u/sowetobeats

Recently got my Open Water certification in Grand Cayman and logged 7 dives. Unfortunately, I ended up with ear barotrauma and have struggled massively with equalising.

I never really managed to equalise properly, despite doing a specialised dive specifically to work on the problem with instructors and dive-master friends. Eventually the dives had to come to an end because I simply couldn't descend without significant difficulty/discomfort. On my final attempt, I was only around 5–8m deep when I developed a persistent nosebleed that continued throughout the dive. Obviously, extremely frustrating, especially as I'd already been assessed and cleared to dive by a dive ENT.

I'm now planning ahead for my next trip, which will hopefully be Dahab, Egypt around April-June 2027.

I'll be travelling with a friend who will be doing their Open Water course while we're there. My current plan is to attempt some fun dives again and see whether I can finally descend comfortably. I've also considered doing my Advanced Open Water course at the same time they're doing their Open Water course, so that once we've both finished we can spend the remainder of the trip diving together.

I'm currently pursuing further medical assessment to make sure there isn't an underlying sinus/ear issue that has been missed. So far, nobody has found any obvious red flags.

What I'm particularly interested in:

• Equalising advice: Has anyone had genuinely severe difficulty equalising despite having normal ENT examinations, and eventually found something that worked?
• Techniques, preparation, training, or habits that made a significant difference for you.
• Whether Dahab is a particularly good place to try again given the generally easy shore diving and shallow/accessible sites.
• Dive centres in Dahab: I'm looking for somewhere extremely professional, safety-focused and experienced with divers who have equalisation problems. Ideally somewhere with excellent instructors rather than simply the cheapest option.
• Accommodation/dive hotels: Any recommendations for places where the diving operation is particularly good and convenient?
• Dive sites: Which sites around Dahab are absolute must-dives for someone returning to diving?
• Whether April–June is a good period to visit, particularly in terms of water temperature, visibility and general diving conditions.
• Any other advice for planning the trip around my equalisation issues.

I'm not looking for someone to tell me to "just equalise earlier" - I've heard that one plenty of times! I'm particularly interested in experiences from people who also struggled badly with equalisation despite doing everything correctly, and eventually figured out how to make it work.

I'd also be interested in hearing from Dahab locals/instructors/divemasters about which dive operation they'd personally trust with this situation.

Thanks!!

Recently got my Open Water certification in Grand Cayman and logged 7 dives. Unfortunately, I ended up with ear barotrauma and have struggled massively with equalising.

I never really managed to equalise properly, despite doing a specialised dive specifically to work on the problem with instructors and dive-master friends. Eventually the dives had to come to an end because I simply couldn't descend without significant difficulty/discomfort. On my final attempt, I was only around 5–8m deep when I developed a persistent nosebleed that continued throughout the dive. Obviously, extremely frustrating, especially as I'd already been assessed and cleared to dive by a dive ENT.

I'm now planning ahead for my next trip, which will hopefully be Dahab, Egypt around April-June 2027.

I'll be travelling with a friend who will be doing their Open Water course while we're there. My current plan is to attempt some fun dives again and see whether I can finally descend comfortably. I've also considered doing my Advanced Open Water course at the same time they're doing their Open Water course, so that once we've both finished we can spend the remainder of the trip diving together.

I'm currently pursuing further medical assessment to make sure there isn't an underlying sinus/ear issue that has been missed. So far, nobody has found any obvious red flags.

What I'm particularly interested in:

• Equalising advice: Has anyone had genuinely severe difficulty equalising despite having normal ENT examinations, and eventually found something that worked?
• Techniques, preparation, training, or habits that made a significant difference for you.
• Whether Dahab is a particularly good place to try again given the generally easy shore diving and shallow/accessible sites.
• Dive centres in Dahab: I'm looking for somewhere extremely professional, safety-focused and experienced with divers who have equalisation problems. Ideally somewhere with excellent instructors rather than simply the cheapest option.
• Accommodation/dive hotels: Any recommendations for places where the diving operation is particularly good and convenient?
• Dive sites: Which sites around Dahab are absolute must-dives for someone returning to diving?
• Whether April–June is a good period to visit, particularly in terms of water temperature, visibility and general diving conditions.
• Any other advice for planning the trip around my equalisation issues.

I'm not looking for someone to tell me to "just equalise earlier" - I've heard that one plenty of times! I'm particularly interested in experiences from people who also struggled badly with equalisation despite doing everything correctly, and eventually figured out how to make it work.

I'd also be interested in hearing from Dahab locals/instructors/divemasters about which dive operation they'd personally trust with this situation.

Thanks!!

I'm a UK-based audio engineer with 12 years of hands-on production experience and currently in my second year of a BA in Music Production and Sound Engineering. I'm looking to take on a small number of podcast editing clients and wanted to reach out here first.

What I can help with:

- Dialogue cleanup (background noise, room tone, breath removal)

- Level balancing between hosts and guests

- Pacing and tightening, cutting dead air, filler, awkward pauses

- Consistent, broadcast-ready output on every episode

I work in Ableton Live with a professional monitoring setup, so what I deliver actually sounds right, not just "good enough on earbuds."

To get started, I'm offering the first episode at a low intro rate so you can hear the difference before committing to anything. If you like the result, we can agree a rolling rate that works for both of us. If not, no hard feelings and you've still got a cleaner episode.

Doesn't matter if you're just starting out or 200 episodes in. I'm equally happy helping someone find their feet or working with an established show.

Drop me a message or comment below if you're interested. Happy to answer any questions about my process too.