Written by: Emily Joswiak • July 1, 2022• Boating

Tips To Protect Your Ears While Scuba Diving

When you take your next dive under the sea, make sure you follow these important tips to protect your ears to prevent an outer ear infection.

It’s not uncommon for people who scuba dive frequently to experience ear pain during or after diving. Forgetting to equalize or take proper care of your ears can cause severe ear infections, which can lead to ear problems and keep you from diving for a while. Use these tips to protect your ears while scuba diving to prevent infections and ear problems.

Use Special Scuba Diving Earplugs

Do not use cotton balls or other objects to try to protect your ears while scuba diving. Using standard earplugs is also dangerous because the water pressure can push the earplugs further into your ear. Instead, use special diving earplugs to protect your ears from the water pressure. If you don’t, you could get a ruptured ear drum.

Equalize Your Ears Before Diving

Equalizing your ears before and while diving is the key to protecting your ears while scuba diving. Equalizing your ears while diving is the best practice because it will help relieve the uncomfortable feeling in your eardrums.

Most divers will try to relieve ear pressure by sticking objects in their ears, but this can lead to more problems and require a trip to the audiologist if symptoms persist.

Wear a Hood While Scuba Diving

If you’re more prone to ear infections, consider wearing a hood while scuba diving. The thick material will help keep excess water, salt, and foreign particles out of your ears. Wearing a proper hood could possibly prevent you from having to clean your ears after diving.

Put Two Drops of Olive Oil in Your Ear

Putting a couple of drops of olive oil in your ears before scuba diving can prevent ear infections. The oil is water-resistant, which helps prevent bacteria from entering your ears. It also keeps your ears moisturized. The only downside is that some divers find it harder to equalize their ears when treating them with olive oil.

Protecting your ears is important to help you enjoy scuba diving without having to make a trip to your local ENT. Use these tips to protect your ears while scuba diving to get the best experience in the Florida water this summer.

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Last modified: July 7, 2022