Valsalva Maneuver

The classic equalization technique: pinch your nose and exhale gently against it to push air into the middle ears during descent.

The Valsalva maneuver is the equalization technique nearly every diver learns first. You pinch your nostrils closed through the mask, then exhale gently against the blocked nose. The increased pressure in the throat forces air up the Eustachian tubes and into the middle ears, balancing them against the rising water pressure of descent. Done early and softly, it clears the ears in a second or two and can be repeated every meter or so on the way down.

The key word is gently. Blowing hard against a blocked nose spikes pressure in the chest and inner ear and can damage the round window or rupture an eardrum, exactly the barotrauma you were trying to avoid. If an ear does not clear with light pressure, stop descending, ascend slightly, tilt the stuck ear toward the surface, and try again. Never continue down through pain.

Valsalva relies on the lungs, which makes it less suitable for freediving at depth, where the Frenzel maneuver is preferred because it uses only the tongue and throat. Many experienced scuba divers drift toward Frenzel or hands-free techniques over time, but a correct, gentle Valsalva remains a perfectly good tool for recreational diving, and it is the technique open water courses teach first for good reason: it is simple, quick to learn, and works for almost everyone.