Author Topic: Ear plugs that keep the water out but still allow you to hear.  (Read 10120 times)

Zooport

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Ear plugs that keep the water out but still allow you to hear.
« on: November 22, 2014, 09:10:27 AM »
I found these on Amazon, tried them out in the surf this morning, and really liked them, so I thought I would share. Ear plugs have always been a pain because you can't hear very well with them in.  These have some sort of chamber for better hearing in them and I could hear way better than anything else I've tried.  Seemed to keep the water out pretty good although not quite as watertight as some.  They are a pain to get in just right, but totally worth the hassle.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008VGVL9E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've had the surfer's ear, Exostosis, surgery in both ears and don't want to ever do it again, so I'm a fanatic about wearing ear plugs. 


« Last Edit: November 22, 2014, 09:26:53 AM by Zooport »
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coldsup

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Re: Ear plugs that keep the water out but still allow you to hear.
« Reply #1 on: November 22, 2014, 02:38:39 PM »
I use those in the pool....and have had them come out. Best plugs are the ones I have had custom made and we're through the Znational Health a Service....love em...soooooo comfy and Rick solid. Not worried about the hearing....I use my hand gestures and smile and nod a lot :)

Fanman

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Re: Ear plugs that keep the water out but still allow you to hear.
« Reply #2 on: November 22, 2014, 02:43:18 PM »
I have also used these the last few years. They are softer than Doc's pro plugs and 1/3 the price too!
If you need to wear plugs, these are good!
I always have an extra set and I have found them to be available at the local drug store too!

Zooport

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Re: Ear plugs that keep the water out but still allow you to hear.
« Reply #3 on: November 22, 2014, 04:30:04 PM »
I use those in the pool....and have had them come out. Best plugs are the ones I have had custom made and we're through the Znational Health a Service....love em...soooooo comfy and Rick solid. Not worried about the hearing....I use my hand gestures and smile and nod a lot :)

Stayed in perfectly for me, but I've only used them once.  Maybe I'll have trouble in bigger waves, don't know.  I haven't worried about hearing for years, but I seem to have people talking to me almost every time I paddle now.  Plus, it was so much more fun today to be able to hear my environment.  Maybe it's just me but when you can't hear, there is some sort of isolation from your surroundings.  Kind of like watching sports on TV without the sound on.  You still get the action, but there is a little bit lost when there is no sound.
« Last Edit: November 22, 2014, 04:33:58 PM by Zooport »
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Some Guy

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Re: Ear plugs that keep the water out but still allow you to hear.
« Reply #4 on: November 22, 2014, 09:51:33 PM »
I like the soft silicone ones you get at the chemist (drug store).

They are supposed to be disposable, but I'll used them 4 or 5 times before tossing them.

I find the trick is to put them in 15-30 minutes before you need them.
Like say in the car on the way to the beach.
After you wear them for half an hour you get used to them and find you can actually hear quite a lot.

The more you wear them, the more you find you can hear after that initial shock of fitting them.

When I used to play in a band and go to loud shows, I found I could actually hear better with plugs than without.
Once I got comfortable wearing them.
Your brain sort of learns the frequency response and then sort of switches to earplug mode, it just takes a bit of time.

addapost

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Re: Ear plugs that keep the water out but still allow you to hear.
« Reply #5 on: November 23, 2014, 04:34:14 AM »
I use the silicone ones too. I rip one in half and use a half in each ear. It cuts the cost in half and I find I can hear better with less silicone in the outer ear. The canal still gets completely blocked against water though.
Bunch of old shit

supthecreek

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Re: Ear plugs that keep the water out but still allow you to hear.
« Reply #6 on: November 23, 2014, 05:15:59 AM »
Hey kids
Just throwing out another option

I spent 6 months every year for over 40 years with lost hearing due to ear infections caused by "surfers ear"
I wore Doc's Pro Plugs, and they cut down on the problem, but never eliminated it completely.
I never had the operation, even though a Dr. told me 25 years ago that my ear canals were almost closed up. "WHAT?"

Enter SUP... then "Kook hats" .... whoa!!! I realized after 2 "Kook hat" years, I never have had a problem with either infection or hearing loss.
The hat has a chinstrap that covers my ears with a "mesh" material. Not waterproof, but keeps water from being jammed into my ears and hearing is totally unaffected by the mesh.

I have surmised that wind is as much the culprit as the water. The mesh ear coverings mitigate both, to the point where I totally stopped wearing earplugs and I simply don't have ear problems anymore.

Note.... if my ears ever feel a tinge of infection, I simply put a little Neosporin on a Q-tip and gently swab inside my ear canal... one time. Gone by morning. No more frickin' Dr. payments for $$$ prescription drops.

Zero problems anymore. Now I hear everything.  Who knew?!?! :D

NEplay

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Re: Ear plugs that keep the water out but still allow you to hear.
« Reply #7 on: November 23, 2014, 06:58:17 AM »
Creek,

You are rocking that hat like a Boss. The boardies, the Rashie and the Kookie Hat all color coordinated with matching accents.

I only wish there were enough waves lately to be worried about ear infections.
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Re: Ear plugs that keep the water out but still allow you to hear.
« Reply #8 on: November 23, 2014, 02:39:01 PM »
supthecreek - You're right that wind is a contributing factor to surfers ear and my right ear is proof of that because its more closed than my left ear due to the prevailing north westerly winds in So Cal.

