ProEar Diving Mask

[roverdive]

Look at this dive master of Seadive in Coron, Philippines. ProEar diving mask matters more than anything else. This was the first impression we got about ProEar. PADI course director Chris Cahn of Seadive told us,"This diving mask looks little bit funny. But it really functions to make ear equalization much easier, protect ears from any possible infection and increase hearing sense of directions underwater". What he told us was true. We also bought and tested ProEar ourselves. What I can say is "ProEar is the only choice for all divers" Please read the following article by Aquakook. What he said was also proved by our own tests.

My experiences with the ProEar2000 Mask, designed to protect your ears.
by Aquakook
Date: 2002-05-23
Category: Mask

I've tried positive thinking, Zen, Sudafed, avoiding milk and anything else to help me equalize. After blowing 2 eardrums, and 2 dive trips, I thought it might be time to give up diving for something easier on my ears, such 110 decibel gangsta rap music. ProEar 2000 gave me back my life...or at least saved my hearing. Now I can dive, enjoy, and have apres dive conversations without feeling like I have gun cotton stuffed into my head. God Bless ProEar2000!
During my last 2 liveaboard trips, Caribbean Explorer (Dec. 2001) and Nekton Rorqual (Jan. 2002), I was forced to skip at least 15 dives due to ear problems.

Part of my problems were due to a lingering cold, but, as is typical, by my 5th day of diving, my ears refused to equalize. Further, due to a reverse ear block incurred,during my last dive on the Rorqual, I punctured my right ear drum, resulting in an inner and outer ear infection that took 4 weeks to clear. This was my second experience with a micro-perforation and I was beginning to wonder if I give up diving. Unfortunately, I am obsessed with it and couldn't think of anything else other than sex to replace an activity that I immensely enjoy. Besides, you can do the 'horizontal Mamba' only for so long, and unlike diving, you can't get narked.

So, on a whim and a prayer, I purchased the ProEar 2000 mask and dove wearing it in Indonesia and the Maldives. I dove in clear, shallow water, I dove in murky deep water, I dove at night and I dove to 140 ft, I dove in very calm water, and in currents stronger than any that I ever experienced in Palau or Cozumel.

Bottom Line: I can categorically state, after 40+ dives with the ProEar, and 8 continuous days of 3-4 dives with depths exceeding 140 ft, I had absolutely NO problems equalizing. With well over 300 logged dives, my dives with the ProEar are the best that I've ever experienced.

Some of my observations on the wearability and comfort of the ProEar2000:

1. The ear cup design covers your ears and keeps them dry. One of the first things that you notice are that underwater sounds are magnified, and the noise of bubbles emitting from your regulator is more pronounced. Initially, I found this to be an annoying feature, but over time, you tend to mentally blank out the sound.

On the other hand, with the ProEar2000 it is easier to hear the approach of boats and other watercraft, and, for the first time diving, I could hear the sounds made by fish, crabs, lobsters, and other underwater inhabitant. This was an very interesting, and unanticipated benefit of the ProEar2000.

2. For me, another benefit of dry ears was thermal protection. There is no doubt that by having dry ears, my head felt less cold. I proved this to myself by deliberately flooding one of my earcups. It felt like someone had poured ice water into my ear.

A third benefit was my risk of outer ear infections was minimized. Normally, after every 2-3 dives, I needed anahydrous ear drops to remove excess water and reduce the risk of outer ear infections. With ProEar2000, I only used my drops twice during my entire trip.

3. The ear cups have to be adjusted on a regular basis to ensure a tight but comfortable fit. If the cups are adjusted properly, you will experience either squeezes or flooding of the ear cups.

The squeezes are very uncomfortable. It feels like someone is pressing the mouth of a jelly jar over your ear and pushing it against your head. While it's best to adjust the mask above water, it is possible to do it underwater without too much fuss.

Flooding is uncomfortable and makes you appreciate having dry ears. Further, if not properly adjusted, the cups will flood. It is, however, easy to clear the cups of water. All you have to do is tilt the top of the cup against your ear and blow air through your mask. Tilting your head up in the direction of the flooded cup helps and you can clear your ear by pinching the pipe of the opposite ear while blowing air through your mask.

