet and try again.

Khyron

[~Leah~]

Tried all of that... I can pop them by yawning no problem... not exactly something you can do underwater though. I can't do it by plugging my nose, I've tried for years.

[Lo)2enz0]

ok, here we go...

first before you do anything, clean out your ears. trust me it is a life saver and makes your experence alot more enjoyable. but when your popping turn you head so that one ear is pointing up to the surface and thand the other. this should work. I was unable to pop my ears once and evene at a shallow dive of 30 feet it was painful and i didn't want to ruin anyones experience by having to take someone back up to the surface with me, since we were diving in pairs.

as for getting your padi, do all the lessons in a pool here and than when you go somewhere do the certified dive. i have only heard of horror stories about how freaking cool it is where they dive in the lakes up here.

but try what i suggested, cause the last thing you want is to go back up with blood coming out of your ears....

[handsomebassman]

Originally posted by Lo)2enz0
but try what i suggested, cause the last thing you want is to go back up with blood coming out of your ears....

Can that really happen?

[Lo)2enz0]

yep, my dive master didn't want me to do the next dive because of it. so i had to sit out the last 2 dives of the day with the dude on the boat. such a bad day, but the day after was amazing, we did a 120ft dive on a wall. god that was so much fun.

[Khyron]

Originally posted by handsomebassman

Can that really happen?

Well you can definately blow your eardrums, which is the main problem.

If you can pop your ears by yawning, then you can probably do it with the pinch once under pressure. You can yawn underwater as well, just close your throat. Actually, after you're used to it you should be able to click the same muscles as yawning without opening your mouth.

I would do all the dives up here - it's far cheaper, and you don't waste your tropical dives doing mask and eqipment drills. The cold is harsh, but that's why we're tougher than the American divers. :D

Khyron

[JAYMEZ]

Same thing used to happen to me Leah . I had such a bad time the first day i went scuba diving in Egypt. I guess my nasal passage just got all plugged up , so I cleaned my ears and took some drugs to make me feel "unplugged" lol. As for not being able to pop your ears under water ... When I do the pinch the nose thing , i put my head towards my chest , it seems to work fine !


P.s - Dont scuba dive and Fly with in 24hours of each other , it is very very fuckin painful and dangerous. :banghead:

[2.4l]

my ex was a scuba instructor and all i can say is scuba girls like it deep:whipped:

[Lexxan]

my mom had trouble once and the doctor at our resort gave her some pills to clear up sinuses.. it helped her a little bit.

[~Leah~]

Originally posted by 2.4l
my ex was a scuba instructor and all i can say is scuba girls like it deep:whipped:

Thanks for yet again furthering your need to compensate for what you don't have!

[Roger Moore]

The best tip i can give ya for equilization problems is to point your ear at the surface, equalize it, point your other ear at the surface then equalize that. If this does still not work try going down to the bottom slower, which will take good buoancy co-ordination with your BCD. If you even start feeling any pressure in your ears ascend up a few feet and try again.

If you are still having problems equalizing after trying all the suggestions mentioned above, including cleaning out your ears .........(BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN DOING THIS. A Q-Tip CAN RUPTURE YOUR EAR DRUM VERRRY EASILY)......... go see a doctor or ear specialist. Try Dr. Gillis at 571-5205, located across glenmore from chinook cinema.

Scuba diving is a very amazing sport and should not be accompanied by pain. Have fun and dive smart!

[DJ Lazy]

Ugh.... this thread contradicts one of our past conversations Leah... LOL... whats up?:dunno:

[Lo)2enz0]

Originally posted by Roger Moore
The best tip i can give ya for equilization problems is to point your ear at the surface, equalize it, point your other ear at the surface then equalize that. If this does still not work try going down to the bottom slower, which will take good buoancy co-ordination with your BCD. If you even start feeling any pressure in your ears ascend up a few feet and try again.

If you are still having problems equalizing after trying all the suggestions mentioned above, including cleaning out your ears .........(BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN DOING THIS. A Q-Tip CAN RUPTURE YOUR EAR DRUM VERRRY EASILY)......... go see a doctor or ear specialist. Try Dr. Gillis at 571-5205, located across glenmore from chinook cinema.

Scuba diving is a very amazing sport and should not be accompanied by pain. Have fun and dive smart!

nice, someone else repeated what i said. proves that it works.

so josh, how does this thread contridict what you guys talked about

[~Leah~]

Originally posted by DJ Lazy
Ugh.... this thread contradicts one of our past conversations Leah... LOL... whats up?:dunno:
I'm not sure what you are talking about? That I am deathly afraid of water??

[DJ Lazy]

Originally posted by ~Leah~

I'm not sure what you are talking about? That I am deathly afraid of water??

Yea.. basically.

[~Leah~]

Gotta face the fears sometime I guess, and it's not like I'm gonna dive in scary waters!

[JAYMEZ]

^^ But diving with sharks is fun! I did it in Ecuador when I went to the galapagos islands ... now thats a fun dive!:thumbsup:

[DJ Lazy]

Originally posted by ~Leah~
Gotta face the fears sometime I guess

Good to hear.. :clap:

[Lo)2enz0]

theres nothing like coming up to the surface to see a bull shark swim under you. reef sharks aren't bad, its the big nasty ones you have to fear about.

can't wait to go diving next week

[~Leah~]

Laurier, I hate you.

[bmeier]

i have had my certification for 5 years, couple things you should know are if you cant equalize dont dive that day it is not worth losing your hearing...

secondly get certified elsewhere diving in canadian lakes sucks it is pitch black and freaking freezing... lol

other than that its pretty easy just try whatever you can to equalize alot of people have different methods... facing your ear to the surface works for most people...