I got a bad infection from surfing in the rain a few years ago and finally relented to wearing ear plugs after the doctor told me that both of my ears were about 90% closed. I tried three different sizes of Docs Pro Plugs but they didn't fit me right and leaked. Then I discovered these cheap Macks ear plugs at CVS http://www.amazon.com/Macks-Seals-Earplugs-Detachable-Cord/dp/B0067PMYRE/ref=sr_1_3?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1416781013&sr=1-3&keywords=macks+ear+plugs and I'm still wearing one of the same pairs I got two years ago (I lost one of them). You get two pairs per box but don't use the cord that comes with them unless you want the noise of the wind to resonate in your head. What you do is dunk them in the water first and then cork screw them into your head and they work great.

I thought for sure I was going to have to get my ears chiseled (AAARGH!) but after three years of wearing ear plugs my ear canals are opening up again. YES, if you protect them and give it time, they will open up again. I know this because I went through the same thing once before. My ears were seriously closed from surfing in California but they opened up again when I was living on Maui. Then I moved back to California and they started closing on me again because dumbass me refused to wear ear plugs.
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Zooport

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Re: Ear plugs that keep the water out but still allow you to hear.
« Reply #9 on: November 23, 2014, 03:45:47 PM »


I thought for sure I was going to have to get my ears chiseled (AAARGH!) but after three years of wearing ear plugs my ear canals are opening up again. YES, if you protect them and give it time, they will open up again. I know this because I went through the same thing once before. My ears were seriously closed from surfing in California but they opened up again when I was living on Maui. Then I moved back to California and they started closing on me again because dumbass me refused to wear ear plugs.

Have you had a doctor confirm that your ears are opening up?  Maybe they just feel better but are not physically opening.  What you say goes against what two doctors have said to me.   
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magentawave

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Re: Ear plugs that keep the water out but still allow you to hear.
« Reply #10 on: November 23, 2014, 04:39:11 PM »
No I haven't had a doctor confirm that because I don't seek their counsel unless something is really wrong with me. The proof is that I can take a shower now without water getting stuck in my head and swam several times this last summer without ear plugs with no water getting stuck in there. So if it ain't broke then don't fix it which is why I decided a couple years ago that I won't be getting my head chiseled.



I thought for sure I was going to have to get my ears chiseled (AAARGH!) but after three years of wearing ear plugs my ear canals are opening up again. YES, if you protect them and give it time, they will open up again. I know this because I went through the same thing once before. My ears were seriously closed from surfing in California but they opened up again when I was living on Maui. Then I moved back to California and they started closing on me again because dumbass me refused to wear ear plugs.

Have you had a doctor confirm that your ears are opening up?  Maybe they just feel better but are not physically opening.  What you say goes against what two doctors have said to me.
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Zooport

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Re: Ear plugs that keep the water out but still allow you to hear.
« Reply #11 on: November 23, 2014, 07:41:23 PM »
No I haven't had a doctor confirm that because I don't seek their counsel unless something is really wrong with me. The proof is that I can take a shower now without water getting stuck in my head and swam several times this last summer without ear plugs with no water getting stuck in there. So if it ain't broke then don't fix it which is why I decided a couple years ago that I won't be getting my head chiseled.



I thought for sure I was going to have to get my ears chiseled (AAARGH!) but after three years of wearing ear plugs my ear canals are opening up again. YES, if you protect them and give it time, they will open up again. I know this because I went through the same thing once before. My ears were seriously closed from surfing in California but they opened up again when I was living on Maui. Then I moved back to California and they started closing on me again because dumbass me refused to wear ear plugs.

Have you had a doctor confirm that your ears are opening up?  Maybe they just feel better but are not physically opening.  What you say goes against what two doctors have said to me.
Yeah, if you are not getting ear infections, can get the water out, and can still hear OK, you can get by without the operation.  I had both ears done and I'm glad I did.  Mine were both 95% or more blocked, so it was a vast improvement for me.  It wasn't difficult or even very painful, very glad I did it.  Although, I don't want to ever have to do it again. 
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Re: Ear plugs that keep the water out but still allow you to hear.
« Reply #12 on: November 24, 2014, 04:19:51 AM »
i use the soft silicone ones, too. 'Macks', i think is the brand found at CVS or Walgreens. i buy about 4-6 packs per year and re-use till they fall out or get too gross.  I break each one into 3 parts. Doc told me one of my ears has only 2% opening, but my hearing is really as good (or bad) as ever.  I use these on the water and even in the shower...no more earaches...no more hearing loss since using them since keeping all water out. and they're much more comfortable than any others i've tried as they're so mushy. i do say 'what?' a fair amount when being talked out on the water, but like others have said, you get used to them. and i'm not out there to chat!

supthecreek

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Re: Ear plugs that keep the water out but still allow you to hear.
« Reply #13 on: November 24, 2014, 05:46:46 AM »
NEp... ha ha... thanks, very kind of you :)

and yeah.... nothing to bother my ears these days.
NO surf.... none.nada.zip.zilch.
Very little paddling, with 25-30 mph winds 6 days a week.

My kook hat is in the trunk, waiting for action.

I'm a color co:ordinated golfer theses days  :'(

Weasels wake

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Re: Ear plugs that keep the water out but still allow you to hear.
« Reply #14 on: November 24, 2014, 09:58:19 AM »
I've mentioned this before whenever this subject comes up.
This is the only solution that works for me, it never leaks, kind of bonds to the skin, and easy to remove in one piece.
It gets pretty quiet in there though, but after 30 years of use, I like it that way, plus it provides me with plausible deniability.
"Sorry, I couldn't hear you".
It takes a quiver to do that.

 


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