Ear Infections and North Florida Caves???

[Jim Wyatt]

You need to rinse your ears out after every dive, FL or anywhere else. Clean water helps, but "ear beer" is better. It is half vinegar, and half alcohol.

If I do not rinse my ears with "ear beer" after every dive I get the same infections. Feels like a golf ball shoved into my ear.

I use a 50/50 solution of isopropyl alcohol & white vinegar - it works. When I run out or "forget" I usually get the golf ball syndrome.

[LiteHedded]

i get one EVERY TIME I don't use ear beer after a dive
I just use the off the shelf swimmers ear stuff tho. I'm too lazy to brew up a batch of the homemade stuff :P

[chimie007]

I'm too lazy to brew up a batch of the homemade stuff :P

Come on it's easier than whipping up a gin and tonic.... I use the vinegar I have around... sometimes it's rice vinegar, sometimes red wine... I haven't tried with balsamic yet

[mag3]

Do you use "ear beer"?

Make up a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and .90% isopropyl alcohol. Some people put a little glycerin in it. After a dive, put a couple of drops in each ear. At the end of the day (we do it at bedtime) lie on your side and put a few drops in each ear, letting it sit in there for 5 minutes per ear.

Used to get ear infections from diving - haven't had one in years since doing this.

Mike

Unfortunately for me, I have a bit of a allergic type reaction to strong vinegary things.. Not anaphylactic, but the strong smell causes some G.I. issues.

I use Alcohol, but also Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) instead of vinegar, in separate applications (5 min. of each, in each ear), usually at end-of-day.

[Jim Wyatt]

I use Alcohol, but also Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) instead of vinegar

My Dr. - a diver told me not to use Hydrogen Peroxide in ear beer. I don't recall the reasoning....

[caverkevin]

Hey Mel,

While this water may look like look clear, perfect and maybe the Fountain of Youth. In every watershed feeding these systems there is a cow, chicken or human taking a dump in the water that does not get filtered out by the time it gets to your ears.

This happens to me all the time as well. EAR BEER!!! You are a pharmacist, give yourself a good drug to kill everything in your ears

Cheers!!

Kevin

PS why didn't I get a phone call while you were in town???

[aainslie]

One thing to note about ear beer -- don't leave it on the dash board of your car. I once left my ear solution in my car and it got quite hot. I did not notice until I put it into my ear... OUCH!

Cheers,
Jeff

Soudns like a good way to clean the wax out at the same time

[amphipod06]

My recipe for ear beer:

50% Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol)
25% White vinegar
25% Water

Isopropyl alcohol provides drying effect, vinegar drops the pH so bacteria and other bugs who like warm and moist do not proliferate.

Hydrogen peroxide is not a good idea, tends to remove the top layer of protective cells in your ear canal, leaving your ear exposed and ready for an infection, irritating too....

Dive safe,

Celia

PS reference:

[JerseyJersey]

Was told the same thing about the hydrogen peroxide .... becasue it strips the protective coating of the ear canal....

Also was told the reason the problem is only fresh water is because the bacteria cannot survive in the saltwater environment but breeds in the freshwater even spring fed waters whether warm or cold......

Have gotten the infection from 38F waters of the Dutch Springs in PA as well as the warm FLA springs so I dont argue....just use the ear beer.....

[WEPIV]

I don't know if I'm just lucky or immune but I never use drops in my ears and I have never (to my knowledge) had an ear infection from swimming/diving in salt or fresh water. (I also pretty much never use a hood.)
Also, I almost always drink a little bit of the water I'm swimming in. Not out near the surface but in the cave in a spring with current.
And again, to my knowledge no issues with doing that.
Is it that some people's ears are shaped differently and thus some are more prone to infection while others are not?