Finally nailed my mask equalization trick after a rough day in the Gulf

I was struggling with my left ear on a 60 foot dive near Galveston last week, kept having to abort. A buddy told me to tilt my head back and pull my mask down slightly before clearing, and it worked perfectly on the next try. Has anyone else found a weird little body movement that fixes their ear issues?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_robin16d ago

Honestly, have you ever tried equalizing your mask while looking slightly to the side instead of straight up? I had a similar problem and realized my eustachian tube on one side was getting pinched when I tilted my head back too far. Pulling my mask down a bit while turning my chin to the left made all the difference for me. It's like your airway angle changes just enough to let the pressure equalize on that stubborn ear. Might be worth giving a try next time you're in the Gulf.

tara_jones9416d ago

Oh man, the head tilt thing is wild. I used to dive in this quarry back home that was super silty (like, could barely see your hand in front of your face half the time) and I found that if I just slightly turned my head to one side and did a little jaw wiggle, my ears would clear way easier. It's almost like the tubes are angled differently for everyone, you know? My buddy swears by swallowing with his tongue pressed to the roof of his mouth instead of any head movement at all. Takes all sorts of weird tricks to make the pressure behave.

fiona_young5d ago

Hold up, I gotta jump in here and say that tilting your head back is actually the opposite of what most dive instructors will tell you. I remember reading somewhere that tilting your head back can pinch your eustachian tubes more, not less. What worked for me when I was struggling with my right ear in murky lakes near home was tilting my chin down toward my chest a little bit. That opens up the tubes way better. Also, the bit about pulling your mask down is spot on, that helps release pressure behind the nose. But the head tilt thing is backwards for a lot of people, so maybe try the chin tuck next time you're out there in the Gulf. It's amazing how a tiny angle change can make or break a dive.