I get that at a surface level, no pun intended, it’s to prevent water from entering the nostrils. But is there more to it than that? I can swim in a pool without plugging my nose and don’t have any issues. Does water pressure play a role, are there certain depths where nose clips are/are not required?
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So they can equalise the pressure in their ears (the Valsalva manoeuvre) without having to pinch their nose with their hand as they descend.
I’ve had to scrub some dives because of having a cold and not being able to pop my ears, you hit 15m going down and haven’t equalised your ears you’ll feel like someone is trying to drive a knife into your head.
To be able to equalise air spaces in the ears, divers must push air to the middle ear through their eustachian tubes by increasing pressure in the upper airways. This can be done through the Valsalva technique, but more preferably the Frenzel technique. An increase in air pressure will first release through the nose if not blocked.
Divers need to hold their nose if wearing a mask (whilst still allowing for mask equalisation) but deeper divers will use a nose clip to avoid needing a mask or holding their nose whilst descending. It’s more streamlined this way.
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