Embarassingly loud Ear Clearing, Why?

[rslomkow]

I very rarely have problems clearing my ears, but I always have to actively clear them and relatively often (every 3-5m aka 10-15f)

I was taking some underwater videos this summer and realized that my ears really do make a bit of noise! Also people in my training group can hear the noises quite clearly as well.

The noise "feels like" it is coming from the soft palate or the Eustachian tube. Somewhere up in the nasal cavity.

I can clear without producing any noise, but not with very much power (I believe that I am doing Valsalva only when I don't produce any noise)

I have a video with the sound from Croatia. The other funny thing is that the fish move before you can here the sound, I think the delay is a little bit greater with the online video, but it was the same way in real-life, the fish "jump" then I heard the noise. Most fish don't respond this way, but these at this dive location did. Fish that looked the same two days later different location did not behave the same.


click on the picture to

watch the video

.

What is going on? Is there anyway I can be a nice quiet diver and still get power to clear my ears? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

ps. I don't know how to embed video in my posts...

[DiverTodd]

Don't feel too bad.....a lot of us are noisy, it's just one of those things. I'm the same as you; I can clear quietly, but when I use more power, I get the "squeeking" sounds. Sometimes I sound like a DOLPHIN when I'm on my way down!

Todd

[island_sands]

hey the other day someone equalised quite loudly while doing pool training - 1 guess where the noise came from it was hiliarious

[fjohnson]

check out this thread from a long time ago... I only have this trouble now down around 80 or 90' when the going gets a little tough.
http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthr...ighlight=heard

AND you can hear it hear as I near 90' in this video... http://www.zippyvideos.com/901329870...eediving30fps/
I have less trouble the more air I can keep in my mouth to use for equalizing... but when that air gets used up, it's tough.. have to bring more up from the lungs and concentrate on the equalization.

[jome]

Sounds like you are making that sound to close your epiglottis while you equalize, to do a frenzel (just a guess). I had to do a similar thing when I was first learning it. But with time I learned to equalize with out it.

You might try some equalisation training with empty lungs just on a shallow pool. Empty our lungs, fill your mouth on the surface and once you drop down , try to equalize with the air in your mouth. First with the sound, then without it. At first, do it feet first (so you can concentrate just on the equalization), then head first...

Nothing to be ashamed of, at least it's more original than most divers

[rslomkow]

Hmm... I do empty lung (but not reverse packing) dives in our local pool (-5m) but still make the funny noises, they don't seem any more difficult to clear my ears than full lung dives.

Though now everybody can tell if I am diving, I always show up for practice late for practice and make the funny noises.

I still wonder if you are right that I am not fully closing off the epiglottis.

[laminar]

Try equalizing before you need to, as in constantly. Or use the mouthfill, close your throat and keep constant frenzel pressure with each mouthfill. If you really learn it, you may only need 1 or 2 mouthfills to get down to hunting depth.

Pete

[Fondueset]

Check out this guys reaction when I accidentally made a little noise with my glottis.

Macho Drum