Spending extended hours engaged in watersports sounds fun. Experiencing ear inflammation and abnormal bone growth in the ear canal from extended exposure to water, cold air, dirt, and bacteria, though — not so much. While you can wear ear plugs to block out all the nasty elements, they, pretty much, render you deaf to what’s going on, apart from potentially affecting your balance. Surfears, a custom-designed set of earplugs, can change that.
Boasting close to zero acoustic loss when worn, they’re being billed as “the most sound-transluscent ear plugs” available. That means, whether you’re swimming, surfing, or snorkeling at depths of 40 feet, they’ll keep your ears duly protected from the elements, all while letting you hear the world at large. They claim the plugs will let so much sound through, you’ll practically forget you’re got something popped in your ears.
Surfears come with a variety of changeable parts, so one set can be used to customize the fit to anyone’s ears. Each set include a pair of plugs, detachable sealing gels (three different sizes), and detachable support wings (two different sizes), all housed inside a pocket-sized storage case. It uses a core designed to replicate the ear’s natural resonance frequency, with an acoustic mesh on the outer keeping external elements out while maintaining your hearing and balancing abilities. The sealing gels lock down the ear canal completely, while the support wings hold the plugs in place even through extreme impact and heavy wipeouts.
Creators Frankly Development is running a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a Surfears production run. Pledges to reserve a set starts at $60.