Hey Guys there was a post on some ear damage, so i thought a good thread would be ear care.

I have once had a perforated ear drum while diving. Don't need to bore you with the details but I could hear it happening. WIIIIIIZZZZZZ then POP. I swam back up to the surface in a spiral as my balance was immediately out of sync and I vomited due to the pain.

I had loads of tissue fluid seeping out of my ears and especially at nigh for like 4 weeks (the clear stuff that you get coming out of a roastie).

I went to the doc and stayed out the water for 6 weeks as instructed.

Any way here are a few tips that I have now learned in terms of keeping my ears all good for diving.

PLEASE ADD TO THE LIST IF YOU HAVE GOOD SUGGESTIONS.

If I am diving a few days in a row I use swim seal drops before diving. These are oily drops which help to line the skin in your ear and helps prevent infection.

After showering after my dive I use swim sport drops which are basically surgical alcohol and it mixes with the water left in your ears and helps to dry it out. It also kills bugs and if it stings like crazy you have some raw skin (infections of tear) so you know something is not right.

I also don't use a ear bud more than say once a month. Ear wax is a natural ear cleaner and actually good for you. Sure it should not build up too much and can get all gunkie with fine sand or salty.

And lastly if your sinus is all blocked and you cant equalize get try and clear your nose and also put your finger on your jaw bone just near your ear and give it a good shake. Try and very gently equalize out of the water and you may hear a light pop as the blockage is gently cleared. Never try and blow out harder when you are diving down. If you are not equalizing then stop your decent and swim back up. You will cause damage if you push it.

My 2c and hope to get the ball rolling.

Awesome post Dazz! Very keen to see what comes out here.

I've had exactly the same happen to me and it was horrible!

Instead of using swimmer's ear or swim sport drops, a mixture of equal parts alcohol, tea tree oil and glycerine works well too after diving. I used to get ear infections after every single dive trip but those drops seemed to do the trick.

When I've got blocked sinuses while diving, a good old salt-water snort and spit mostly always does the trick, but it's always a good idea to have some saline or nasal spray on board to open up the sinuses.

you will be amazed at how closely sinus can effect your ears... im with PJ a good salty water snort gets excess mucus out of the sinus passages...

i do the same as dazz in terms of ear care after dive ... and because of the middle ear infection that put me in hospital, i use SANEX Sinus Rinse one a day ... clear sinuses clear ears... well in my case anyway.

Will try that Sanex rinse stuff. Thanks

I know that some people are against it because it ups your heart rate but I use sudafed if I am going to be doing dives over 15m. This is more for after my dives as I get sinus headaches but it does help keep them open.

Good thread Dazz,

I learned the hard way, I have partial hearing loss and tinnitus in both ears, it’s terrible.

I also use Swim Seal and it works great for me, especially in cooler waters. I read a very interesting article some time ago that rinsing your ears out with clear vinegar after a water session assist in the prevention of fungal growth in ear channels... I'm not sure how true this is.

I must try SANEX SINUS RINSE, my sinus have kicked in aggressively this year.

Thnx guys, keep the goods coming.

It's actually Salex sinus rinse. One of the ENTs here in Durban uses a formulation of his own
2-3 heaped teaspoons salt (NOT table salt - get pure sodium chloride from the pharmacy)
1 rounded teaspoon sodium bicarb
mix in 1 litre pre boiled & cooled water
Can keep this solution for up to a week but then must discard any unused portion. If the solution seems a bit strong reduce the amount of saly to 1 1/2- 2 teaspoons.

Vinegar creates an acidic enviroment which infecting organisms don't like so it does work. A homemade formulation that you can use is 1/3 white vinegar and 2/3 isopropyl alcohol. Just be cautious using alcohol solutions as they can dehydrate the skin and leave you with an eczema like reaction.