Odd question

[mskvforester]

Do anyone have trouble with water in their ears when diving? If you wear a hood and/or earplugs can u keep the water out of your ears?

I'm asking because I have a friend who has psoriasis, some of which has gotten into his ear canals, and he sometimes has trouble with water in his ears. As a consequence he has never considered diving. He is one of those people who I KNOW would love it...he loves fishing, boating, beaches, etc. He even makes beaches for a living, dredging the sand and throwing it up on the beach on the Jersey shore.

 

[seaducer]

Well I am not sure about diving, but your friend must love the Army Corps of Engineers. Before they got involved, well I remember super wide beaches when I was a kid, dredgers were for channels only. Anyway...

I have no experience with plugs, but the ones for diving are vented so I must assume water will get into your ears with them.

Water also penetrates a hood, BUT I can tell you that when I wear my 5mm hood my hair is very damp, but certainly not dripping wet.

I don't know how much trouble the psoriasis is, but there are home brew and commercially made ear dryers also, from vinegar to toilet paper to what amounts to a little blow dryer.

I will also anecdotally add that my wife had some psoriasis trouble that lasted about a year, but after a week free diving in Bonaire all her spots cleared up. Seems the salt water and sun had some therapeutic effect for her.

If it isn't a medically dangerous issue, but rather a comfort one, and he is interested I would say give it a shot. The worst thing that happens is that his problem flares up and he stops...

 

[Saltwater Junky]

Have him try this.
Pro Ear Scuba Diving Mask for all around Ear Protection - All Black Scuba Dive Diving Divers Snorkel Snorkeling Mask
by Trident

Swimming Ear Protection Diving Masks ProEar 2000

Pro Ear Scuba Diving Mask This Revolutionary mask features: Pro Ear Protects Ears from cold and infection Increase warmth and comfort by keeping the ears dry Prevents painful pressure induced ear problems Provides better underwater hearing and sense of direction Improves diver comfort Simplifies equalization of pressures while diving Perfect for cold water diving Also great for any environment where you don't want water to enter your ear canals Ear cup keeps ear dry Protects ears from pollution and cold climate High-grade hypoallergenic silicone Tempered glass lenses Fits moderately narrow to moderately wide faces Soft skirt automatically conforms to a wide range of facial profiles Large silicone strap with swivel buckles offers a secure fit Ear cups cover ears to form tight seal (make sure excesse hair is out of the way) The soft silicone Ear Covers forms a water tight seal between the ear drum and the cover The pressure buffer created has the same pressure as your nasal cavity mask when air exhaled through the nose is introduced through the Equalization Tubes Therefore the pressure experienced in your middle ear and outer ear is the same and the squeeze from the ambient will be significantly reduced Air comes into ear cups when exhaling through nose into mask and then thin tubes which run into ear cups Air allows equalization according to ambient pressure Mask, Ear Cups, and Respiratory system become a closed circuit equalized air pressure system Requires gently blow of air through nose to keep ambient pressure in mask and ear tubes Protects against ear infections, bony calcium deposits in the ear, and the cold Diver can actually SENSE which direction noise is coming from.

 

[mskvforester]

Saltwater, Do you use this? Does it work? If so, it sounds like the ideal thing for him. I've got my wife and children on board (so to speak) with the "lets try scuba diving!", but I'd love to bring a friend and his wife in as well. Just like Seaducer says, his psoriasis improves greatly during the summer when he can get to the beach, and get in the ocean a few days a week. His is a rather advanced case, he has had for many years, and has taken meds (steroids) for years to help control it.

Also, how do people feel about prescription lens in their masks? Is it a real benefit? Im not totally blind without my glasses, but I can see the advantages of being able to see the boat when coming out of the water!

 

[Saltwater Junky]

Sorry, don't use it. I've heard an instructor recommended these to someone at a dive site. So, no details about them other than what the manufacturer says.

 

[fnfalman]

Or use Doc's ventedPro Plug for DIVER. Use the Pro Plug for SWIMMER and your buddy will be in a world of hurt.

Using a hood doesn't help at all because if you don't have a bit of water under your hood to equalize, you can experience hood squeeze and it's quite painful.

 

[BDSC]

I have several friends who had trouble with water in the ears and now they wear the Doc's Pro Plugs and have not had a problem since. My wife uses them as well and loves them.

 

[padrogj]

I wish I would have seen this thread before I purchased a $130 sea-dive mask!

 

[Laurenr204]

I wish I would have seen this thread before I purchased a $130 sea-dive mask!

Did you use it and how did it work? I need to keep water out of my ears, as I have a tube in one of them. Thanks!

 

[TMHeimer]

I've never had a hood squeeze. I have had swimmer's ear and worse, in my years before diving. I found that the hood, or the vented ear plugs keeps water from going DEEP into the ears. I don't use the plugs with the hood (which is almost always) as it's the same result and the two together is awkward. Afterwords I Q-tip my ears and use ear drops. Never a problem for me doing that.