Flying in any plane can often cause havoc in your ears.
For those of us with particular sensitive ears, it can be a big problem.
Skydiving is often a big question mark for many people for this reason, since many wonder if skydiving hurts your ears even more than flying in a plane.
So, does skydiving hurt your ears?
Yes, it can, but not always. Your ear is experiencing rapid changes in pressure, and this can be painful. Skydiving is quite noisy, too, and this also puts pressure on the ears. Your eustachian tubes regulate pressure, but they can’t keep up with pressure changes in a skydive.
So, the short answer is that you will probably notice some discomfort in your ears.
Experienced skydivers do a variety of things to help ease the discomfort of the changing pressure, though, so it’s not as if you’re without any help.
Let’s look further into this.
Can skydiving cause ear damage?
It’s very unlikely to cause any permanent ear damage, and certainly not if you are only doing it once.
The fact is that skydiving is just very noisy.
With the wind rushing into your face at speeds up to 120 mph, you’re going to notice that in your ears.
Even for those who skydive frequently, there’s still virtually no risk of any kind of permanent damage.
Many may choose to wear a helmet to protect their ears in future skydives, but this is really just about comfort.
This just makes the wind a bit quieter, it doesn’t protect you from damage.
So, the short answer is no, skydiving cannot cause ear damage.
That said, some do have more trouble than others just with being in planes in general.
Skydiving planes are not pressurized, so you are feeling each acute change in pressure as you climb into the sky.
But this, too, is typically painless.
For some with very sensitive ears, though, it could take a bit longer to get them back to normal.
Even then, there’s no risk of actually damaging your ears permanently.
It may just be uncomfortable for a short time.
It’s really not much different from taking an ordinary flight, in that sense.
Your ears can often take a certain amount of time to readjust after the flight.
Your ears may have to readjust after a skydive.
Is there any way to stop your ears hurting during skydiving, then?
How do I stop my ears from hurting when skydiving?
Your best bet is to wear some kind of protection for your ears.
As I said, many skydivers begin to wear helmets quite soon into their career in order to keep their ears comfortable and happy.
So, investing in a helmet could be a good idea—but you can also most likely borrow one from any good diving school.
Your other, more common option is earplugs.
You can bring your own since the school won’t be able to share earplugs.
Although, they may have disposable ear plugs.
Either way, this will protect your ears and dull the noise and wind rushing through them, making them feel less pressure and stress through the experience.
But there will likely always be some degree of discomfort.
Eventually, you will likely get used to it, but you can certainly give yourself a helping hand with helmets and earplugs.
If your ears are unbearably uncomfortable, then speak to the skydiving instructor.
They may be able to help to understand why the problem is as bad as it is.
Again, it may just be that you have particularly sensitive ears.
Can your eardrum rupture from skydiving?
No, is the short answer.
There are certain pretty unlikely scenarios where it could happen, though.
Your eustachian tubes, as I mentioned, are the tubes in your ears that help you maintain balance, and the pressure builds in them during flying and skydiving.
This pressure needs to be able to be relieved.
If the pressure cannot be relieved because the tubes are blocked—such as because of a cold, or other illness—then the build up of pressure can result in a ruptured eardrum.
So, the best advice I can give is not to skydive while you have a cold, or anything that is blocking your eustachian tubes.
Under normal circumstances, though, your ears will never rupture from skydiving. It just won’t happen.
But you should still protect yourself.
Should I wear earplugs when skydiving?
Yes, you probably should.
Skydiving is a very noisy experience, and earplugs are a big help in preventing it from being too uncomfortable.
As I mentioned, they won’t always work perfectly, but it’s really just about helping you to feel more comfortable.
Of course, you don’t have to wear earplugs if you don’t want to.
It may be that the experience is just fine for you without them.
As I said, it’s about comfort and not really about protecting your ears, so you don’t have to wear them.
But earplugs and a helmet are your best bet against excessive noise.
Your ears are going to notice what is going on, then, one way or another.
But there are a great many things you can do to ease the discomfort.
Just be prepared for how it is going to feel, firstly, and if you’re at all unsure, speak to the skydiving instructor and raise your concerns.
There’s no reason skydiving can’t be a fun and enjoyable experience for everyone.
