Surf Earplugs: Prevent Surfer's Ear With the Right Protection

Surfing, kitesurfing or windsurfing in cold water and strong wind is great, but in the long run your ear canal suffers. A common result is surfer’s ear: bone growth in the ear canal that slowly makes it narrower. This article explains what surfer’s ear is, how it develops, who is at risk and how to prevent it with the right surf earplugs.

What is surfer’s ear?

With surfer’s ear, bone grows in your ear canal in response to cold water and wind. The medical name is exostoses of the external auditory canal. Your body tries to protect the bone around your ear canal against the cold and slowly adds extra bone. As a result, the ear canal gets narrower and narrower.

Surfer’s ear is not the same as swimmer’s ear. Swimmer’s ear is an inflammation of the skin that comes on within a few days. Surfer’s ear develops over years. They are linked, though: in a narrower ear canal, water and earwax get trapped more easily, and then you are more likely to get an infection. How to recognise and treat swimmer’s ear is explained in swimmer’s ear and ear pain after swimming.

How does surfer’s ear develop?

At first you notice nothing. Only when the ear canal has become a good deal narrower do symptoms appear:

• water that stays in your ear for a long time after surfing;
• a muffled or blocked feeling, especially after a session;
• recurring ear infections;
• ear pain;
• hearing less well, once the ear canal is almost closed.

You cannot diagnose surfer’s ear yourself. A GP or ENT doctor (ear, nose and throat doctor) sees the bone growth when looking into your ear. As long as there are no symptoms, treatment is usually not needed. But the bone does not disappear by itself and keeps growing if you carry on surfing without protection. If the ear canal is almost completely closed, or you keep having infections or hearing loss, an ENT doctor can remove the bone surgically. After that you have to stay out of the water for several weeks, and without protection it can come back.

Who is at risk?

Anyone who regularly surfs, kitesurfs or windsurfs can develop surfer’s ear. Two factors weigh most heavily: how cold the water is, and how long and how often you are in it.

That last study is the most relevant for anyone who surfs in northern European waters: the same cold water, the same wind. The researchers also found that the bone growth progresses faster in wind- and kitesurfers than in ordinary surfers. They think the wind cools the ear canal even more as the water in it evaporates. Recreational surfers who only go in the water a few times a year are at lower risk, but for them too, every year counts.

How to prevent surfer’s ear

The best way to prevent surfer’s ear is to protect your ear canal against water, cold and wind.

1. 1Wear surf earplugs. Earplugs that seal the ear canal keep cold water and wind out. Custom-made, they seal best and stay in place.
2. 2Wear a neoprene cap or hood in cold water. It covers your ears and neck and keeps the wind off. You notice the difference especially when kitesurfing and windsurfing.
3. 3Warm up when your ears get cold or painful. The longer you spend in cold water and strong wind, the stronger the stimulus.
4. 4Keep your ear canal dry. After surfing, tilt your head so the water runs out and dry the outside of your ear with a towel. No cotton buds.

Custom surf earplugs: the Dry Ears

Universal plugs from the surf shop do their job for a while, but they come in a standard size. If there is a gap, cold water still gets in, and they easily come loose in a wipeout. That is why we make the Dry Ears from an impression of your ear.

• Water filter with about 5 dB attenuation. Water and wind stay out, but you can still hear the waves, your instructor and other surfers.
• Detachable cord with clip. For surfing and kiting, so the plugs stay with you when you wipe out.
• Soft, floating silicone. Comfortable under a hood, and a plug that does come loose stays on the surface.
• Made in our 3D lab in Eindhoven. Production takes about 15 working days, and a rush order is available. At least 2 years' warranty and a 6-month comfort guarantee.

The Dry Ears cost €119.95 and the fitting is free, at our locations in the Netherlands, Belgium or Paphos (Cyprus). Not near one of our locations? Have impressions taken locally and send them to us. Rinse them with tap water after a session in the sea and let them dry well; you will find more tips in how to clean earplugs. Want to hear music in the water too? Then read listening to music while swimming.

Earplugs for water sportsKeep cold water and wind out of your earsCustom surf earplugs, with a cord and floating material. View the options

Sources

• Kroon, D.F. et al. (2002): Surfer’s ear: external auditory exostoses are more prevalent in cold water surfers, Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery
• Wegener, F., Wegner, M. and Weiss, N.M. (2022): External auditory exostoses in wind-dependent water sports participants: German wind- and kitesurfers, European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology
• Vallée, A. (2024): External auditory exostosis among surfers: a comprehensive and systematic review, European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology