Do SurfEars Ear Plugs Work For Diving?

Do SurfEars Ear Plugs Work For Diving?

Equalising With Ear Plugs:

All divers know what equalising is and understand that there are many different ways to get it done depending on the type of dive you’re doing. The need to equalise when diving is pretty straightforward. As you go deeper underwater, water pressure increases on the outside of your eardrum, which requires you to increase the pressure from the inside of the eardrum. You can do this by letting more air into the inner ear (Boyle’s law) via the Eustachian tube which connects to your throat and nose; equalising. If you did not increase the air pressure behind your eardrum, the water pressure at increasing depths would exert increasing pressure on your eardrum, which would lead to stretching and eventually rupturing. Studies have shown that when reaching 10-15 meters underwater without equalising, the human eardrum is likely to rupture.

Scuba Diving Vs Freediving:

The need to equalise is the same whether you’re freediving or using tubes. One difference between scuba divers and freedivers however, is that free divers need to equalise quicker, since they spend less time underwater and are relying on how long they can hold their breath, but a scuba diver can stay at various depths and take more time to equalise their ears. Also, a scuba diver could have their head upright whereas a free diver would most likely have their head down, this can also affect how easy it is for freedivers to equalise their ears via their Eustachian tubes.

Why SurfEars Work For Diving:

Divers are often told not to wear earplugs because they block the space between the outer ear and the ear drum. Wearing earplugs doesn’t affect your ability to equalise your inner ear, as many people think. The risk is that as pressure increases the plug might be pushed into the ear canal and cause harm. What is smart with SurfEars ear plugs is that even though they don’t let any water through in normal pressure at the water surface, as you dive deeper and the pressure increases a very small amount of water will slip through the acoustic mesh, reducing pressure and preventing the plugs being pushed in. In Addition, if you’re diving at low depths in situations where you are maybe just snorkeling or spear fishing, the water pressure is not likely to affect the plugs in your ears at all.

If you would like to know more about SurfEars ear plugs for diving, please read this independent review of SurfEars by professional dive photographers Here or check out our SurfEars Dive Ambassador Testimonials Here.

If you have any questions about SurfEars ear plugs for diving, feel free to reach out to us Here.

Back to blog