Help with ears!

[Michael McGoldrick]

Hi everyone,

I have recently acquired a perforated ear drum (boxing) and i'm due to go to Indonesia in 12 days. It's not painful or infected and i have had them before. They usually take 4 weeks to heal for me.

I realise i wont be diving in Indonesia now but i would still like to snorkel. Has anybody had experience using Docs Pro earplugs and the ITS Pro Ear mask for snorkelling and diving?

All i want to do is keep water out of my ear and avoid making it worse.

NOTE: Travel Insurance was not purchased with the correct cover to cancel the holiday so i have to go (or stay at home but lose the money)

Thanks in advance

 

[fmerkel]

That's kind of a dicey proposition.
No experience with ITS mask. I do use Proplugs on a routine basis for diving. These have a tiny hole for equalization and do let a small amount of water in. If you are only going to snorkel, not free dive at all, you don't need the equalization hole. In that case some kind of nice tight plug/stopper in the ears would be all that is needed, easier to get, cheaper, and more reliable. There are Proplugs without holes but I'm not sure that would be worth the extra bother. I have some I use for windsurfing but only because I found them.
Proplugs can be dislodged, in which case you have nothing or only a weak barrier.

 

[tsuyoshi]

Damn i feel u. I used docs pro plug for all multi dive day excursion. Kept my ears going.

Get the right size and they are pretty hard to get dislodged. Only vented one would allow u to equalize & honestly it kept my ears dry.

Could also wear a light hood or hooded vest for exposure protection to keep the plugs sheltered. Just dont get tempted to dive.

 

[Michael McGoldrick]

Thanks guys,

Such a bummer happening close to the trip. I'm actually considering paying a huge amount to have the flights changed to October which would give my ear time to heal. Even when it does it will probably still be weak.

 

[Bratface]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I had ear issues when I first began diving. I was able to dive six weeks after a small ear perf with my doctor's approval. It may be worth paying the change fee with the airline and going when your ear is healed. Have your doctor follow up on the healing process. If you are able to purchase insurance, it would be a very wise decision. I use Dive Assure when I travel and have had one claim with them in the past. Easy to deal with and the prices are decent.

 

[TMHeimer]

The pro plus connecting plastic string can be wrapped around the mask strap to avoid losing them if the come out. If only snorkeling on the surface or maybe 3 feet deep I used to use the "putty" plugs you mold into your ears. After a while they don't work as well after lots of exposure to salt water. Another option is a divers hood, or more practically a swimmer's cap pulled down over the ears. These two things serve about the same purpose as the pro plugs--they keep MOST water out and usually prevents water from going into the ear far enough to create problems. Hood/cap plus pro plugs is awkward.