Can you handle the pressure?!

[Blondie]

No really! How do you handle the pressure of the water when you go under?

I used to be pretty good at going down deep, but as of lately over eight feet begins to irritate my body. Which sucks because I used to go much farther then that... I try popping my ears and letting some air out as I go down, but I still feel a lot of pressure on me. Especially in my head.

So how far can you swim down before the pressure begins to get to you? And what are some other tips to beat the pressure?

[AniaR]

I dont, and it sucks :( My ears have ALWAYS given me issues. When I was a kid I had tubes so many times I lost count. I was never allowed to get them wet and that was part of the reason why I didn't learn to swim until later on in life. I use silicone puddy right now to keep the water out. If I get the tiniest amount in my ear and dont treat it right away with an antibiotic I get MASSIVE ear infections. My ears kill if I go too deep in water, and they kill on air planes too. They've gotten better in the past few years and when I flew to Florida they seemed to clear as long as I kept drinking water, but I've never found the holding the nose to pop them helpful at all, only really painful.

It really bothers me a lot, not only does it hold me back with my swimming, I really want to learn to scuba dive and no one will teach me til I figure out my ears. So far with swimming I usually have no reason to go down past 8 or 9 feet. But I want to improve and it's hard to do that with stupid ears

[Mermaid Sirena]

You might have a cold or some kind of illness that is you don't notice during regular day time. I've found several times that I had similar issues going deep down when I was perfectly healthy but then later was hit with a head cold or sinus infection or something else. Everything is so delicately in balance within our selves that if even a single thing is off everything is out of whack and full body pressure such as underwater is rarely a pleasant feeling when your not in perfect health. Often it's hard to even know when something is wrong if it does not create symptoms loud enough for us to notice in everyday life.

[Ayla of Duluth]

I can't do it. I can go down to 6 feet comfortably, but anything past 7 feet is suddenly excruciating. I tried holding my nose to pop my ears once, not only did that not help, it just made the pain worse. I haven't tried it since. I'm currently looking for clear ear plugs that I can use to keep the water out of my ears. I'm hoping that solves my depth issue. I live on top of a large hill that my city is built on, and when I go from top to bottom, the atmospheric pressure change doesn't bug me at all.
Im also worried about my ears keeping me from being a mermaid at my local aquarium. The tanks there are really deep and I'm wondering how far down I'm going to be able to get to entertain the kids. But I've really only ever noticed the ear pain in chlorinated pools. Not in lakes or anything. I wonder if the kind of water has anything to do with how deep I can go.

[LindseyLu]

I have this problem as well... For me the pain can vary on the day, some days are better and some worse. When I started swimming on a regular basis it was much worse. I have found practice has been the most help to me. I use to only be able to dive down about 8-10 feet, now on a good day I can go up to 25-30 feet.

Side note @Raina - I still have excrutiating pain when I fly, so I use "earplanes" http://www.gadgetreviews.co/other-gadgets/review-of-earplane-air-pressure-regulating-ear-plugs/. I have been traveling with them (won't fly w/o em) for 15 yrs and I swear by them. You may want to check em out? I'm not sure if they will work for swimming issues, but they are fabulous for planes!! :)

[Kanti]

Hmm I've never thought of that. I don't really like the pressure feeling in my ears and head but I've never
gotten so annoyed that I wasn't able to go as far as I've wanted.
I have no idea o_o

[Ilonka]

Iv never had problems of any kind in the water, its my element I guess. Furthest iv freedived is 50 feet, and its the most amazing view in the world when u reach the bottom and look upwards. I'm exited to take deep water photos in my tail

[Nixen Nicole]

I find that if I swallow as I dive or wiggle my jaw my ears equalize as I go down. It is actually harder on SCUBA as breathing the compressed, dehydrated air dries my mouth and throat out to the point that swallowing is almost impossible. I also find that not going head first makes it far simpler to equalize.

[Merman_Shawn]

When I was training to be a junior life-guard, they would throw a rubber coated brick into the 13ft side of the pool and make us retrieve it. It was a great exercise in learning to deal with pressure, but it was really uncomfortable for me too. I felt like my head was going to implode! lol
It's been years, so I wonder what I can tolerate anymore... Hmmm.

