SurfEars: The Tiny Piece of Gear That Saved Our Dive Days
⭐ There are pieces of dive gear you buy because they’re cool.
There are pieces you buy because someone else swears by them.
And then there are the pieces you buy because without them, your entire dive day can fall apart.
For us, SurfEars falls squarely into that last category.
Earplugs aren’t glamorous.
They’re not something you show off on the dive boat.
There’s no “Oooh, let me see your earplugs!” moment.
But when you need them…
You really need them.
And for J, “need” might be an understatement.
🤿 Why We Started Using Earplugs in the First Place
J gets vertigo if water gets into his ears.
Not mild discomfort — full spinning, disorienting vertigo that ends the dive day instantly.
If he forgets earplugs, it often means:
Dive plan: canceled
Boat day: canceled
Everyone else: still diving
Us: stuck on the boat eating chips and feeling defeated
I don’t get vertigo from diving — I just get water stuck in my ears for days.
So yes… earplugs matter in our world.
🌟 Enter SurfEars (Game-Changer Status Unlocked)
From the very first dive, J gave SurfEars two solid thumbs up — and trust me, he doesn’t hand those out lightly.
Here’s what won us over:
✔️ The Earlock
This was the design feature that sealed the deal.
The Earlock keeps the plug securely in place so it doesn’t slip out or shift.
It doesn’t pull, doesn’t irritate, and doesn’t let the plug wander — even when gearing up or moving around on the boat.
✔️ They don’t push in with pressure
This is huge for J.
Some plugs get forced deeper with descending pressure — SurfEars don’t.
They stay exactly where you put them.
✔️ Comfortable and easy to remove
No tugging, no yanking, no discomfort.
✔️ You can still hear your buddy
They aren’t sound-blocking — you stay protected and aware.
✔️ Color-coded left/right
A tiny detail that makes gearing up at 6 a.m. easier.
🧰 The Case: Shockingly Important
A surprising amount of our love for SurfEars is actually because of their case.
Yes.
The case.
It:
Opens easily
Lets you grab the plugs quickly
Clips to a BCD with a carabiner
Survives boat life
Makes carrying a backup pair underwater genuinely possible
That last point is huge:
If, for any reason, J needed to put them in mid-dive, he could actually do it.
That’s not something we say lightly.
🔗 The Necklace Fastener = Genius
This deserves its own spotlight.
We’ve tried two other types of earplugs:
Type 1: No necklace
Lost immediately.
Gone forever.
Never made it back to shore.
Type 2: Necklace but no fastener
They’d float behind your head — impossible to find underwater.
We once spent several minutes on the surface blindly grabbing at the cord like we were trying to catch invisible seaweed.
SurfEars: Necklace with a lockable fastener
Meaning:
They stay put
You always know where they are
You can locate them instantly
No more losing earplugs in the ocean
No more blind fishing around your neck like a confused seal
Two problems solved in one go.
💬 The Moment I Knew We’d Never Dive Without Them Again
It wasn’t underwater.
It was watching J gear up — and seeing something new:
Relaxation.
Usually, he’s bracing for a fight:
Hoping the plugs won’t shift, won’t push deeper, won’t fall out, won’t trigger vertigo.
But with SurfEars?
He was calm.
Confident.
Ready to dive without that undercurrent of “please don’t ruin the day.”
That alone made them worth every penny.
🧡 Final Thoughts
SurfEars may not be shiny or flashy or “cool,” but they are one of the most important pieces of gear we own.
They protect J from vertigo.
They save our dive days.
They stop me from walking around for 48 hours with my head tilted trying to drain water like a confused pelican.
They stay in place.
They stay comfortable.
They stay findable.
And they work.
Some gear is optional.
Some gear is preference.
SurfEars?
For us, they are non-negotiable.
And if you or your dive buddy struggle with leaking ears, trapped water, or vertigo…
These might just save your dive day too.