I grew up free diving, so maybe I’ve gotten used to equalizing my ears?

If you have trouble clearing, is what we call it, then scuba might be a better bet, since you can slowly descend, unlike free diving/snorkeling, unless of course you have a good breath hold.

If you really would love to dove with humpbacks and you cannot equalize well, I suggest trying it out in a pool, more controlled environment and you know the depth.

Since that’s a bucket list dive for me as well, I would t hesitate to visit an ENT, if my sinuses was bothering me, as it very well could be something, if all else fails.

I hope you get to cross that for your bucket list.

Family friend of ours did Fiji about 2 decades ago, and speaking about how effortlessly the mantas swam was incredible to hear.