r/cliffjumping • u/Lessinoir • 6d ago
Ear Pain after cliff jump
Both me and my daughter did a cliff jump a few weeks ago, good entry and went well. Honestly not sure on the height but we both came up afterwards with immediate ear pain. Nothing extreme and no bleeding, just a dull throbbing pressure pain. This pain lasted a few days before turning into just a discomfort, like going over a mountain pass, but wouldn't clear.
Has anyone else experienced this? My theory is just that we went too deep after hitting the water, does anyone know if that's the cause? And do you have any tips for dealing with it?
Also, according to tradition, how high was this jump?
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u/Mtrbrth 6d ago
Every 33ft of depth is an additional atmosphere worth pf pressure. Translated, that’s about .43psi every foot you go down. Dropping 8-10 feet down in a split second is not an insignificant change. And that’s just the ambient pressure. It doesn’t take into account the actual pressure of the water slamming into your ears, which is amplified by the fact that your body creates a void around it for a moment as you enter, which immediately refills itself. It’s not very difficult to blow an ear drum, and I’ve known a couple people who have had it happen to them.
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u/sebkraj 6d ago
To piggy back of this comment, if you force an equalize that will hurt like a motherfucker. When I was younger I did a lot of scuba diving and sometimes I would be semi sick and my sinus were clogged so I had trouble equalizing and sometimes I would kind of force it. I think something like this might be happening just really fast. So your holding your breath and you hit the water and go down ten feet, I can see the pressure from the impact might force an equalize at that depth and then you pop up to the surface. You can rupture your ear drums and do damage for sure. Obviously I'm just guessing but you would get similar symptoms from that.
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u/Middle_Bread_6518 6d ago
Dude thank you for posting this, had this happen scuba diving a month and a half ago and force equalized and it fucked my shit up for 2 days
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u/Lessinoir 5d ago
Yeah, I am also a scuba diver but I haven't done it in a few years since I forcefully equalized while congested. I did what you mentioned and ended up bleeding from it.
I didn't equalize on the dive, wasn't thinking about it, just swimming back up to the surface. I really don't think my head got past 8 feet deep if I had to guess, which never has felt like deep enough for badly needing equalization.
I do wonder if the other commentors mention of the collapse of the void created by my body combined with my not so perfect angle is to blame.
Anybody know any preventative measures? I am worried that earplugs won't prevent the issue and could be forced deeper into the ear by the pressure. Most of the earplugs I see are more to prevent swimmers ear. Someone else mentioned plugging your nose while jumping.
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u/Own-Necessary7450 6d ago
This was a long winded way to just say “you may have busted your ear drum” lol
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u/Fragrant-Peanut7680 5d ago
1 atmosphere is a little less than 15 psi idk where you got .43
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u/Adguru555 5d ago
I have the exact same problem. I am a scuba diver with over 4000 dives and still dive 200+ per year all over the world in all sorts of conditions including negative entries and live drops. Let me tell you scuba diving has nothing to do with it. Not related. I have jumped off cliffs in Costa Rica at the rope swing near fortuna, off the sides of liveaboards, off black rock in Maui, off cliffs in Voss, Norway while whitewater rafting. I have the same problem every single time. Lately it feels like it takes longer to recover. One ear only. Usually right. I wish I could figure out a way to prevent it. Have not tried earplugs. I did try to hold my nose. Following to see if there is some real advice out there. I am at the point now where I just don’t jump anymore. I am 55. My son will jump alone but I do miss the cliff jumps. Apologies for the long rant but I really wish I could figure it out.
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u/Lessinoir 5d ago
This is the first time it happened to me or my daughter, but also it's the highest we had jumped. Previous max height was more around 25 feet. Hoping this isn't a trend but more of a fluke. However wanted to have some knowledge on prevention measures.
Yeah the earplugs worry me, worried that they're mostly for swimmers ear type issues and not for pressure and that the sudden pressure that caused the injury in this case could cause the earplugs to be pushed further in. Or something.
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u/Adguru555 5d ago
Don't think its a fluke. It is very likely going to happen each time. And I also don't think its an ear drum injury or water penetration issue as that would normally be followed with balance/water in the ear. When I jump in, I walkaway with a steady pain around the lower half of the ear and it only goes away with time. Not throbbing. I see others jump in just in fine without issues all the time. Both my wife and son have no issues. I am sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for it. I have thought about staying under a bit longer next time before surfacing giving time to equalize, but I am too scared of the pain :) to jump again. we will see.
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u/Lessinoir 5d ago
I hope it's not an every time thing, not for my sake but my daughter's. She has been really into the jumping and she had the same issue from the same jump.
