Hearing and Ear Protection for Wakeboarder

How Can Wakeboarding Affect Your Ears

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. 

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Surfers Ear

Regular exposure to cold wind and water 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.

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

If you have perforated your ear drum or concerned you may have Surfers Ear, it is worth consulting your Doctor for an ear examination. 

The one thing with wakeboarding is you will fall flat on your face a lot and it hurts! 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 Wakeboarding

Wearing a helmet in wakeboarding may not be seen as fashionable, may even feel a little claustraphobic or feel as though it reduces your sensory awareness of your surroundings, but with advances in technology and lighter more sophisticated helmets on the market it really is something to look into and we discuss a little about it here.

Wearing a helmet when wakeboarding helps to protect your head from injury, but be careful not to be tempted to use different helmets such as for snowboarding for wakeboarding, it is important you don't becuase the internal material is different for each. It is a common incident that wakeboarding for you to move up and down and over the place very very quickly this means you have every chance of slamming into the water quickly, hitting your head against your board, an obstacle in the water, like a jump or rail or even the boat. A helmet could be a life saver for an experienced rider and if you are just starting out in the sport as a beginner a helmet will be a worthwhile investment.

Ear Plugs For Wakeboarding

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 or option hitting the centre of your ear when this part is exposed.

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 wakeboarding in mind.

The best solution to protect your ears while using a helmet is to get custom fit made ear moulds (with pressure vents).  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 surfing is your world then custom moulds really are the way to go.