Doc's Pro Plugs - Tips and Advice

Hello - I was recently fitted with a pair of Doc's Pro Plugs. I see lots of great reviews on them here and I have trouble equalizing so I thought I would give them a try.

I know there are many threads discussing the virtues of the plugs, and I think the opinions are nicely captured. As a first timer who plans to experiment with these in a pool dive first I thought a thread with overall tips and tricks for these may help.


If you have experience with the Pro Plugs can you comment on theses topics?

1. Tips for inserting them
2. Did you find the size suggested to you from the LDS was right? Did you need to try another size? How could you tell?
3. Tips on keeping them in - when do they normally fall out?
4. How to tell you have them installed correctly? Maybe...when you submerge and feel xxx they are likely installed right - this will be VERY helpful for first timers


I hope my plugs are the right size as I had them sized at my LDS. I plan to pack a small mirror to help with putting them in. I know when I put them and and think they are properly inserted that the effort to remove them is surprisingly easy - there is no suction felt while pulling the plug out like a normal foam/gel ear plug for noise. Does this seem normal?

I am anxious to try them out!

I have worn them for at least the last 10 years.

You can purchase a sizing packet from them on their website. The packet has many different sizes to see what fits best.
You can purchase with either a string to hold them together or without a string (easier to lose without a string) but over the course of time the string will detach anyhow - not in the first few dives but over time. I have seen the string get tangled up in both gear and with long hair. I wish I had the long hair problem .

Anyhow they will not assist with equalizing as much as you would expect but they greatly reduce the amount of water that will enter your ear canal especially when worn with a hood or beanie.

I wear them because my ears will not drain as well as they should and after a few nights sleeping in A/C - I will have major ear issues.
Make sure you purchase and used the "vented" ones.

Staying in you ear is not an issue. You should be able to place in your ear and remove with out any trouble. Most of the time when they come out during a dive it's when the string snags on something and pulls them lose - could be something as simple as your snorkel.

--you can wrap the connecting string around your mask strap. Usually though one plug will come out first and the other won't.
--If you get a lot of water in one ear it's not in right.
--I haven't noticed any difference equalising (I have no problems anyway). Doesn't make sense to me why they would help here, as without them the whole ear canal is open to equalise as opposed to a tiny pin hole.
--I keep pushing them in during the dive to keep them secure.
--they only go in properly one way, which is easy to figure out.
--I only use them in the pool. They don't keep all water out, just prevent it from going deep into ear. A hood IMO does the same thing. I don't wear them under a hood because it just becomes messy. In the tropics I wore a swimmers hood instead of the plugs.
--when one detaches from the string stick the string back through a (the) hole and tie a knot.
--have a spare pair handy.

Are these, or something like them, something that could permit a diver with fully blown out ears, say from an explosion, to dive again?