Hearing and Ear Protection for Jet Skier

How can Jet Skiing affect your ears

Surfers Ear

When changing direction of your Jet Ski, cold water entering your ear can cause bony growths within your ear canal to develop. This can trap water and debris which has the potential to cause a painful ear infection. In some causes when the growths begin to close the ear canal, causing deafness, surgery is required to remove them. 

Image

With better tecnology making thicker wetsuits and neoprene accesories on the market more people are jetskiing in colder waters and in winter months than ever before, increasing the risk of surfers ear. 

If you are concerned you have  Surfers Ear, it is worth consulting your Doctor for an ear examination. 

Ear drum Rupture

Hitting the water at high speed while wakeboarding can cause a rupture to your ear drum, as well as pain and immediate dizziness from exposing the middle ear to cold water can also occur. 

Image

Noise Induced Hearing Loss

Image

Constant exposure to the loudness level of a jet ski engine can range from 85dB to 105dB at high speed. This causes damage to the inner ear hair cells especially those responsible for high frequency hearing. Noise induced hearing loss is permanent and measures should be made to reduce the occurance of it.

When you think of jetskiing you don't straight away imagine ear problems, however you are still on water with a noisy engine with the abilit to come off. If you are flung off the jet ski or are barrel rolling and don't quite make it round to do a full rotation or you are helping out with big surf and are the jet ski support and you come off, the impact of slamming your face into the water is going to hurt a lot! Water isn't as soft as it appears, especially when going at high speed. Along with your face, importantly comes your ears and more often than not ear drums can get damaged from such slams so here are some recommended equipment additions.

Helmets For Jetskiing

Unfortunately their are limited helmets out there that are specfically designed for jetskiing and what you will find is people wearing BMX helmets but what you really need is a helmet designed and built to withstand the impact of water. It is important to find a jet ski helmet that is lightweight as well as durable. If you do not wear jet ski goggles it is worth buying a helmet with an incorporated face shield to protect your eyes and provide ease of vision when going at a fast speed.

Wearing a helmet when jetskiing helps to protect your head from injury. You are on a very fast, small vehicle with a powerful engine. If you were motorcycling would you wear a helmet? As well as protecting your ears from ear drum rupture when hitting the water, a helmet will help dampen the sound of the noisy engine that can reach a loud 115dB. A helmet could be a life saver for any rider and if you are just starting out in the sport as a beginner a helmet will be a worthwhile investment.

Ear Plugs For Jetskiiing

Wearing a good quality helmet will definitely help reduce the chances of head and inner ear trauma occuring within your ear as the helmet will help to take the brunt of it, the problem occurs with your ear canal still being exposed to flushing and the constant noise exposure from the engine.

When it comes to finding the right ear plugs, there are many options out there but you need to find the ones specifically designed with jetskiing in mind.

The best solution to protect your ears while using a helmet is to get custom fit made ear moulds.  Although these do need you to have an impression of your ear taken, this means the ear moulds themselves will match your ear correctly. An ear impression will take into account each contour and unique bumps and shapes of your ear.

What you will find is because they match your ear shape correctly they will also be much more comfortable in your ear as well as keeping your ear fully sealed for water. The custom fit also has the ability to stay within your ear better and most custom made ear moulds will come with a lanyard to connect to your wetsuit if they do fall out. The major things to consider with custom made ear plugs is the price and booking yourself in with an audiologist to get an impression taken and over time you will need to have them re made as your ears slowly grow. If you love jet skiing having ear plugs specifically designed for you is the way to go.