Inner ear barotrauma, for example, is a condition you may encounter if you have some problems with equalizing. This is accompanied by dizziness and loss of hearing. Another medical condition that you should be aware of is pulmonary barotrauma which can happen because of improper breathing while ascending to the surface. Symptoms of this are chest pains, shortness of breath and hoarseness. You can also acquire arterial gas embolism if your ascent is too fast. Symptoms of these are numbness or tingling of the skin. Weakness or paralysis may follow so you'd better head to the nearest hospital if you end up with any of these symptoms. You should also watch out for decompression sickness which can cause the dysfunction of the spinal cord, brain and lungs.

Remember that all of these conditions are very serious and require immediate medical attention. You should also make sure that you listen to your diving instructor or guide to avoid such problems.

Before entering the water, you should do some buoyancy tests at the surface. With your BC completely deflated, try to hold an upright and motionless position. If the weights on your weight belt are properly distributed, you will float in the water at eye level. You can also try inhaling and exhaling in that position. You will notice that you'll descend every time you exhale and ascend every time you inhale. Once you've achieved the proper breathing pattern, you don't need to depend on ascending and descending with your BC too much.

The most popular method for equalizing is the Vasalva Maneuver which involves pinching one's nose and blowing gently, forcing the tubes to open with air pressure. You can also try swallowing every few minutes before entering the diver. This will allow you to get used to the "popping" that you feel in your ears whenever you swallow. This is the feeling that you are looking for when you try to do the Valsalva Maneuver under water. During your descent, do this feet first because it makes it easier for you to open your Eustachian tubes. You should also try looking up when you do your Valsalva Maneuver because extending your neck can help in opening your eustachian tubes.