When did you learn to scuba and what made you interested?
I finally got my Open Water cert in May 2020. Tyler was my instructor, and I still feel a little guilty. There is definitely crying in scuba. Ugly, fog-your-mask, “I-hate-this-and-I-hate-equalizing” crying.
The rest of the team got certified in 2018. I sat on the boat watching them splash in and disappear while I stayed topside as official “shore support.” I was so jealous it hurt.
My ears just would not cooperate. After a few ENT visits we figured out a lot of it was anxiety tightening everything up. So I got stubborn. I was done being the one waving from the swim step.
I practiced equalizing every single day. In the pool, in the shower, sitting on the couch pinching my nose like a weirdo. At first it took me a full 15 minutes to reach 60 feet. Fifteen minutes of pinching, swallowing, and listening to my own heartbeat while everyone else was already on the bottom having fun. By the time I finally got there I had maybe 20 minutes of air left. I decided I was going to beat the boys down and still have gas when they were already heading up. The teasing had to end.
It worked. These days the second I hit the water I’m equalizing and dropping. I’m usually the first one on the bottom and I’m still hanging out when most of the guys are already thinking about their safety stop.
Need help equalizing?
A few things that actually saved me:
- The instant my face hits the water I pinch my nose and start working the pressure before it has a chance to build.
- While I’m getting ready in the morning I open and close my mouth a bunch of times to wake the tubes up.
- Flonase the night before if I even think I might need it.
- Cherry lozenges. That menthol hit in the back of the throat is weirdly helpful.
