Ear protection

For ear protection against cold water, look for ear plugs at a swimming shop or in the swimming section of a sports shop. Long-term exposure to cold water can cause permanent hearing loss - a condition known as surfer's ear or diver's ear. The body reacts to cold water by causing the bone in the ear canal to grow and close the canal. The only means of correcting this condition is surgery, where the bone is cut away.

When making kayaks and kayak gear, you may end up using noisy power equipment. Continued ezposure to loud noise will cause permanent damage to your hearing. You are well advised to get and use hearing protection. For moderately loud noises, ear plugs may be adequate. For louder noise levels, you should look at electronic ear protection. These ear muffs use a microphone and speaker to generate sound inside the ear muff that is out of phase with the noise, thereby cancelling the noise out.