Protection and connection in the water

Designed to keep water out while allowing sound in, SurfEars new ear plugs are built to last with minimal impact, made from recycled ocean plastics and repurposed silicone. We spoke to founder Christian Dittrich about a clever invention born out of necessity.

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It’s often said that necessity is the mother of invention, which is something SurfEars founder Christian Dittrich knows all about with his clever ear plugs designed to keep water out while allowing sound in. A swimmer and surfer all his life but plagued by ear problems while in the water, Christian struggled to find ear protection that allowed him to hear his surroundings. His background in mechanical engineering helped him find a solution that’s benefitting surfers and open water swimmers around the world.

From SurfEars HQ in south Sweden, Christian tells us more…

I’ve been in the water all my life. I started swim school and competitive swimming when I was about 8 years old. I always had ear issues when I was a kid – I felt pain when I was under water. I used wax cotton plugs in my ears, but it meant I couldn’t hear very well during the competitions. So it was from a young age that I didn’t like the type of ear protection available at the time.

As a teenager I got into windsurfing. I did it every day, even throughout winter, which is very cold here in Sweden. I had no idea about Surfer’s Ear (exostosis) at the time, so I didn’t really care to use a hood or any ear protection most of the year. Eventually as I got older and continued with my water sports, I noticed that water kept getting trapped in my ears and I was prone to getting ear infections quite often. I started using all kinds of ear protection, but again, they blocked a lot of hearing. I couldn’t talk to my girlfriend and other surfers in the water, and I started to think that there must be a better way to do this.

Creating a solution

My background is in mechanical engineering. I worked for Nokia for many years and I got to know how to make and develop products, including how to design small components and acoustical solutions. Inside mobile phones are very tiny components, including speakers and microphones. These components need to be protected from water and dust. So with that experience, figured out that if I create a hollow earplug and put a kind of mesh or membrane on the outside, I should have an earplug that doesn’t take away too much sound.

I built a pair of ear plugs using a 3D printer, put them on and tried them in the water. I found they were good enough, and this lit a spark. I made more, gave them to friends to try and they all said that it worked. Of course, these were the first prototypes, so the fit wasn’t perfect, but they worked. I put a lot of hours in, doing hundreds of different prototypes, then eventually myself and my co-founders decided to launch a Kickstarter campaign around the product. Later, we got picked up a good Australian distributor that put us in many surf stores around the world. And from there it took off.

Protection for all water activities

Basically for anyone who is doing activity in the water and needs to hear their surroundings, SurfEars are a relevant product. It’s being used by whitewater kayakers, windsurfers, fishermen, etc. A lot of divers are using it now because they can hear the underwater world in a different way. They still have a dry ear inside the barrier, so they can hear the underwater world as if they were on land, which is a weird experience, but fantastic. And then for open water swimmers in winter, SurfEars take away that cold sensation of the water entering your ears. When the inside of your ears feel cold, your whole body feels cold, so blocking that out is almost like wearing a wetsuit.

Since we first launched in 2014, we’ve upgraded the product four times, improving the form, fit, function and durability. For our 4.0, we’ve introduced more sustainable materials like working with ocean plastics and repurposed silicone. The surfing and water sports community are super keen on protecting the oceans, and we’re doing what we can to help clean up the oceans as well. We’ree also using the least packaging we can.

Durability is key with our new model. Previously we had some issues with the acoustic mesh wearing off but now it’s been moulded into the product. If you take care of it, these ear plugs can be used for many years.

I still do a lot of surfing. My son is starting to surf and my girlfriend and I just got a sailboat, so we’re in and around the water a lot. That means we use the ear plugs ourselves on a daily basis. I can’t surf without them, otherwise water gets trapped in my ears because of my exostosis. If a single drop of water in my right ear, I can’t hear out of it. Eventually I might have the surgery to remove the exostosis but so far SurfEars has kept it from getting worse these past 10 years. They can stop exostosis from growing further by keeping your ears protected, warm and free from water. For me, SurfEars are essential.

Read gear editor Jo’s review of SurfEars 4.0 ear plugs.

Outdoor Swimmer readers can receive 10% discount when purchasing SurfEars – enter ‘XXXX’ at the checkout. Find out more about SurfEars at surfears.com