Finally, and most interestingly, if you do nothing, the ear cup eventually clears itself! I found this out when one of my cups flooded, and I couldn't be bothered clearing it as I was watching something very interesting. About 5 minutes later, I noticed that my flooded ear was dry. I experimented with the opposite ear cup and found that after five minutes, the other cup also cleared. So, in a worst case scenario, assuming that the ear cup is properly sealed, they will eventually clear without any help.

4. The mask portion of the ProEar2000 system acts and feels like any other mask; it is easy to clear and is very comfortable. My only caveat is that my version is a low volume mask, so I do miss some peripheral vision and wish the field of vision was a bit wider. Apparently, some of the newer versions address this concern.

5. The ProEar2000 should be rinsed out after every dive. You can skip 2 or 3 rinses, but, as I found out, the pipes connecting the mask to the earpieces tend to get clogged with salt, making it more difficult to equalize. A quick freshwater rinse will solve this problem.

6. The ProEar2000, in my experience, does not work well with hoods.I tried 2 different hoods and found that the pressure of the rubber against the cups was very uncomfortable. So I was forced to dive without a hood. On the plus side, my underwater 'beanie' fit perfectly under the head strap and did not interfere with the mask in any way. As per the manufacturers of ProEar2000, they will be releasing a hood that is specially designed for its mask.

7. Equalizing with the ProEar2000 is incredibly easy. Either blow air into the mask, or gently pinch your nose. Both methods make it very easy to equalize. I cannot fully express my relief and sense of comfort when, after 8 days of continuous diving, equalizing on my last dive was as easy as on my first. This mask is a godsend!

In closing, I can categorically state that the ProEar2000 is the best solution that I've encountered for divers who have problems equalizing. I can also state that I am in no way affiliated with ProEar2000, Oceanic or with any organization that directly or indirectly does business for them . In fact,as far as I'm concerned, they should pay me for writing this review.

 

[300bar]

I just love his fins.
DIY to the extreme.

 

[TheScubaBOB]

I guess if he can dive to 140ft with those fins then he must be the end all of gear guru!

BTW, my wife (a native Filipina) says that style of homemade fins is common for divers collecting Capiz shells.

It is odd for someone who can afford such a mask to not have basic scuba fins though.

 

[srownin]

I'm going to throw my two cents in here since this board has been very helpful for me over the years...

I have this mask and absolutely love it. I love that fact that I can actually get to depth with time to enjoy my dives now. I had always had som much trouble equalizing that it was literally descend two feet, ascend one (or more) the entire way down.

This mask has made the task of equalizing much more simple. I do not feel as though I have to push as hard as I can to equalize. I obviously was always concerned that I could do damage, plus it did not always work.

I still abstain from daily, irritants and other congestants before diving. And I do often take Mucinex-D (works better than Sudafed for me). These things just help but the mask has given me the most improvement.

And it is not terribly expensive relative to others. I found mine for about $50.

I have only two complaints about this mask. 1.) there are very limited mask/fit options, so if it fits great. If not, you're screwed. 2.) Your ability to hear is significantly diminished, especially above water, pre-descent. This can make last minute coordination with your buddy a little troublesome, but the net effect is still worth any of the negatives I have noticed.

One other positive, as the mask has eased my trouble equalizing (and the anxiety that can accompany such trouble) I have learned more effective physical techniques and been able to practice and more consistently implement them during a dive. Specifically, I can now swallow to equalize rather than blowing out. Overall, this is much easier and less dangerous.

Hope this helps any and all that I having trouble equalizing and have yet to find a good solution.

SR

 

[roverdive]

There are about 20 wrecks in Coron Bay area. They dive to 30 to 40 meters deep everyday. They are very experienced divers penatrating these wrecks. They only use fins in frog kick way so there is no sepcial requirement on the fins. But according to their experience ear prodtection is more important than other equipment. So they all choose ProEars. Now I agree with them too with my own experience.

 

[TheScubaBOB]

Here is the issue I tend to have with discussions on the ProEar masks:

People talk about them like they magically fix equalization problems but they don't. Equalization is an inner ear issue that has nothing to do with the exteral ear surfaces other than needing to have the internal pressure the same as the external pressure.

By putting cups attached to your mask over your ears all you are doing (in regards to equalization) is creating another air cavity which is tied to your mask air cavity. As you equalize your mask the EXTERAL EAR AIR CAVITY also gets equalized to ambient pressure.

