[Donnah (OP)]

Recently I became a scuba diver.  Since the course, my ears have been annoyingly itchy.  I'm thinking of mixing a drop of tea tree oil in with either olive oil or emu oil and putting it in my ears to kill any bacteria.  Is this a good idea?

[tweener]

How would you ever get the oil out?  My doctor always recommended using alcohol.  It makes your ear really cold for a few minutes.  If you really have an infection, it really hurts!  That way you know it's working.  I don't go to that doctor anymore.


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John

[roberth]

Congratulations Donnah, scuba diving is an enjoyable and rewarding experience.I went through various scuba courses and reached the level of Rescue Diver many years ago. I've never heard of anyone developing itchy ears from diving (many other problems with your ears can occur). Are you sure it's related to the diving? If it's an ear infection, it can affect your ability to equalise your ears while descending, which can cause other more serious problems. I wouldn't recommend using anything in your ears, but rather get your ears looked at by a specialist to see what is causing the itch. If the problem is an infection, resolve it prior to diving again. The cooler water temperature may cause the oil to become less viscous and cause more permanent damage when the pressure from the water pushes it further into your ears.
And John, alcohol is for drinking, not pouring in your ears.

[Donnah (OP)]

I meant just putting the melaleuca and oil in one ear, leave it for a minute, then drain that ear and repeat on the other side to clean them out.  But I suppose you're right, I'll get them checked *sigh*.

Thanks Roberth, it's an addictive activity isn't it?  Took me a minute to get the breathing.  I'm accustomed to breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth when exercising.  After a few snorts of water my brain got it sorted out.  Is there lots of good diving Australia way?  Know any good spots anywhere else?  What do you find is most effective for equalizing?  I found that when I swallowed I couldn't breathe at the same time, and you have to breathe constantly.  Likewise for pinching my nose; and wiggling my jaw just wasn't cutting it.

[bezoar]

Donnah,
Had a problem with itching ears a while back, and after many home remedies that didn't work, I found that vinegar on a Qtip worked best.  I only had cider vinegar, so that's what I used, but I think the main thing was that it made the pH of the skin slightly acidic, which it should be, and whatever was making it itch went away.

[Donnah (OP)]

Hey, thanks Nancy, that's much easier than going to the doctor.  I'll try it.

[roberth]

Hi Donnah,
Yeah, there is good diving everywhere. The spots around Sydney have improved considerably since the Government cleaned up our waterways and the marine life and coral outcrops are fairly abundant. Visability has improved from about 30' to over 60. I used to do a bit of travelling with my work, and I always managed to get a dive in where ever I went. Taking my own equipment made it a lot easier. Apart from the diving in the Great Barrier Reef, off Australia's north east coast, I think my best diving experiences were in New Guinea and Fiji. Unlimited visability, diving along a 200' drop off at 80', off the Coral Coast of Fiji, is still my favourite dive.
After some practice and experience, I find just stretching my neck to the side equalises my ears without any problem. Also, if you keep the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth while breathing, any liquids or solids that enter your regulator will not be breathed in. It's no fun to breath in a mouthful of salt water while enjoying a dive.
Where are you diving? Diving in the tropics without a wetsuit is very enjoyable, but I guess it wouldn't be possible in Canada.

[Donnah (OP)]

Hi Robert,
Looking forward to doing my first open water dive.  Then I'll be better able to understand what you are saying.  I don't know what it's like to see any further than the pool walls.  A 200' drop at 80' sounds pretty incredible.  As a new diver my depth limit is 60'.  I'll try stretching my neck to the side to equalize.  Sounds logical.  Thanks.  

Lots of people dive locally, just not at this time of year.  I don't expect to be diving locally 'cause it's too darn cold for my blood.  We're heading south soon to find something warmer.

[Quantumcat]

I went snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef when I was about seven, it is the most beautiful place underwater you could ever possibly, concievably imagine. I'm not joking =)

Am I dead? Am I alive? I'm both!

[roberth]

I have also dived in the Great Barrier Reef many times. Why travel abroad to go diving when some of the best diving is only a couple of thousand kilometres north! Also, the diving off the west coast, between Perth and Rottnest Island is very spectacular. (Bit far to drive, though.)
Donnah, I can't imagine how cold the water is there, here at the moment it's about 23 degrees C (73 deg F)and during winter it gets down to about 17 degrees (63 deg F). That's still fairly warm and only needs a light wetsuit. Diving in the open water is a lot more fun than in a pool and I'd lay money you can't wait.

[Donnah (OP)]

Robert, the water here has ice on it or in it at the moment.  The pool was 80F and I was only cold on the first scuba day because I wasn't familiar with the gear and spent about five hours diving with a fully loaded weight belt.  I was ticked that the instructor hadn't corrected my mistake because I told her the weights (about 12 or 15 of them) were digging into my back.  Turns out I only need two or three weight pellets.  Not sure what the temperature of our water is in the summer, but it's warm enough to swim, so I guess I could toughen up a bit and try it.  You're right, I'm itching to get into the open water, and we're leaving in about three weeks for the southern US and Mexico (YAY).