does smoking effect your time under water or really does it not do too much?

TG wrote: Are you using the Frenzel technique? PS: If I get this under control, I'm sure things are going to look up much more than what they are now!

Yes, I use Frenzel all the time - it's a fundamental part of deep diving. I can hardly equalise at all head-down using Valsalva, not enough pressure.

It will give you a lot more control, you just need to remember to periodically open your throat and shift some air up into your mouth to equalise with. Every few equalisations, you also need to let go of your nose and puff a bit of air into your mask to avoid mask squeeze.

Frenzel should be fairly straightforward. The coordination required to bring up air and periodically equalise your mask can be more difficult as the timing is important on a freedive (scuba divers don't have to worry so much about sequence 'cos they descend slower).

The Frenzel action is the opposite of sucking through a straw. Note than when you suck in through a straw, you don't use your chest to inhale. Instead, you close your throat and drop the back of your tongue to create the vacuum. Try reversing this action (suck in then try to spit back out but close your mouth and nose). As long as you have your soft palate open (allowing the air to get to your nasal cavity) then that's basically the Frenzel technique and should generate plenty of pressure.

Thsi straw analogy makes alot of sense to me Dave, only way now is that I seem to inflate my cheeks when I close my mouth and nose and do the reverse straw thing! I seem to be getting there though.

Gotta relax (open) the soft palate to allow airflow into your nasal cavity. To describe what this means:

Breathe in and out through your mouth only = soft palate closed
Breathe in and out through your mouth and nose = soft palate relaxed/open.

I found that doing a swallowing action when doing the piston thing with the tonque pops my ears. That good or should I not swallow at all?

Ahhh, think I got it. I can now pop them with my tongue, I do notice that sometimes my Epiglotus doesn't close completely and some air rushes down there with a few weird sounds coming out. But now that I got it right I see what you guys mean, it is so much easier and it takes so much less effort to pop your ears than using the Valsalva method. 

TG wrote: Just a little more on Equalizing if no-one minds: 1. When do you equalize the first time, before you dive down or once your ears start hurting or just before you know your ears are going to want to explode? 2. Is it safe to say that you equalize more or less every 4 metres and that on a dive of 10 metres you would most probably only equalize twice?

1: First equalisation is before you leave the surface.
2: The more often you equalise, the less pressure you put your ears under. That means more time in the water before they get bunged up. On a dive to 10m, I'd probably equalise six or seven times, though I could get away with two or three.

Good stuff, thanks Azazel.

Another question:

My hood on my wettie seems to be too big. I would like to cut it down a little but as life goes, I do not want to spoil the suit. I find it very hard getting my mask on as the hood always get stuck under the mask skirtings. HELP. Is there any sort of guideline as to where to hood should sit. I don't have a massive head so I think it is overwhelming my face a little!

long john wrote: ...Most fish you see only after being on the bottom for a time. ...

wicked, thanks for the comprehensive answer Long John.
I suppose stuff like this is obvious for 99% of the people on this forum, but this basic stuff is gold to guys like me with minimal experience.