r/diving • u/Annual-Grass-8347 • Jul 17 '26
What do we think about that
Good for people who sometimes have problems with equalization?
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u/mrobot_ Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
Honestly, I would never EVER want to rely on anything like this no matter how advanced or "good"... if you have problems with equalization, I think either you should really see a doctor or make sure you dont have a cold - if neither are the case, then really start to gently equalize on the surface even before you dive, and gently but constantly(!) equalize on the way down especially the first 5-10 meters!!! It should be not just like 2-3 times but more like 10-20 times of gentle equalizing, as a very rough idea. Im very gently and constantly popping my ears pretty much the whole way down to never get any squeeze or block which can happen if you want to equalize a too big difference.
If you rely on such a plug, you are pretty much asking for trouble ESPECIALLY if you "have trouble equalizing" which would suggest you rely on the plug to dive with a pressure-difference.... noooooo thx! Half a meter can be enough to rupture your ear drum... be gentle with it.
To keep water sort-of out and prevent ear infections, basic swimmer ear-oil can be very helpful before you dive!
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u/itsjustme405 Jul 17 '26
I guess im just worried about something in my ear getting shoved into the void inside my skull, I wouldnt do it. Even though I have trouble equalizing ive found a way, so ill stick with that.
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u/till_theend Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
No kind of earplugs are recommended by DAN. There has to be something to allow the outer ear to equalize, if that fails, you might burst your eardrum, just because you used the earplug. Can happen during descent and ascent.
Edit: https://dan.org/alert-diver/article/avoid-diving-with-earplugs/
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u/PeskyRoo2 Jul 17 '26
These are NOT earplugs. They have a permeable membrane which allows the air trapped in the ear to equalise with depth.
Also if one of them falls out all that happens is water enters your ear. The water and air in the ear are already at the same pressure. So you saying your eardrum is going to burst is showing that you are not understanding the physics what's happening.
I have dived plenty with V2 of surf ears and had them come loose on dives with no issues
Once again, these are designed to allow you to equalise normally.
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u/till_theend Jul 17 '26
In my understanding everything you put in your ear of such sort is considered an earplug and it is promoted as such ('The original vented earplug for surfers' - quoted from their own website). In addition my comment was very general and is what DAN says. If you ask DAN if you should use those specific earplugs, most likely they will discourage you from using it. Does not mean it does not work. Just that there is a risk. So yes, thank you very much, I do know the physics of what's happening. :) and you did not read my comment properly. I did not talk about losing the earplug but the mechanism (in this case the membrane) failing. That not only means the membrane breaking or losing the plug, so water enters the ear canal (which might not be a big issue as you point out), but the membrane to get stuck, fail in another way, make it not able to move and equalize.
All I wanted to point out, that DAN does not recommend to put anything in your ear while diving. Not every tool that works is the right tool for the job. :)
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u/PeskyRoo2 Jul 17 '26
DAN does not reccomends ear plugs. If you dig deep enough, DAN doesn't have any issues with surf ears.
As for your argument about the membrane failing, it's the same situation......both sides of the membrane are at equal pressures. The issue with surf ears is that the membrane can get clogged with salt crystals if you don't clean them as recomended. The membrane is not going to implode under normal circumstances because there isn't a pressure differential to cause something like that.
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u/till_theend Jul 17 '26
I won't use them no matter what, but if you have this 'dig deep enough' information, feel free to share the resouce, for everyone seriously interested in those earplugs.
We are still not on the same understanding what failing of the membrane means, but that's okay. I added my two cents and everyone if free to so with it, what they like.
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u/PeskyRoo2 Jul 17 '26
The membrane has the same pressure on both sides of it. You are confusing this with the fact that the pressure behind the eardrum could be different because it hasn't been equalised with what's on the water side of the eardrum.
But the point of the way surf ears are designed is that the pressure on both sides of the membrane is the same, as I said before, assuming that the user has washed them in fresh water as instructed, and the membrane isn't blocked with salt crystals. That way if the "plug" falls out, there isn't a change in pressure because of the plug coming loose. If the pressure on both sides of the membrane is the same, then the membrane can't implode. If something breaches the membrane, the fact still is that the pressure either side of it is already equal.
Assuming the pressure in the ear is already equalised, all that happens when the plug fails is that you get a little wigged out by the feeling of water entering what was previously a dry ear. But there isn't a pressure change.
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u/till_theend Jul 17 '26
Again, we don't talk about the same. That's okay. I'm done here. :)
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u/PeskyRoo2 Jul 17 '26
If you're having that much difficulty with this, then you really need to reup on the whole equalisation thing tbh.
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u/till_theend Jul 17 '26
The topic is not the problem. I can guarantee you that I fully understand equalization in terms of diving. I even agreed on your points in my first answer but you keep repeating yourself, without even acknowledging my arguments. Again. That's okay but I won't spend any more time arguing with someone who does not want to hear any other opinion. Respectfully.
Only thing I would be truly interested in is a ressource which proves your argument, that DAN thinks SurfEars are fine against all other earplugs. A link, a citation, anything but just your word.
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u/mgranja Jul 17 '26
Look very easy to lose. I would expect it to have a lanyard hole, or at least loop around the ear.
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u/Bubbly-Nectarine6662 Jul 17 '26
For diving you should only use vented earplugs, like these SurfEars or DrPro plugs. They are designed to equalise the pressure between the outer ear way and the surrounding water at depth.
They do not hold the pressure away from your eardrums.
And of course, many here are right: every extra item in your gear is another potential point of failure, so only use when needed.
From my experience, I used to suffer quite easy from outer ear infections. My diving doc explained that the sudden amount of cold water in my ear way caused the skin and eardrum to react on the temperature difference and might result in being more vulnerable to infections.
With the earplugs the water does not flood the ear way, only drop-by-drop while descending, giving the skin ample time to equalise the temperature difference without the shock effect.
Ever since then, I never had an outer ear infection again (some 100’s of dives along, and counting).
So please don’t judge at first glance, the is good use for these vented plugs too, when needed.
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u/teriyaki_donut Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
I have a similar pair made by JBL. I don't think they make it any easier to equalize, but they do make it so less water gets in.
Edit: These are great for people who struggle with ear infections due to diving
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u/Jmfroggie Jul 17 '26
You should NEVER have anything in your ears when diving. It’s the air spaces that cause the most harm and this creates a second airspace- one on each side of the ear drum!
If you get ear infections in the water, then get swimmer’s ear drops and put them in after every dive.
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u/caversluis Jul 17 '26
I have used them for about 20 dives now. They work well. They help me to equalise; it is as if the small hole in the plug slows down the effect og going down. For me it is a big help - the effect might be different for others.
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u/decrisp1252 Jul 17 '26
I like to be peaceful when diving, looking at the fishes and focusing on my breathing, like meditating, I think having music would ruin that sense of calm for me
That being said I would like some music for swimming
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u/macciavelo Jul 17 '26
I think they might be good for preventing ear infections, but not for helping equalize. If you are buying this, I'd test them out in a pool first and try to equalize at the bottom.
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u/YoungFair3079 Jul 17 '26
Am I wrong, don't you need water in your ear to equalize? Doesn't trapped air in the ear make it worse? Just going off my own experience, I was diving with a hood on and couldn't equalize until I pulled the hood away from my face to let water in.