I don’t mean to alarm you, but… surfer’s ear

You know how you sometimes wish you were ignorant and lived happily, not knowing certain things? Yeah, me too. Until I dived into the world of surfer’s ear. And since now I am terrified, I want you to be as scared shitless as I am. Let’s panic together!

Never have I been more pleased with the fact that I didn’t surf more in the UK or NorCal—or that I didn’t surf more in the last 17 years, period.

I am not easily prone to paranoia, but when I came across a study on surfer’s ear, I immediately stood to attention. So, a bunch of otorhinolaryngological scientists wanted to see whether wearing ear protection while surfing—specifically earplugs or a surf hood—actually helps prevent surfer’s ear.

so what is surfer’s ear anyway

Before we jump into the results, more on what surfer’s ear actually is. It is an external auditory exostosis (EAE), which basically means that extra bone grows inside your ear canal. Why? This is in response to repeated cold water and wind exposure. How? Your body goes: “Let me protect this ear,” and overdoes it. As a result, bone growth narrows the ear canal, and the more it closes, the less you hear.

Oh—and surfer’s ear is not like swimmer’s ear. It’s not an infection, and it’s not reversible.

the study that ruined my day

Back to the study. The ear scientists followed a group of surfers on the Brittany coast in France over about a year and a half. For each surfer, they asked questions about their surfing habits, took photos inside their ears, and had two different clinicians assess how blocked each ear canal was.

Then they compared how blocked the ears were, how much time surfers spent in the water, and whether they wore earplugs, a surf hood, or nothing.

This is the bad part. Ready? They found that almost 90% of the surfers had surfer’s ear (yep, almost everyone). On average, ears were about 38% blocked, and it was worse if you were a dude and had been surfing for many years.

They also learned that the more time you surf without any ear protection, the worse surfer’s ear gets—and that the hood protects you from surfer’s ear exactement zilch. Holy crap.

For someone who’s never worn earplugs while surfing, learning that wearing earplugs while surfing can save you from surfer’s ear—well, holy crap.

denial is a powerful thing

I know what you’re thinking: this is not gonna happen to me. But it may, slowly slowly catchy monkey, and you may not be able to enjoy the Super Bowl halftime show in 2046 because you’re deaf.

I said it’s not reversible, but it is fixable. It’s just a pain in the arse. A surgeon goes into your ear and starts chiseling if you’re lucky, or drilling if you’re unlucky with your choice of surgeon. While the recovery time and how painful it is varies, it will invariably keep you out of the water for a month—or even two.

I can hear your brain cogs turning… no, no, no, nothing to do with me. I don’t surf enough. I don’t surf in cold water. My sessions never last that long. I don’t surf when it’s windy. Really, I only surf in the tropics!

here’s the annoying part

The issue is, because surfer’s ear is not as apparent—like surfer’s eye, for instance—you may not even notice until it’s too late. Unless, of course, you get your ears checked out on a regular basis.

At the very early stages, you feel that nothing is different. As it progresses, you get a feeling of blocked ears, water trapped in the ear after surfing, frequent ear infections, then muffled hearing, and eventually pain in cold or windy conditions. Crikey.

how much surfing is “too much”

Now, how much do you need to surf for this to even become a problem? There’s no exact formula, I’m afraid. “Regular surfing” is mentioned, so we’re guessing 2–4 times a week?

But what matters more is water temperature (cold = bad—but wait, see below), wind matters almost as much as water temperature, and session length (shorter is better). Consistency, conditions, and lack of protection are the real killers here.

In the past, it was agreed that surfer’s ear develops in exposure temperatures lower than 19°C / 66°F—but the Australians spoiled it for everyone. They did a study on surfers on the Gold Coast (warm temps) and discovered that 72% of surfers were afflicted by surfer’s ear. Argh!

so… earplugs then?

Okay, so what do we do with this information? Do we get ear protection? I guess so. According to the studies, protecting your ear canals from exposure is just the ticket.

The downside? There’s something in your ear while you’re surfing, and depending on what this is, it will affect how much you hear in the surf.

Here are some options to consider to protect you from surfer’s ear:

• Mack’s Aqua Block: it’s a cheap solution ($10 for 3 pairs), it doesn’t come with a leash, so it’s easy to lose, and it blocks sounds. But the US swimming team loves them apparently. Says “for surfing” on the packet.
• Mack’s Ear Seals: come with a leash, and for $15 you get three pairs. Mentions “water sports” on the packet.
• There’s a big selection of silicone plugs in the L or is it D shape that fit into your ear and let more sound in (The Intertia likes: Eartune Aqua U) or just mold into your ear and are more for noise reduction (we like Mac’s Pillow Soft), prices vary, but cheaper than…
• Surfears: expensive ($60), but come with a leash and a wee pouch, and a minimal. sound reduction. Many surfers swear by them “they are awesome”, some surfers are less impressed: “they are alright, nothing special”.

I will be trying all of the above under $20 and reporting back. Here goes chit chatting in the lineup. All that’s left is smiling because ear protection.