Pressure under both ears when outside?

How do I get rid of the pain and pressure in my ears when I go deep in the water?

• I have a 8 foot pool and when i go below six feet i feel pressure and pain building in my ears, my friend said it was because i have a cold but do you have any quick and easy ways to get rid of pressure that i can do either before i descend or while i am underwater?

• Answer:

  You are experiencing barometric pressure just as scuba divers do. What you need to do is equalize the pressure inside your sinuses and ears so that there is no imbalance across the eardrum. Try the Val-salvo maneuver: Pinch your nose as you descend and blow gently, but assertively (but not aggressively) against that pinched nose. If you do this BEFORE it gets uncomfortable, it should result in a crackling/popping sound in your ears and a feeling that everything is normal again. If you try it too late (IE. there is already enough pressure differential to squeeze the internal part of your ear and block the Eustachian tube which allows the equalization) then try coming back up a foot or two and do it again. It is important that you attend to the discomfort as above since the PAIN you are referring to is your EARDRUM being forced into your middle ear and stretching over the bones in your ear. It is possible (but unlikely for most people) to do damage in 8 feet of water The pressure around you when you go underwater is equal to the weight of the water above you. It only takes 33 feet of water to equal the weight of ALL the 100 000+ feet of air in the atmosphere.