Molded Ear Plugs for Swimming

Anyone who has ever suffered swimmer’s ear as a child or an adult will know how painful it is, and anything to prevent it will be welcomed. Also now becoming known as surfer’s ear due to the growing popularity of surfing, even in cold northern seas.

Swimmer’s ear occurs because normally the inside of the ear is coated with a layer of wax which prevents bacteria getting hold on the skin. Lots of exposure to water washes this protective surface away, giving opportunistic bacteria a chance to get a foothold and thrive, leading to pain, inflammation, discharge, and temporary loss of hearing.

Molded ear plugs are probably the best way to keep water out of your ears, and so greatly reduce the chance of contracting the infection which leads to all that suffering and inconvenience of not being able to swim or participate in other water sports, let alone the hassle of the treatment (usually anti-biotic ear drops).

The advantages of molded earplugs are that they fit snugly to the exact shape of the individual ear; this means that they achieve the triple result of maintaining the inner ear dry; being comfortable to wear; and staying in the ear despite all the turbulence around them owing to the swimmer’s strokes and turns, or surfer’s tumbles.

In the unlikely event that an ear plug falls out, then it is worth ensuring that the manufacturer guarantees it will float! In most cases the choice of colour is such they are easy to spot in a pool, not so much in the open ocean. In this case a simple neck cord will do the job.

Of course these custom made ear plugs are equally useful for other water sports where the wearer is wary of swimmer’s ear – sailing, kayaking, canyoning all come to mind.

Over the counter ear plugs are OK, but for real comfort and efficiency, custom molded ear plugs are the way to go. What price do you put on being able to hear?