Do Freedivers Wear Earplugs?

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Freedivers may wear earplugs but they must be vented earplugs designed for diving. Evidence for the benefits of these earplugs is still limited and more research is needed.

Some fredivers do wear earplugs; however, freedivers should not wear any earplugs which are not specifically designed for freediving. It is vital that freedivers are able to equalize the pressure in their ear airspace as they descend and ordinary earplugs can prevent this. Wearing the wrong earplugs during a freedive can lead to serious ear injuries and potential deafness.

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If you’re wondering whether freedivers wear earplugs then this article should be useful for you to read. We tell you more about which types of earplugs are suitable and unsuitable for freediving, how to protect your ears during a freedive and how the potential impacts of freediving on the ears.

Contents hide

1 Can you wear earplugs while free diving?

2 How do free divers protect their ears?

3 Do divers wear ear plugs?

4 What are vented ear plugs?

5 Does freediving hurt your ears?

6 Do divers get water in their ears?

7 How do I stop my ears from hurting when freediving?

8 Do you have to decompress when freediving?

9 References

Can you wear earplugs while free diving?

You can wear earplugs while freediving if you choose to, but you should only wear earplugs which are specifically designed for diving at the depths you will reach. Wearing ordinary earplugs will prevent you from being able to equalize the pressure in your ears as you descend during your dive, pulling the eardrum forward and leading to serious discomfort and potentially permanent injury to your ears and hearing.

How do free divers protect their ears?

Freedivers protect their ears by learning techniques to equalize the pressure in their ears as they dive. The best equalization technique for freediving is said to be the Frenzel maneuver, carried out by closing the epiglottis and creating pressure at the back of the throat using the tongue. Your efforts should force air flow through the Eustachian tubes and into the middle ear, which then equalizes the airspace pressure.

Tips for clearing and protecting the ears during a freedive include:

equalizing ear pressure even before you dive, perhaps by chewing gum,
descend feet downward instead of head downward, looking upward to extend your neck and help open the eustachian tubes,
equalize even when you are not feeing any pressure or pain,
descend slowly at a controlled rate
pause or stop stop your dive immediately if you experience ear pain.

If you find that you cannot equalize the pressure in your ears you should not continue a dive. You could try ascending slightly and repeating equalization maneuvers. If you are still unable to equalize, you need to abort your diving plans at that time. NB Sinus or ear infections and blockages might affect your diving capability and you should never dive if you have a cold.

Do divers wear ear plugs?

Divers who experience repeated minor ear infections (e.g. swimmer’s ear) or irritation from cold water, may choose to wear special vented earplugs in order to minimize water ingress to the ear airspace. Medical research on the benefits of vented earplugs for diving is sparse.

What are vented ear plugs?

Vented ear plugs are an alternative to normal earplugs and some are specifically designed for diving. Vented plugs contain a narrow air channel and holes for venting between the water and the ear canal. Holes in the ear plug usually connect to a pressurization valve without allowing water to enter the ear canal.

Vented plugs for diving are normally made of a soft polymer and form a tight seal when inserted. While many manufacturers claim that their plugs help in equalizing the ears, preventing infection, reducing the chance of vertigo or thermal shock etc.. there is little scientific evidence to prove these claims.

Divers who are prone to ear infection or suffer discomfort from cold water in their ears may choose to use vented earplugs. They run the risk of an ear plug vent being blocked during a dive, creating barotrauma. If blockage occurs they must quickly remove the earplug.

Does freediving hurt your ears?

Pressure underwater is significantly greater than air pressure at sea level on land. You will experience double normal air pressure at 10 meters depth, with pressure increasing by another 1 bar for every further 10m of descent. Airspaces in the body are compressed as pressure increases, including those inside the ear, which can be reduced to less than half their normal volume.

Freediving without proper preparation and understanding of how to equalize pressure in the ears could cause discomfort and damage. Well-trained and experienced freedivers without existing ear issues should not experience significant pain or discomfort when diving. For more information on the damage freediving can cause to your ears check out our full article on how freediving can damage your ears (opens new tab).

There are several ear-related medical conditions which can affect freedivers or other diving and water-sports practitioners. For example:

Swimmer’s ear (otitis externa): this condition is caused by bacterial growth from water left inside the ear, with the stagnant water allowing infection to develop.

Middle-ear barotrauma (barotitis media): a frequently reported diving injury among divers, usually developing immediately after a dive. This condition occurs when water pressure during descent causes blood and other fluids to leak into the middle ear.

Inner-ear barotrauma: if divers try to equalize the pressure in their ears too forcefully, they can over-pressurize the middle ear and cause damage to the inner ear.

Ruptured eardrum: water pressure can also cause perforation or rupture of the tympanic membrane (eardrum). In some individuals this could happen at depths of as little as 2m.

Inner ear decompression sickness: Decompression sickness (DCS) normally occurs during a over-quick ascent from deeper or longer dives, and is caused by bubbles of dissolved nitrogen in the bloodstream being released into the body. While more common in scuba diving DCS can also happen during freedives and the inner ear may be affected.

Do divers get water in their ears?

Divers do get water in their ears. In many cases, this does not create a problem. Some divers, however, may be prone to ear infections or discomfort from cold water and may need to take additional steps to protect their ears.

There are several products which divers might use if they want to limit water getting into their ears or causing problems, including ear dryers, ear drops, vented earplugs, diving hoods or eye masks that also cover the ears while still allowing equalization of pressure.

How do I stop my ears from hurting when freediving?

If your ears are hurting when you freedive, you need to identify what is causing the pain in order to prevent it. For example:

ensure that you know how to equalize the pressure in your ears as you descend,
don’t dive if you have active ear infections or injuries,
seek medical advice before freediving if you have a history of ear problems or ear damage.

Do you have to decompress when freediving?

Decompression sickness (DCS) can occur during any form of diving where higher water pressure dissolves nitrogen into the bloodstream and fast ascent and depressurization then allows it to escape too quickly in the form of bubbles into the blood stream or body tissue. DCS is more common in scuba diving where divers are breathing compressed air or other oxygen-rich gas mixtures but it can also occur in freediving.

A slower ascent to the surface allows nitrogen to gradually and safely dissolve out of the bloodstream and tissues. A fast ascent reduces pressure too quickly, creating nitrogen gas bubbles which can can cause painful blockage or dangerous rupture of blood vessels, or trigger a heart attack or stroke.

The US National Institute of Health (NIH) has recorded +90 DCS cases linked to freediving. For maximum safety, freedivers may choose to follow DAN or other DCS guidelines on how often, how long and how deep to freedive, and how much time to allow for rest between dives or before flying.