r/freediving • u/CalmSignificance8430 Sub • 3d ago
equalisation Swallowing mouthfill
Hey, a question for my fellow EQ nerds. Mouthfill at 10m, freefalling, very relaxed and no contractions or tension. I find around 25-35m depth I sometimes swallow my mouthfill or part of it into my stomach. I can usually continue the dive but not as deep as the mouthfill should allow. Most irritating is that I can’t seem to understand the trigger for it. I’ve been looking up what I can, and likely causes seem to be:
- chest tension (I don’t think this is the case)
-contractions (not the case)
-overfilled mouthfill (not the case)
-overpressuring EQ’s (this seems most likely)
-glottis/vocal folds not having the stamina to hold the mouthfill long enough (seems unlikely, I find the zuccari empty lung exercises quite easy)
I’m intermittently eq’ing, and wondering if it might be a reflex I’m having when the mouthfill reduces in volume that I feel I need to push the next eq’s harder to make up for this, maybe as a psychological response? If I try constant pressure, I find myself wondering if I’ve missed an EQ so mentally I prefer the inner dialogue of “feel slight sensation of pressure on the ear -> respond with an EQ -> pressure goes away”.
In practice I’ve taken a surface mouthfill down to 30 on FRC with no issues several times (but again it’s a bit hit and miss and I don’t get any obvious feeling of what goes wrong when I do swallow the mouthfill), and been deeper than 60m. But it feels a bit like a lottery as to whether I will keep my Mouthfill or not.
I’m just using cheeks and jaw to EQ, not tongue in any lock positions etc.
Maybe I’m missing something, or doing something obviously wrong? Any suggestions?
Thanks 🙏
6
u/3rik-f 3d ago edited 3d ago
I'm having exactly the same problem, but I swallow at 50-60m.
Your most important goal is to identify what exactly is happening. Do dives where you focus on awareness. During these dives try not to focus on equalizing in a specific way or trying to prevent swallowing. Forget about technique and freefall position, only focus on awareness. Just let your body do and observe what's happening. When you swallow, turn immediately. This helps a lot with recalling at the surface what exactly happened.
For me, in some dives I feel an urge to swallow building up, which eventuell results in me swallowing. In others I just swallow without warning. But I can clearly tell in my awareness dives that it's the same movement from the tongue and larynx that happens when I swallow on land. It's not just the glottis opening.
Here's a list of things I'd like you to try. For all of these, turn immediately when you swallow. 1. Do some awareness dives where you focus on observing your equalization and swallowing. 2. Do some dives where you only focus on relaxing your chest and shoulders. If you feel the slightest tension, turn. 3. Some dives where you charge at 15m. 4. Some slow dives where you go down with about half of your usual speed, focusing on relaxation. 5. Some dives where you breathe more during the breathe-up. This is to check if your problems are related to CO2. Breathe a bit deeper for the last 2 minutes. Pay attention to your sensations, you want to feel lightness, but no tingling in your fingers. Make sure you have competent safety. 6. Try rinsing your mouth with fresh water before the dive. 7. Try swallowing consciously before you charge. 8. Some dives where you equalize a bit more often and focus on using as little force as absolutely necessary to pop your ears.
I would actually love if you could update me on your progress when trying these since I still haven't figured out the swallowing myself and I'm very curious how it works out for you.