So after hearing a lot of horror stories about surfer's ear, people having to get their ears drilled out and 30 something year olds losing their hearing because of the cold water and wind that leads to surfers ear I thought it may be a good idea to try out some ear plugffs as a preventative measure as I still want to be able to rock out to Led Zep when I'm 40.
I have found my hearing isn't what it was only about 3 years ago before I started surfing and I am pretty sure I am feeling the beginning effects of surfers ear as I surf primarily in super cold water and the conditions are often windy.
Some info on surfer's ear:
http://www.faldoc.co.uk/surfers_ear.htm
testimonials for proplugs:
http://www.proplugs.com/testimonials.shtml
So anyways while in Oregon last weekend I picked up a pair of proplugs and 2tone did as well. I tried them out for the first time this weekend. 2Tone bought too small of a size and hers kept falling out and frustratign her, so it's important to make sure when you buy them you get the right sdize. The plug should fit very snugly inside the ear. So while 2TOne's dsdn't work for her due to being the wrong size, mine were great.
I really liked wearing them, they kept the cold air and water out of my ears and being that they're vented they let the majority of the sound in. Occasionally water would block the venting making you unable to hear though the cure for this was just to tap the ear plug with your finger and the suction would draw the water out right away. While the tiny holes for hearing let in a small amount of water, the water is generally warmer by the time it gets in and it's not enough to really plug up your ears.
THe plugs were comfortable after a while I didn't even notice them and they have a nice leash string that you can tuck into the neck of your suit. Mine didn't come out a single time in the 3 sessions I have used them. I have fairly big ears so I used to havea problem getting a lot of water trapped inside my ears though with the proplugs by the end of the session there is very little water that enters my ear canal and I am not trying to shake it out for the remainder of the day.
I'd definatley reccommend the proplug to anyone if they have ear problems it's a great way to keep things from getting worse and if you're just starting to get into surfing it's a great idea as a preventative measure so that you don't have to have some doc drill out the bone growths in your ears which is not only expensive, and painful, but it also results in you being out of the water for 2 months after the procedure which is not something I am wanting to have to endure. Go out and get them, at 10 bucks it's silly not to.
http://www.surfline.com/surfaz/surfaz.cfm?id=919
So, is there any tread left on the tires? Or at this point would it be like throwing a hot dog down a hallway?
Stewie Griffin