Hi Kristin, the problem you describe is the same problem we have had with many new divers or divers who haven’t been diving for a long time. Sometimes its like you described with diving in a new location and being unfamiliar with the new dive site. What happens in these situations is that the diver is biting down really hard on their regulator mouth piece which is clenching the jaw muscles clamp down on the tubes to your ears preventing the diver from being able to equalize. The answer is to try and relax, take some good deep breathes and if necessary descend feet first.. Anxiety can and does cause many problems, the best way I know of to help is talk to someone who is familiar with the dive site and get as much information as possible. Hope this helps, I know this may be information you already know but it doesn’t hurt to review from time to time.