[Gem Stone]

Im a diver so I learned how to clear my ears (please don't try it on your own, you can mess yourself up bad) and I've also notice that if I have bad allergies, that will effect how much my ears hurt me. Besides that, I can go down 35 ft ( that's the deepest I've ever tried so far) without a lot of problems

[lynsea]

My ears are pretty sensitive and I need to clear them every few feet. My advice would be that if you are finding the pressure is too much to clear your ears at 7 ft, start clearing them as soon as you go under.

[Mermaid Annariea]

what do you guys mean by "clear your ears"?
my head & ears start to hurt at about 9 - 10 feet. it sucks, and sometimes it stays after i surface, which is excruciating :/

[halesloveswhales]

I learned from SCUBA that you have to start equalizing your ears well before it starts to hurt. Wiggle your jaw or swallow or pretend you're yawning as you descend. If your ears start to hurt, then ascend to where they don't hurt, equalize, and then continue descent. Hope this helps :)

[Mermaid Annariea]

ohh okay, thanks hales (:

[lynsea]

You know how when you are in a plane and the pressure starts to build in your ears, you squeeze your nose shut and try to blow through it and this clears your ears? That's what we mean. This effect is exaggerated in water because it is so much more dense. You just do the exact same thing you would do in a plane only more frequently.

[Derek Broussard]

Clearing your ears can be tricky. There are muscles used to push air through your eustachian tubes. It takes practice and muscle control to clear effectively. The holy grail of freediving is to be able to equalize hands free! Along with muscle control. Diet can play a factor too, dairy products are known to make a person more "mucasy" in the sinus and ears making it harder to equalize
There are two common methods of equalizing:
Valsalva
Pinch your nose and try to blow some air out through your nose, this air wil go into your sinusses and ears.

Frenzel
http://folk.uio.no/gardot/frenzel.pdf

If you are diving beyond 12 feet you may also be feeling effects of pressure on your anatomy. Doing diaphragm stretches will help with the feeling of pressure, and with keeping contractions at bay.

Here is a tutorial I made on how to do diaphragm stretches


http://youtu.be/ZOTwYhqSlxA

[Mermaid Margarete]

I haven't swam in a pool in a long time, but I remember the severe pain in my ear I associated with diving too deep or touching the bottom of the 12' zone.

There is some great advice here, tho, that I'll be using when I hit the pool next week. =D

[Koral]

In a pool, I can go 9 feet quite comfortably concerning my ears, haven't found a deeper pool yet to try and test my limits, and I am far from the beautiful ocean.
My problem I had was when this little girl kept tossing her snake out wanting to dive with me for it nonstop (yep, I have to learn to boundary them I know), the pressure changing so fast back and forth eventually bothered my nose deep in my sinuses. I got over it quickly when I finally stopped for a few minutes.

As for stopping it, I don't know if there's many good tips. For me, it's likely because I have been a waterbaby my... entire life since I can remember? At younger than 10, I was diving under and swimming across the entire pool. Just keep trying but don't overdo it! Have faith. :)

[MerEmma]

I want to go really, really deep. I don't think I can, though. I don't get bothered until 9-10, and most of the time it isn't too horrible. That's in a pool, though. The deepest I've been in the ocean was 14 feet and there is no way I could swim down to the bottom. I was way too scared. xD

[Coradion]

Like 80' is as far as I'm comfortable with right now. Don't have many free diving friends to go with. Just adjust every ten feet or so and it'll get better.

[Capt Nemo]

I can't do it. I can go down to 6 feet comfortably, but anything past 7 feet is suddenly excruciating. I tried holding my nose to pop my ears once, not only did that not help, it just made the pain worse. I haven't tried it since. I'm currently looking for clear ear plugs that I can use to keep the water out of my ears. I'm hoping that solves my depth issue. I live on top of a large hill that my city is built on, and when I go from top to bottom, the atmospheric pressure change doesn't bug me at all.


Check your ears on the surface. They should both pop when doing Valsalva lightly. You may have reverse squeezed your ears by blowing too hard if the pain got worse. It shouldn't take much of any force to get them to equalize.

[Mizuko]

My aim is to equalize hands-free. I hate the video of me diving to 15feet holding my nose, its so un-mermaid-like XD

[purefreediver]

Most pressure in the head is usually caused by sinuses. Your sinus cavity runs from the middle of the forehead all the way down to your teeth. If your feeling pain anywhere in between it is usually caused by sinus pressure. Drink lots of water it will help loosen mucus and relieve sinus pressure. Nettie pots can help if done correctly.
If the pain is coming from not being able to equalize your ears then I recommend learning the Frenzel maneuver.

