Do Snorkelers Need to Equalize Too? OMG YES! Ok, to be more clear, if you intend to do any sort of duck diving—even if it's jus t to a meter or two in your local swimming pool—you need to equalize your ears. If you are a floater and enjoy the view from the surface then you don't need to equalize. However, if you intend to pop (pun intended) down to the reef for a closer look then you absolutely need to equalize your ears. Here's why. Physiology As we start our descent underwater the pressure from the water builds as we go deeper and deeper. If we do not equalize the dead air space of the middle ear which sits between the eardrum and our eustachian tube we can actually rupture our eardrum. The eardrum is is basically a thin membrane that separates the outside world from the middle and inner ear. Without equaling, the pressure on our eardrum becomes more than it can handle and it eventually breaks. Basically we want to avoid this at all costs because ruptured eardrum = ruined snorkel holiday. Lucky for us equalizing our ears while snorkeling is very easy to do. How to Equalize Basically the easiest way to go about equalizing your ears is to plug your nose and then LIGHTLY try to blow air through it. In doing this you should feel a faint pop in your ears. This is just your eardrums flexing outward with the added pressure you have forced into your inner and middle ear, consider them equalized. Please don't get in the habit of doing this as you go about your life on land when you don't need to. For starters people will think there is something wrong with you and immediately stop inviting you to their
Do Snorkelers Need to Equalize Too? OMG YES! Ok, to be more clear, if you intend to do any sort of duck diving—even if it’s jus t to a meter or two in your local swimming pool—you need to equalize your ears. If you are a floater and enjoy the view from the surface then
