Online coaching
Equalization Coaching
Some divers stop at 30 metres because of their ears, not their lungs. Irina Barbera coaches exactly that, one to one and dry, so you can start from home. We put it in the water when you are ready.
Where this fits
This is dry training.
Irina's first rule is that equalization is learned dry. The movements are in your tongue, throat and soft palate, and you build them on land.
Coming to Dahab is not part of the method. You are very much welcome to come and dive with us, but it is not needed to complete the coaching. You can do all of it from home.
A call first, then the work.
Half an hour on video. Where you are now, what happens when you try to equalize, and what the programme looks like.
The theory runs on SHARE's own platform and is included. From Valsalva to Frenzel, or on to mouthfill, which is advanced Frenzel. Which one depends on where you are.
A fixed number of live calls, usually done in four to eight weeks. Irina explains, answers what came up, and reviews the exercises with you.
Most of the work happens between the calls. You practise on your own, and the sessions are there so Irina can check you are practising the right thing. The Otovent is the tool for it, a balloon you inflate through one nostril.
Stuck is the normal starting point.
Two people book this. A certified freediver who sits at 30 to 35 metres and needs mouthfill to go deeper. Or a diver on Valsalva who cannot equalize once the dive turns head-down.
An AIDA or SSI course does cover equalization, but only at a basic level. Three days is not enough to practise it and build the muscle memory. That is Irina's reason for teaching it as its own thing.
You buy an Otovent and balloons yourself. Nothing else.
Who you would be working with
Irina Barbera
Our equalization coaching runs through Irina. She is a freediving instructor and coach in Dahab, and a SHARE EQ instructor. She started freediving in Lanzarote in 2020 and became an instructor in 2023.
I care more about how a dive feels than what the dive watch says. The divers who chase numbers get stuck, and the ones who work on everything else just quietly get deeper. Depth is not the goal. Depth is what happens when the rest is taken care of.
Her work on equalization is to take you from Valsalva to Frenzel, and from Frenzel to mouthfill, one step at a time.
Booking
Start with a free call.
Pick a time below. Half an hour, and you decide nothing on the call itself. Irina looks at where you are stuck and goes through the programme, and you take it from there in your own time. Nothing is booked and nothing is paid until you say so. The coaching is €200, with the SHARE course included.
Prefer to ask a question first? Message us on WhatsApp.
Frequently asked questions
Can you really learn equalization online?
Yes, because nearly all of it is dry work. Equalization is a set of movements in your tongue, throat and soft palate. You build them on land, long before you use them on a dive. That is why SHARE built the method as an online academy.
Who is equalization coaching for?
Two kinds of diver, in Irina's experience. Certified freedivers who sit at 30 to 35 metres and need mouthfill to go further. And divers on Valsalva who cannot equalize once the dive turns head-down, and need Frenzel.
How long does it take?
A fixed number of sessions, at your own pace. Four to eight weeks is the normal range. Irina goes through the exact programme on the free intro call.
What does the coaching cost?
€200 for the programme, with the SHARE course included. The intro call is free. The only thing you buy separately is an Otovent and balloons.
Do I need any equipment?
An Otovent and balloons, which you buy yourself. Nothing else, beyond somewhere quiet to practise.
What is SHARE?
An equalization protocol built by Federico Mana over more than ten years, with Giovanni Bianco, and taught online. Its courses are From Valsalva to Frenzel, Mouthfill and Handsfree. Irina is a SHARE EQ instructor and teaches the Valsalva to Frenzel and mouthfill routes.
What is the difference between Frenzel and mouthfill?
Frenzel replaces Valsalva once you go head-down. You use your tongue and throat instead of your diaphragm. Mouthfill is the step after it, sometimes called evolved Frenzel: you take a volume of air into your mouth while it is still easy to move, and equalize from that.
Do I have to come to Dahab?
No. Irina is clear that equalization is learned dry, so the coaching is complete without you ever coming here. Dahab is where we can take it into the water with you. It is an option, not a step in the method.