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How to prevent Ear InfectionsUpdated a year ago

There are several good ways to prevent an ear infection from occurring whilst diving, and not all of them involve spending money!

Good Practices

There are a few things you can do to prevent ear infections, and they should become part of your diving routine if you are concerned or prone to getting infections.

  • Rinse Your ears after diving! It sounds simple, but as the salt from the water dries out in your ear, you are opening yourself up to an infection, so just by rinsing out your ear with fresh water after diving, you are drastically reducing the risk of getting an infection.
  • Avoid the communal "Ear Wash" - The bottle of solution is passed around to all the divers at some dive centres. This has been in everyone's ear and is a great place actually to get an ear infection.

 

Preventative solutions

Our favourite is to stop the infection from happening in the first place, for we'd strongly recommend Earol, which uses Tea Tree Oil to create a natural layer over your eardrum (Tympanic Membrane) to prevent water from entering the inner ear.

Other options are Swim-Seal and Swim-Eze.

 

Ways to stop water from getting in your ear

There are also a couple of good hardware options available that physically stop the water from entering your ear in the first place, which is a great way to reduce the risk of an ear infection!

  • Doc's Pro Plugs - These vented earplugs are designed to be used in diving applications. They are vented to allow the air to pass through them (So you can still equalise!), but a well-fitting pair will not allow water into your ear.
  • Pro Ear Masks - This mask has sealed cups with a seal around your ears in the same way a mask seals around your face and are designed to keep your ears completely dry! They are linked by a small tube to the air space on your mask, so there are now equalising issues either.
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