You still have to equalize your inner ears that same old way. But.... now if you get behind on equalizing your mask then your ears feel the same squeeze as your mask.

If you want to keep your ears dry then sure ProEars will do that but remember there are additional points of failure (the straws as I understand can be pulled out).

 

[srownin]

Kyphur,

The flaw in that logic is that fact that water and air change under pressure at different rates. By surrounding your ears in air, not water, the pressure exerted from the outside of the membrane is less and therefore, equaliztion happens more easily.

Also, I do not seem to have to equalize my mask (at least not consciously) and I have no trouble. And while I was initially skeptical about the added parts and potential for failure, I have been pleasantly surprised by the durability of the product.

One negative that I forgot to mention (since it's not really a negative, but more of a caveat) is that you must use a special hood designed to work with the mask. Since most of my diving is done in the northeast, this is a must for me. Not a big deal, but again, limited options.

I can say from real experience that this mask has made equalizing much easier. It is not a panacea and you still must take precautions in your pre-dive routine, but it definitely helps.

SR

 

[TheScubaBOB]

The flaw in that logic is that fact that water and air change under pressure at different rates. By surrounding your ears in air, not water, the pressure exerted from the outside of the membrane is less and therefore, equaliztion happens more easily.

Do you want to know the difference between water and air changing under pressure?

While air compresses water does not. There you go.

1 cubic liter of water at 1 ata is still 1 cubic liter by volume at 2 ata.

1 cubic liter of air at 1 ata has 1/2 the volume at 2 ata.

You can test this my taking two plastic bottles down to 33 ft/10 mt. The water filled bottle is that same physical volume whereas the air filled bottle is now distorted and taking up about 1/2 of the physical space it did at the surface.

Your not needing to equalize your mask is probably because you breathe out ever so slightly through your nose which is like an auto-equalization for your mask.

Aside from keeping your ears dry any equalization assistance is nothing more than a Placebo Effect.

If you don't believe me go get a nose clip like swimmers use and clip your nose shut before your next dive. Tell me how deep you get before you start to feel mask squeeze. BTW, if you plan to do this don't use the ProEar mask as I wouldn't want you to hurt your ears in the process.

 

[roverdive]

Excellent discussion. That is also my curiosity when I first looked at ProEar. But after practice, I think following 2 points will help us to understand ProEar more reasonally.

1. When you pinch nose to do ear equalization, the tissues of your nasal cavity will be congested that will block the air pressure introduction to middle ear (inner side of ear drum) through Eustachian tube. That is why sometimes the more forces you apply, the more difficult the equalization is. With ProEar, the case is different. Slightly breathing some air into ProEar mask, the pressure will be naturally introduced into middle ear through Eustachian tube without causing tissue congestions. Also the little bit air punch introduced to ear covers through the equalization tube will force the ear drum pushing inwards causing the pressure of middle ear increase little bit that helps to open the Eustachian tube from inward direction of the ear drum. Once Eustachian tube is open, nasal cavity is connected with middle ear and ear equalization is achieved.
2. Dry ear is easier to equalize than wet ear.

So my conclusion is that because ProEar helps to open Eustachian tube from both sides and keeps ears dry, the ear equalization is greatly improved with ProEar diving mask.

Now ProEar diving hood is also available on the market.

 

[gert7to3]

There is another recent Pro Ear mask discussion. Regarding hoods and the Pro Ear mask, I simply cut ear holes in a regular hood and my old hooded vest. The ear cups on the mask provide insulation, and you're blowing warm air into the earcups as well. I have been fine in water in the high 40's (F).

I bought the Pro Ear hood, but found it a little cumbersome and the neck skirt was slightly short. What I finally did was to cut ear holes in a regular hood. You look goofy with just the hood on, your ears really stick out. I cut the ear holes slightly small so the hood material overlaps the skirt of the earcups. You have to pay attention not to lift the earcup skirt seal once you fit the hood over the earcup.

The way I measured the hood for the ear holes was to put the hood on; using a china marker (grease pencil) I marked my ear canals; then traced the edge of my ears on the hood. Do each ear separately, you might be lopsided. I then cut out one ear hole, just along the trace of my ear. Tried the mask on and eased the size of the ear hole to fit, yet slightly overlap the earcup skirt. Then I traced that onto the opposite side of the hood, centering it over the location of the ear canal.