Earplugs are ideal for preventing water from entering your ears while swimming or participating in other water sports. But can you wear earplugs while diving as well?
Why wear earplugs in the water?
Wearing earplugs in the water:
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Prevents water from getting into your ears
Having water in your ears can be annoying. Some people experience great discomfort and irritation as a result. Earplugs prevent this by sealing the ear canal off from water. Getting water in your ears after a certain surgical procedure, such as ear tube insertion or eardrum perforation repair surgery, can result in complications. It is therefore particularly important to keep your ears dry!
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Helps to prevent ear infections and swimmer's ear
Especially when swimming in open water, there is an increased risk of ear infections and swimmer's ear, an inflammation of the skin in the ear canal. Wearing earplugs in the water prevents water and dirt from entering your ears.
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Protects your ears from the cold and wind
Water sports enthusiasts are at a higher risk of developing 'surfers' ear', a condition caused by frequent and/or prolonged exposure to cold water and wind. Wearing earplugs can help to prevent this.
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Attenuates ambient noise
A pool full of children, a busy recreational lake or a beach on a hot summer's day can get very noisy. Earplugs muffle the noise, helping to prevent annoyance and overstimulation, and providing more peace of mind.
If you want to go into the water with earplugs, make sure they are waterproof. So no yellow plugs or foam earplugs – they won't keep the water out of your ears.
Can you use any type of earplugs for diving?
Can you wear earplugs while diving? It depends on how deep you're going. Alpine water sports earplugs and other standard earplugs are only suitable for depths of up to 1 metre. To understand why, you first need to know what happens to your ears when you dive.
Underwater, the pressure changes. This affects various parts of your body, including your ears. The deeper you go, the more pressure is exerted on your eardrum. Your eardrum is pushed inwards by the pressure. To equalise the pressure between the inside and outside of your ears, you should clear your ears regularly while diving. This is one of the first things you learn in diving class. There are several ways to do this. One common method is to exhale slowly while pinching your nose shut. This pushes air from your throat upwards. Due to the increased pressure in your nasopharynx (the upper part of your throat behind your nose), air is pushed through your Eustachian tube into your middle ear. This equalises the pressure on both sides of your eardrum.
Standard earplugs are not suitable for diving as they completely block your ear canal, meaning you will not be able to clear your ears. If you want to use earplugs while diving and you're going deeper than 1 metre, you'll need special diving earplugs. These are fitted with a very small hole for pressure venting, allowing you to clear your ears.
Can I dive off a diving board while wearing earplugs?
What about wearing earplugs when diving off a diving board? When you dive into the water from the highest diving board, you usually end up more than a metre deep in the water. If you're wearing earplugs, you'll experience the same issue as when diving (not being able to clear your ears). There is also a strong possibility that your earplugs will fall out once you hit the water. Diving off a diving board with earplugs is therefore not recommended.
Conclusion
Proper swim earplugs are designed to completely seal off your ears. This is ideal for swimming and most water sports, as it prevents water from getting into your ears. If you frequently experience discomfort from water in your ear or are prone to ear infections, earplugs are essential. Are you going snorkelling, diving no deeper than one metre below the surface? Even then, you can wear Alpine SwimSafe or Alpine WaterSafe Pro earplugs while diving without any problems. However, if you are planning to obtain your diving licence or going diving with full equipment, you know you will be descending several metres. In that case, you should be able to clear your ears. This is only possible with diving earplugs that are fitted with a pressure vent hole.
