Sports Medicine Physician Maarten Verschure

“My name is Maarten Verschure, I’m a sports medicine physician in the Netherlands and also a surf and kite surf fanatic. I’ve been using earplugs for years to prevent a condition called surfers’ ears. The dutch North Sea can be quite cold and I surf all year long. I’ve recently been wearing Surfears and I like the fact that during surfing I can hear again! I forgot my Surfears one time and had to wear my old ones. Well I can tell you there was an major difference in what I could hear, I really missed my surfears!”

About surfers’s ear:

“Beneath a water temp of 17.5 degrees and also due to wind and a possible trauma. The volume and shape of the outer ear canal can change. This is caused by a chronic irritation and inflammation leading to a bony growth called exostosis. This condition can lead to hearing loss, infection, itching, pain and the irritating sensation that water remains in the ear canal. A dutch study showed that

Surfer’s ear is clearly visible amongst Dutch surfers, after relatively short exposure. Likely due to the low seawater temperature.

The only treatment is a surgical one, removing the extra bone. Next to keeping you out of the water for a couple of weeks, it can lead to complications such as the paralysis of the facial nerve, an ear drum perforation, or damage to the joint of the jaw. Sounds like an extremely good reason to prevent the condition before it occurs. It can easily be done by wearing Surfears!”

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