PADI or scuba courses do not teach the proper equalization techniques used for freediving. Taking a freediving course you will learn how to equalize for freediving, the physics and physiology of your body when freediving, and how to dive deeper and longer so you can really enjoy the ocean on a single breath of air.

There is no better feeling like free falling into the blue abyss.

[roamingmer]

Hey purefreediver... where can one find such courses? Especially in Switzerland... Not so easy as California or Hawaii.

[purefreediver]

Hey purefreediver... where can one find such courses? Especially in Switzerland... Not so easy as California or Hawaii.

I am not too sure and I believe no one is teaching around that location. The closest to Switzerland would be my course this summer in Munich. Tell your friends this will be the first course I will be doing in Munich and am very excited.

[Blondie]

Most pressure in the head is usually caused by sinuses. Your sinus cavity runs from the middle of the forehead all the way down to your teeth. If your feeling pain anywhere in between it is usually caused by sinus pressure. Drink lots of water it will help loosen mucus and relieve sinus pressure. Nettie pots can help if done correctly.
If the pain is coming from not being able to equalize your ears then I recommend learning the Frenzel maneuver.

PADI or scuba courses do not teach the proper equalization techniques used for freediving. Taking a freediving course you will learn how to equalize for freediving, the physics and physiology of your body when freediving, and how to dive deeper and longer so you can really enjoy the ocean on a single breath of air.

There is no better feeling like free falling into the blue abyss.

That's interesting. I don't drink a lot of water. I've gotten better with drinking a few glasses a day but... I just hate the bland taste to it. Eventually it just feels like I'm drinking medicine after a while. So I'll have to drink up before I try to go deep again. That's for the advice ^^

And I'm sure that's one hell of a feeling. I hope I can do some real free diving one day.
Have you see this video before?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQITWbAaDx0

[purefreediver]

That's interesting. I don't drink a lot of water. I've gotten better with drinking a few glasses a day but... I just hate the bland taste to it. Eventually it just feels like I'm drinking medicine after a while. So I'll have to drink up before I try to go deep again. That's for the advice ^^

And I'm sure that's one hell of a feeling. I hope I can do some real free diving one day.
Have you see this video before?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQITWbAaDx0

Awesome video I really like this one, Nery just broke the french national record for the deepest constant weight dive with fins at the Vertical Blue freediving comp at this same spot Dean's blue hole in the bahamas. Check out Alexey Molchanov Just dove to 128m- new world record.

[Capt Nemo]

Old NASDS used to teach both. (or at least my instructor tried to) I can do Frenzel sometimes, but mainly rely on valsalvia.

[Mermaid Melanie]

A decongestant would help any of you suffering from sinus issues. Eventually you can also teach yourself to equalise without using your hands. But yeah Equalise OFTEN and EARLY before you feel any pain in the sinuses.

[Capt Nemo]

Be careful! I've had decongestants stop working around 60 feet! Most meds are not pressure tested, and may even become toxic at depth. The only real pressure testing done is for reduced pressure for flying or space travel. Nobody thinks much about divers, so little work has been done!

[purefreediver]

Hey Mermaids/Mermans,
I have a FII level 1 Freediving course in Orange County, CA on February 9th and 10th if anyone would like to join. Please contact me for more information about the course. It is a must if you would like to dive deeper and hold your breath for longer.
Aloha,
Dan

[Blondie]

I would love to do that if I were in CA :\

[purefreediver]

I would love to do that if I were in CA :\

I can travel if you have a group of four or more, I will host a course in your location if there is a lake or ocean deep enough.
:) Dan

[Mizuko]

I've got a question I'm hoping someone might be able to answer! :)
In the chlorinated dive pool where I swim I have to equalize at about 10ft. However, in the ocean I dont get any pressure in my ears til about 13-15ft; where I equalize anyway just because its a habit.
Is there a difference in pressure in a pool than in the open ocean?

[FreshWaterMermaid]

Iv never had problems of any kind in the water, its my element I guess. Furthest iv freedived is 50 feet, and its the most amazing view in the world when u reach the bottom and look upwards. I'm exited to take deep water photos in my tail

I'm the same way Ilonka, I don't even remember having to bw taught to equalize my ears or anything. I just feel like I'm supposed to be in the water, and I'm completely comfortable and happy.
I never want to leave.
And bringing up summer, (I can't wait!) My poor landlubber husband is gonna have to put up with me begging to go to the lake/river/etc everyday!

