Why Can’t You Scuba Dive When You Have Hearing Loss?

You probably know award-winning actor and comedian Stephen Colbert from The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and, since 2015, The Late Show. He has won nine Emmys, two Grammys, and three Peabody Awards. His book, I Am America (And So Can You!), was a NY Times #1 bestseller in 2007.

Born in 1964 in Washington DC and raised in Charleston, South Carolina as the 11th child of a doctor and homemaker, Colbert always had a flair for acting and performing through high school and college. But did you know his dream was marine biology? Unfortunately, he can’t scuba dive due to lacking an eardrum in his right ear.

As a child, Colbert had a severely perforated eardrum from a tumor. Surgeons needed to remove his eardrum to safely remove the tumor, leaving him completely deaf in his right ear. This reality led him to switch career goals.

In an interview with the Charleston Post and Courier, he said, “Now I can’t get my head wet. I mean, I can, but I can’t really scuba dive or anything like that. So goes my marine biology hopes.”

Stephen Colbert has a type of hearing loss that prevents him from diving, but not everyone with hearing loss needs to avoid diving or snorkeling. If your eardrums are intact and can be equalized, you can likely dive. However, further hearing damage can result from diving, and those with hearing in only one ear should avoid the sport.

Let’s “dive in” and see what you need to know before heading out.

Are You Fit to Dive?

Many people with hearing loss can enjoy both diving and freediving (snorkeling). But some individuals should avoid the sport:

• Those who already have permanent dive-related hearing loss.
• Those who have undergone cochlear implant surgery.
• Those who have monaural hearing (one-sided hearing) regardless of the cause.
• Those who have had ossicle surgery or tympanic-membrane repair.

Diving can put people with these types of medical histories at risk, potentially causing damage to surgical repairs. Extreme caution should be taken for those who have suffered hearing loss because of ear barotrauma. It’s also advisable to consult with an ENT doctor before diving.

Bilateral hearing issues do not rule out the ability for someone to dive, but it can present challenges in communication between crew members and other divers. When lives are on the line, obstruction or delays in communication can be deadly.

Why Your Ears May Hurt When You Dive?

We’ve all been at the swimming pool as kids, diving in the deep end to retrieve something from the bottom. Not only is it cooler down there, but the pressure to the ears hits hard. And that’s at a mere 10-12 feet. So you can imagine what the pressure feels like at 20-30 feet and beyond. The same goes for high altitudes, which you may have experienced while driving in the mountains or in an airplane.

Our ears operate perfectly pressure-wise at sea level. The pressure inside and outside the ear is balanced. Once you drop into the water, the dynamic changes. You’ve now got water on the outside of the ear being forced inward the deeper you dive. Couple that with the air on the inside of your middle ear, and you now have an imbalance. A painful imbalance if not addressed.

Counterbalancing the pressure can relieve the pain by allowing the air pressure to reach inside the eardrum’s surface. Our built-in relief valves are our Eustachian tubes.

As long as your Eustachian tubes function correctly, they will help regulate the middle ear pressure by linking the ear, nose, and throat. If you have a problem with your Eustachian tubes, it’s going to hurt. No relief valve, no counterbalance.

The best ways to equalize pressure when diving is to:

• Stretch your jaw
• Swallow
• Pinch your nose and gently blow

Diving with unequalized ears is incredibly painful and could cause a ruptured eardrum. Alert your dive buddy and ascend as soon as possible if you can’t equalize.

Preventing Permanent Ear Damage From Diving

Your first course of action when you feel any ear pain is to ascend, aborting the dive. Depending on how deep you were diving, each decompression stop should give you ample time to equalize ear pressure. If you find relief, it’s possible to continue your dive. If not, progress with decompression and head to the surface. Do not skip any decompression stops.

Sinus problems can be an issue with equalizing the pressure in the inner ear. Be sure to address this concern with your doctor and take any recommended decongestants or antihistamines before diving. Diving with ear pain could cause a perforated eardrum which will require antibiotics to prevent infection. If the perforation is too large to heal on its own, surgery may be necessary.

Treatments For Ear Pain From Scuba Diving

In most cases, ear pain caused by scuba diving is temporary and will usually dissipate in a few days. Pain that lasts longer than a few days needs to be addressed by a medical professional. An ear perforation normally heals on its own with no need for a doctor. The ear needs to remain as dry as possible during healing to help avoid inner ear infections.

If the pain is such that you choose to see a doctor following a dive, here’s what routinely will occur:

• The doctor will ask questions about the dive.
• Medical history will be reviewed, including any sinus or respiratory issues.
• Thorough ear examination using an otoscope.

A perforated eardrum should be monitored regularly since it can result in hearing loss. Depending on the severity of the perforation, your doctor might refer you to an audiologist for an intensive exam and testing.

If you have any questions about your ears and diving–or any other sport–let our experienced and knowledgeable staff at the Hearing Associates of Las Vegas help you.