I always get alot of water in my ears when I roll on to my back

SDiverJim · Sep 13, 2011

When ever I dive if I roll on my back or luck under me to look back water rushes into my ears. It will stay there for the dive and beyond at times. Very annoying. Is it just me??

LiveBait · Sep 13, 2011

No it happens to us all I would think. You can buy a good hood to help but it just happens. Some people put stuff in there ears like swim drops and other things to help the drying process.

TMHeimer · Sep 13, 2011

Happens all the time. When I'm sideways as well. Watch out when putting fins on in water. Stay Horizontal.

skankpile · Sep 13, 2011

Try docs proplugs; they have helped me tremendously.

USCScubaboy · Sep 13, 2011

I just tap my head after the dive and the water usually clears out. If not, then I do a funky hop and that usually does the trick.

Crewfish13 · Sep 13, 2011

As everyone's said before, it happens to us all. Simple geometry - air wants to go up, and some gets trapped in your ear canal when you go under. When you roll, you point the opening up, and the air comes out. It'll be there for the rest of the dive, as there's nothing putting air back in to displace the water.

There are a lot of tricks for getting water out of your ears, and we all have taken our turn being the guy jumping up and down with our head sideways, so I wouldn't worry about it. I actually try to get the water in my ears as I start going down, so it doesn't happen later in the dive and catch me off guard.

boat sju · Sep 13, 2011

Let me be the first to say "ear beer". Essentially it's 50% alcohol and 50% white vinegar. You can use it after a dive to get the water out of your ears. It's also pretty good at cleaning out your computer's battery compartment if you flood it and the battery leaks.

Bubbletrubble · Sep 13, 2011

Ear dryers look funny but work great. There's a rechargeable one on the market called Mack's Ear Dryer, formerly known as the Sahara Ear Dryer. It comes highly recommended by ENTs.

As others have suggested, another approach is to put several drops of "ear beer" solution (50:50 solution containing vinegar:rubbing alcohol) into each ear to help dry out the outer ear canal. This prevents swimmer's ear/otitis externa from setting in.

spectrum · Sep 13, 2011

EyeDoc Jim:
When ever I dive if I roll on my back or luck under me to look back water rushes into my ears. It will stay there for the dive and beyond at times. Very annoying. Is it just me??

Perfectly Normal!

There are 2 aspects to deal with...

One is the load of water that muffles sound and is annoying you. This will often release with a little encouragement. For instance point the ear down and jump up and down on one foot. You will look like a dope but the small rush of hot water is worth it. Usually it will just release at some random moment post dive.

Second is dealing with the long term cumulative effects of water exposure to the outer ear. flood each ear for 5 minutes with a 50/50 vinegar/alcohol solution. More here.

Pete

TMHeimer · Sep 13, 2011

If I get a lot of water in one ear I use Sea Drops--clears it up quickly. I use Doc's Pro Plugs when hoodless. I found using them with hood is cumbersome (possibly not great for equalizing, though I didn't notice it). Good fitting hood only lets a bit more water in than the Pro Plugs. Can't keep it all out.

I always get alot of water in my ears when I roll on to my back

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