And @Mizuko to answer your question (possibly) perhaps your ocean swimming isn't quite as deep or deeper than your pool. So you think its deeper but isn't? The pressure should be equal regardless of the chemicals, unless you're more sensitive to them? Dunno...

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[Mizuko]

No, its certainly deeper in the ocean (thats why I go there- its too shallow in the pool!-only 16foot)) :) I can go 30 feet in the ocean no worries, but like I said the equalisation and pressure is completely different. I'm just wondering if there is a cause or if my body is better in sea water. haha!

[FreshWaterMermaid]

I have no idea. Like I said I didn't know people had problems with these things lol it just comes naturally to me
Maybe you're more relaxed in the ocean than in the pool?

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[MerMar]

There is one thing nobody has saying.


If you are doing free-diving without mask and nose clip some water comes in and might be causing all the trouble. Have you seen the syncro swimmers? They always have nose clip on, a spare one and both sew to togs. It should be a good reason for it.


Another thing I haven't read, I think, is a golden rule in scuba, put your mask on before get in, specially when you jump off a boat, harbour, etc. If you get in without cover your nose or blowing air through it then some water get into you sinus and might make impossible to equalize your ears.


Mizuko, salt water and still water have different composition, they're different, the key term is density that is also affected by the water temperature. Our oceans haven't the same composition, some have more salt that others and are warmer than others. Have you ever seen a video of people swimming in the Death Sea? Your buoyancy is better in salt water than in still. The reason is because the water is pushing you up, that's pressure. Therefore, in salt water, you should feel more the pressure because is more dense. The scuba divers have to change their belt weights when travel to other oceans; even though the gear is the same. So I guess your better performance in the sea is more linked with being more relaxed and rest better between dives. OMG I'm better stop buoyancy issues deserve a full thread

[MerMar]

By the way, yep! I can handle the pressure in my ears ... when I was small we played in diving pool and I avoid to be catch by going to the bottom and stayed still ... as I haven't any idea about equalised ears I ended with bigger sinus than others ... when I went to the mainland to the university my dentist was shocked with the size of my sinus. So I have an unfair advantage :)

[Mizuko]

Thank you MerMar! I wanted to be sure it wasn't just my imagination :) Its strange that I'd be more comfortable out in the open ocean with waves than in a secure pool, though! I must be a bit odd. haha!

[Echidna]

Fresh-/Saltwater vs chlorinated pool is something I've come across just these days too (see my thread in Tailswimming).
Since chlorinated water kind of mellows the insides of your ear, the ears get a lot more sensible, hurt faster, and become more susceptible for infections.
Also, can it be that most people having trouble with their ears/infections also happen to have a long medical history?
I never had trouble before I became sick.
My guess is, a chronical illness, or even some minor, almost unnoticable health condition, will heavily impact the ability to dive pain- and infectionfree, and more so if the water is chlorinated.

[Mermaid Pickles]

I have a REALLY interesting difference in pressure issues. In a chlorinated pool, I can go about eight feet. In a lake (like Lake Travis in Austin, TX or the one where my grandparents go camping every few years) I can go about twenty feet. (I know this because I went to grab something off the bottom of both lakes the last few times I've been. My dad has the same problem and so does my sister. (the one who can swim) As for oceans, I haven't really checked that yet. The beaches here are a bit.....seaweedy, and have lots of baby crabs, so I don't really like going to them.

[MerEmma]

I wish I had been somewhere deeper in the ocean before, haha. I can easily go the ten feet at the pool without equalizing but the deepest I've ever gone was 12 in another pool. Deeper pools here are over an hour away. :s

[Mermaid Maleficia]

I mean I went down to 10 feet before it was comfortable...i think the deepest I went was 12...

[Mermaid Dottie]

I wonder if my impacted wisdom teeth are negatively affecting my ability to deal with the pressure.... *whistles innocently*

[LaNyah]

I've never had much trouble with equalization. My personal best so far is 25m/82f. I am learning an advanced technique so I can get to 40m, but not quite got the hang of it yet. :/

[Raayvhen]

I'm kind of terrified right now of swimming too deep while my jaw bones are still healing.