The secret to uncovering ears
Hello.
A free diver from Okinawa.Like thisis.
This may be a very important topic for those who are just starting free diving or skin diving.😎
This time I will talk about ear clearing.👂
Although the term "ear clearing" is used, there are actually several different ways to do it, and even if the general method is the same, the method and sensation may differ slightly from person to person.
This time I won't introduce each one of them or tell you how to do them.
However, I would like to talk about one thing that is common to many ear clearing methods, but is so obvious that it is rarely talked about.
The importance of ear clearing, which is so obvious that it is not often talked about, is as follows:
Exactly,Open your throatis.
This is not a method of ear equalization itself, but rather something you should think of as necessary to continue equalizing your ears once you have mastered it.
We are taught to close our throats
Opening the throat is a technique that even divers who are able to equalize their ears and dive to a certain extent may wonder, "What's that?", yet it is a very important technique that is done unconsciously.
The reason why people think "What is that?" and why it is not talked about much is because
When teaching the ear equalization method (Frenzel) often used in free diving,Keep your throat closedBecause we are taught that.
Simply put, ear clearing is done by applying pressure to the mouth or nose to send air into the ear. The ear is connected to the space in the mouth and nose by a tube called the Eustachian tube, and the air pushed by the pressure passes through this tube to clear the ears (there is another mechanism, but we won't go into that this time). Therefore, if air leaks out from the mouth or nose when applying pressure inside the oral or nasal cavity, sufficient pressure cannot be applied and ear clearing cannot be completed. The same is true for the throat, so when clearing your ears, you need to be able to close your mouth, nose, and throat tightly.
This is why we are taught to tighten our throats.
Air becomes smaller underwater
Those who have learned free diving or have researched free diving themselves may know that the air in your lungs gets smaller and smaller the deeper you go underwater. The air you inhale at the surface of the water will be reduced to half its size when you dive to a depth of 10m due to the water pressure.
This does not only apply to the air in the lungs; the air in the middle ear space inside the ear, as well as the air in the mouth and nasal cavities, are also affected and become smaller.
As the air volume in the mouth and nasal cavities decreases, there is not enough air to reach the ears, making it difficult to equalize the volume of air in your ears.
Open your throat
I explained that in order to equalize your ears properly, you need to keep your throat closed. However, as you dive deeper underwater, the air becomes smaller and smaller, making it increasingly difficult to equalize your ears.
So,Just replenish the air that's missing!That's the story.
While equalizing your ears, keep your throat tightly closed.By opening your throat slightly during the short time that you are not clearing your ears, you can allow the air in your lungs to replenish your mouth.This way you can continue equalizing your ears even as the water gets deeper.
To be precise, you just need to be able to close and open your vocal cords (throat).
Anyone who can go deeper than 10 meters should be able to open and close their vocal cords, whether consciously or unconsciously.
Know if it's open or closed
Even if you understand the above, it doesn't mean you can do this in the water right away. First practice on land, then try it in the water.
You can't do anything underwater that you can't do on land.🙅♂️
It's simple, take a deep breath and then hold it, but you have to hold the breath by closing your vocal cords.
Try holding your breath with your mouth open and your tongue sticking out. It's not good to keep breathing in and feel like you're holding your breath.🙅♂️
Another method is to gradually muffle the "ah" sound. When you say "ah," your vocal cords are open, but as they close, it becomes a sound like only air is leaking out, and when they close completely, no sound comes out and no air leaks out.
Either way, once you know you can do this, just keep doing it. As you do this, you should be able to recognize the sensation of opening your vocal cords and closing them.
Now it's time to practice so that you can do the same thing underwater.🙌
lastly
This article is not for people who want to go 20m or 30m, but for people who can go up to 6m or 7m but can't go any further because their ears are too sensitive. I think there is a good chance that this can be improved.Even if you want to dive to 20m or 30m, if you have been doing this unconsciously until now, I think your understanding of your own dives will improve if you can do it consciously.
However, just because you can now go deeper than you could before, you should not go too deep all at once.🙅♂️
Please enjoy diving safely and get used to it.🙌