Earplugs - Silicone

There are perhaps more reasons than you might think, past the obvious 'to keep water out of my ear'.

Many people simply don't like water going in and out of your ear. That’s one reason — comfort.

Cold water going in and out of the ear can cause exostosis — surfers' ear. That's another reason. Read below.

But another lesser known reason is prevention of loss of balance whilst finishing a swim in the transition to standing up. The constant sloshing of water back and forth against the eardrum, when moving your head whilst breathing, upsets the balance section of the ear — the semicircular canals. An earplug prevents this so that when you come to stand up out of your swim, your balance is intact. Did you know that?

Silicone plugs:

Roll the silicone to a rounded point and insert them a little ways into your ear canal. Not far, just to locate them. then smear the bulk across the ear canal to make a barrier and seal.

Xmas Tree plugs:

Insert into ear canal until they feel secure. The attached cord to prevent loss you can position under your swim cap or leave hanging free if it doesn't get in the way. The plastic cord material does not get annoyingly stuck to the Velcro of the neck closure. Alternatively cut the cord off. We won't mind.

This is where an internal bone section in the ear canal swells due to repeated exposure to cold water and wind. Wearing earplugs for swimming in cold water can help prevent exostosis. 

Exostosis, is a benign bony outgrowth, a bone spur that can affect various parts of the body, such as the ear — and is often called "surfer's ear". It is essentially a bony spur covered with cartilage.

These bony growths can cause problems like pain and inflammation due to pressure on surrounding tissues or by trapping debris and water leading to ear infections. Prevention, like wearing ear plugs is common. In severe cases of surfer's ear, the ear canal can become blocked, leading to repeated infections and hearing loss. 

Surgical intervention may be recommended for exostoses for severe cases or complications that cause pain or significantly close the ear canal.

Many people use Blu-tac. It’s actually a pretty good solution truth be told!

A nicer option are the squidgy silicone pastels. The silicone is nicer in the ear than blu-tac but the silicone moldable pastels have a finite life after you’ve pushed them in and out of your ears a number of times. We find about 3 weeks per pastel per ear is about all the life you will get, for say 3 swims a week.

Another option is the ‘Xmas Tree’ earplugs which are really good for keeping the water out as you are able to secure them well into the ear canal. But you really can’t hear anything much once they are in.

Want to still hear whats going on around you? Try our 'Fresh Ears' ear plugs here.