Hi everyone,

I'm currently training for AIDA 2 and have been struggling with a very specific equalization problem that I haven't been able to figure out. My instructor thinks I mainly need to improve my glottis closure, but I feel like there may be something else happening because of some unusual symptoms.

Background

• I can Frenzel comfortably on land.
• I use a tongue-piston style Frenzel (tongue already against the roof of my mouth compressing a small air pocket), not a K/T Frenzel.
• I can perform repeated silent Frenzels on land with very little effort.
• I can also Frenzel repeatedly while upside down on land (hanging off the side of my bed).
• I have previously equalized successfully on head-up dives to around 8 m.

The problem

When I'm in the water, especially head-down, I often produce an audible squeaking/humming sound from my throat (it sounds like a long "ennnn" or humming noise).

This only happens when equalization fails.

The sound:

• is audible to other people (I recorded it on video),
• lasts as long as I'm trying to pressurize,
• does not happen during my normal gentle Frenzel on land.

Success rate by position

Head above water: almost always successful.

Head-up diving: previously successful to ~8 m.

Floating flat on the surface: about 50% successful, 50% squeak/fail.

Head-down at the surface: maybe only 10% successful. Most attempts produce the squeak and I can't equalize.

The really strange part

Whenever I get the squeak, I almost immediately end up with a stomach full of air.

I can burp large amounts of air almost immediately afterwards.

It genuinely feels like something in my throat "opens" and the pressure goes downward instead of toward my ears.

It's hard to describe, but it feels like the air is being redirected somewhere else.

This predates freediving

This is what makes me think it might not just be my Frenzel technique.

Even before I ever learned Frenzel, I had a tendency to swallow lots of air just from swimming. I'd often finish swimming needing to burp repeatedly.

So the air-swallowing issue existed long before I started freediving.

Things I've noticed

• Gentle Frenzel on land = silent.
• Forceful Frenzel on land can sometimes produce the squeak.
• Underwater, the squeak happens much more easily.
• Chin tucked seems better than chin up.
• Once the squeak happens, equalization usually fails and I end up with stomach air.

My question

Has anyone experienced something similar?

Specifically:

• audible throat squeaking during Frenzel,
• air seemingly going "down" instead of to the ears,
• stomach filling with air during equalization,
• or a tendency to swallow air while swimming that interfered with equalization.

I'm wondering if this could be some kind of swallowing/esophageal issue or soft palate/laryngeal coordination problem rather than just insufficient glottis closure.

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who's dealt with something similar or instructors who've seen this before.