Raja Ampat, Komodo, Wakatobi, or elsewhere?

[Luko]

1. An ENT made me quit cleaning my ears with swabs. In fact, he said he preaches against q-tips in the same manner a cardiologist preaches against cigarettes. To keep clean use a littkle soap on your index finger and be done with it. Some ear wax buildup is your friend.

2. I started using "Ear Beer" at the end of every dive day. Mix up a 1:1 solution of 70 % rubbing alcohol (easily found in Indonesia) and white vinegar. Lay down in bed, fill you ear canal, let it marinade for a minute or two and do not rinse afterward. Ear beer will not cure an infection but is great preventative.

Same same, I was really heavy on cotton swabs and didin't realize how bad they are.
Since I quit and used vinegar solution in my ears after each dive, I didn't experience any ear infection anymore.
+ Otolin in case it gets really bad.

 

[Dan]

May be I just have been lucky to not getting exposed to the bad bacterias while diving. I have dove in some filthy, trashy bottom harbor like in Lembeh and still have never gotten ear infection (knock on wood). All I do after diving is what I normally do after shower, that is dry the ear with Q-tip. Keep the ears dry in most of the day as the bacterias like to grow in dark & humid environment, like mushrooms.

One thing I learn early in diving experience is to keep the ear drums relax (little to no stress from flexing of the drum tissues due to the differential pressure) throughout the dives, especially in the first 30' (10m) where the changing pressure is at the greatest, from 1 to 2 atmospheres, by constantly equalize (pinching my nose & pop the ear) every 3' (1m) of descent regardless I feel the ear pressure or not. My thought is relax ear drums are happy, healthy and stronger ear drums against potential attack by the bad bacterias. I could be wrong in this logical thinking, but it works for me for the last 12 years & almost 600 dives (again, knock on wood).

 

[Freewillow]

I do shower after every dive and use "bottled water" ear drops after the shower. Never got ear infection in 25 years and 800 dives.