Swimmers Ear

I have been around swimming my entire life.  I have never seen a pair of ear plugs work flawlessly for a competitive swimmer.  They are constantly fidgeting with them and adjusting them.  Also, it seems that if they do leak, than they would trap water behind them in the ear canal that otherwise may have drained out naturally.  

The drops are mostly alcohol  - so I wouldn't use them until all of your symptoms from the swimmers ear are gone.  

I used to get swimmers ear nearly every year when I would go train in Ft. Lauderdale for a couple of weeks for southern zones.  The high heat and humidity seemed to always help several of us get a good case of it.  

Have you tried the simple method of just bouncing up and down with your head tilted to the side after every swim?

I'm not being silly, I'm serious.  I clear my ears of water by bouncing in the locker room after every swim and I have NEVER had a single ear problem from swimming in 10 years....I don't wear ear plugs or use any ear product...just the bounce up and down to clear the water method....

Each person's ear canals are shaped a little differently so a position that may drain well for one may not work for another.

After surfing and swimming my whole life, I finally got a really nasty outer ear infection this year. After it was cleared up with antibiotic/steroid drops, what I do now is use the silicone ear plugs (the blobby ones mentioned above) and because they are like Play-Dough, they keep a nice tight seal in the ear for me.

After swimming (this is common advice from physicians ... Mayo Clinic to name one), I use a 50/50 mix of alcohol and white vinegar in my ears to dry them out, making sure they are towel-dried and blown dry whenever possible too.

I also spent most of my childhood swimming. Somewhere along the way I learned that if you turn your hand upside down and press the palm against your ear canal, you can create a little suction and help draw out the water. It works better if you tilt your ear downward when applying the suction

My swim coach had a homemade concoction for ear drops which was mostly alcohol, but I don't know the recipe. I'll bet you an find it on the internet.

Yes, the drops work.  As previously stated, they are mostly alcohol.  When I've been in a pinch before, I've even used a drop or two of whatever drinking alcohol I could find.  Having had swimmers ear before, I was desperate to get the water out, not to mention the "swishing" noise that you hear when water gets stuck in the ear canal. 

The drops are great, but they can sting a little.  I would avoid liquor in your ear.  Especially Gran Marnier.

The 50/50 mix sounds like something I will have to try. I have used the drops for the past year and while they work to keep me from getting swimmers ear they sting a bit. I don't know how safe it is as i'm not a doctor nor do I play one on TV but I use hydrogen peroxide if i run out of drops. I have never gotten swimers ear using this method but if the Dr.s of the world say the 50/50 mix works ill give it a wirl.

Also I tried ear plugs they just fell out or leaked. I wouldn't want to deal with them on race day and I really try to train with what i'm going to use during the race.

I'm starting to lean toward the vinegar and alcohol mix.

The lifeguard at the pool swore by putting baby oil in the ear. Never heard of that one, I'm off to google it.