First of all: Relax! Surfer’s Ear is not dangerous. It is not a disease, it is a condition. In other words: an anatomical special feature. But it might cost you a few surf sessions in the future. And this is what we are concerned about as your ‘Surf Docs’ and this is why Surfing Medicine International is working on this project.

Protect yourself

Depending on how severe your Surfer’s Ear is and how old you are you should consider wearing ear plugs and/or a hood. If you keep surfing in cold water the bone will keep growing. And if you surf in dirty water you will get infections way easier then surfers without Surfer’s Ear. So, get surgery and be done with it once and for all? Nope, sorry. Surgery is no easy solution since once the bone has been drilled or chipped away it will grow back if you don’t protect your ears in the water.
With the current knowledge about Surfer’s Ear these are the advantages and disadvantages of earplugs and a hood:

Ear Plugs

We do not sell any. So we have no interest in talking you into wearing them. Except for the fact that they seem to do a great job:

  • Good wind protection
  • Good protection from cold water
  • No major change of your looks
  • Injury protection (Owen Wright busted his eardrum in competition 2007 in Portugal, Sally Fitzgibbons 2015 in Fiji)

Many surfers choose not to wear them. Because no matter which brand you buy: You have to remember to bring them, put them in, take them out, not loose them, clean them every once in a while. It is a pain. And with many of them your hearing is impaired. People feel disconnected from their environment and many surfers say it affects their equilibrium. For the good ones that feature a membrane and promise less hearing impairment you have to pay around 60 Dollars, check out Doc’s Proplugs / Surfears or EQ Ear Plugs for good quality. Loosing them is pretty annoying. For cheap ones that will keep the water out just as good but the sound as go to Home Depot or a drugstore.

Neoprene Hood

  • Good wind protection
  • Keeps the whole head warm
  • Injury protection
  • Sun protection for your eyes and face

Why nobody wears them unless it is freezing? Probably because of the Kook-Look. Yes, even Julian Wilson doesn’t seem that pretty anymore with a hood on. People might drop in on you. From a medical point of view we think they protect you better against Surfer’s Ear than ear plugs because they keep the whole head warm. Let’s see if the data we are collecting supports this theory. A famous hood wearing surfer is Dr. Renneker from Ocean Beach California. He usually wears two hoods (a thin short one and a normal one with a neck part) and is probably the only surfer who spent over 40 Years surfing cold water and does not have Surfer’s Ear!

Other things that work

Care

Ear plugs and hoods are not your thing? There is still something you can do. Just like some people have drier skin than others and use lotion to take care of it, every person’s ear canal hat a different anatomy and you should look after it.

Glycerol/Alcohol (aka ‘Swimmer’s ear drops’)

Most common is the mixture with glycerol and ethanol. It fits well into the natural environment of your ear canal, especially the PH level. Depending on the country you can get the drops in drugstores, supermarkets and pharmacies. Some pharmacists can even mix them themselves. You can put a couple of drops in your ears after every surf especially when the water is dirty. They might not delay the growth of the bone but they will certainly avoid infections and blockage of your ear canal. If you do not like them (some people say they sting) talk to your pharmacist. There are other options.

Hydrogen peroxide/ agua oxigenada/ H202

This solution is easy to buy all over the world. And it is not bad to clean your ears either. However, it is more aggressive than the drops mentioned above. Most important is that you never use a mixture with more than 3% H2O2 and if your ear canal is sensitive it is better to use other drops and to dry your ear gently (for example with a blow-dryer). So if your ear is fully blocked or you surf really dirty water once a month this is a great option. If you need to use drops several times a week use the drops above.

Blow-dryer

You have water stuck in your ear and you can not get it out? This is not only irritating. Bacteria love it when it is moist, the odds to get an ear infection increase. Take a blow-dryer to get rid of the water in your ear canal. It is a simple and effective solution, you will feel the difference. Just don’t hold it too close to your ear and don’t take an extra hot one.

Answered by M. von Grote, MD and M. Goettinger, MD

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