Probably the hardest thing for most new divers to get used to when they first start going
underwater is clearing their ears. (btw: that’s a picture of an ear there on the right). Even if you’ve been
diving a while it can seem uncomfortable to depressurize. And of course, diving with a cold or a stuffy head
is a complete no-no since it makes depressurizing so difficult and can cause pain and ear damage (ask a friend of mine
who’s now partially deaf in one ear because he didn’t think it mattered whether he cleared his ears or now). Here’s
an article that talks about depressurizing
and gives a few tricks how to do it well – and often (remember you should clear your ears about every 5 vertical feet).
Even if you’re an experienced diver, give it a read because you’ll probably learn something.