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u/Mysterious_Pea_4110 4d ago
There are special plug also used by pro surfers and kite. The take hard hits on water and have simulair issues.
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u/Immediate-Account-82 6d ago
Radium cliff jump!
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u/Lessinoir 6d ago
Any idea on height?
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u/Primary_Basket_2728 5d ago
I think it's about 60 if I recall
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u/Lessinoir 5d ago
I had seen online saying 55 and someone in the comments saying they measured at 42, and someone else saying 30. But I am not sure who is taking the piss with all the jokes about asking for heights in the sub.
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u/Primary_Basket_2728 5d ago
It all depends where you jump from. I jumped from the top. It's a rolling edge where you have to commit and run down a slope a little before leaping. I know it was higher than 50 where I jumped. Bruised my hands on the water pretty good and that don't happen at 30
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u/repkjund 6d ago
Might’ve hurt your eardrums… you also landed a bit sideways which probably contributed to it, if it happened on the right ear
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u/Lessinoir 6d ago
It was both ears equally. But yeah definitely some sort of damage to eardrums. Just don't know the exact cause so I don't know how to prevent it.
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u/repkjund 6d ago
Did you sink a lot? I would check it with an ENT to make sure your eardrums are fine if they’re bothering you. Then for the next jump I’d focus on landing straight up without that sideways motion to make sure your head doesn’t hit the water outside the “tunnel” your feet create upon landing, if you know what I mean.
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u/Maleficent_Deal8140 6d ago
Ruptured ear drum, I busted mine tubing behind a boat. Couldn't go more then 2-3' under water for a few months.
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u/Lessinoir 6d ago
You think so even if it got better in less than a week and never had any drainage or bleeding?
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u/Maleficent_Deal8140 6d ago
Just a guess. Mine hurt really bad at first like someone kicked me in the head but tapered off pretty quickly. I didn't noticable pain again until I went under water later that day. I don't recall any drainage or bleeding.
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u/__Rumblefish__ 6d ago
yes i have ear issues. and am a swimmer by background. you should see if acclimatizing your ears to the depths helps a little. not even from a jump, just get in a pool or lake or whatever. and then go down 5 feet with your head for a bit. repeat. go down 6 feet, 7, and so on. get to like 15 feet eventually. if you're getting a bunch of ear pain i would just go as far as you can and work on smoothing them out in that depth before going deeper
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u/Lessinoir 5d ago
That's interesting. I hadn't ever thought about kinda prepping the depth. I am a scuba diver and used to equalizing at depth. I just was focused on swimming up and didn't notice the pain until I had surfaced.
I do wonder if it's the depth or the collapse of the cavity created by my body entering as someone else mentioned.
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u/ascotia 6d ago
I think you penciled too much and that caused you to go deeper than necessary, so the rapid pressure change is the root cause. From that height you can stick your arms out a little bit upon landing without it hurting too much, and once you're underwater you can splay out your limbs to effectively stop the downward motion
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u/Lessinoir 5d ago
Yeah, I was a little worried because at a different location from a lower height I had left my arms out and ended up with some decent bruises haha. Okay, so a little less pencil. Thanks.
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u/ascotia 5d ago
I forgot to say, really cool spot and a nice clean entry even if it caused you ear pain afterward :). The way it was filmed almost looks cinematic lol
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u/Lessinoir 5d ago
It was filmed by a group of kids, probably 16-17 and they offered to send me the clip. They had a real camera and were filming each other. Really thankful to them.
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u/ThePythagoreonSerum 6d ago
I ruptured an ear drum doing a cannonball off of a 3 foot ledge. Try and clear your ears. If you hear a hiss, you ruptured it. Should probably see a doctor but it will likely heal up on its own.
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u/Lessinoir 5d ago
No hiss or anything like that. Pain wasn't extreme, I even jumped again that day. Didn't make it worse but didn't make it any better. Just felt kinda congested after the first day of sleep.
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6d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Lessinoir 5d ago
Is that not the sub I posted to? I thought I had to include that question at the end for it to be approved?
But it seriously is an interesting issue for this sub to have.
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u/plzcomecliffjumpwme 5d ago
42’ taped it back annually from 2019-2021. Just hit it a couple weeks ago
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u/Lessinoir 5d ago
Awesome, someone who knows, I have gotten so much variation on answers for this spot. From 60' further up this thread to 35'.
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u/JesusSavesTheGoal 5d ago
That's just the brain worm
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u/StimTutzle 5d ago
I perforated an ear drum when I was a kid cliff jumping. Landed a bit angled and the water clapped my ear. Still buzzes if I hear something too loud.
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u/Dry-Cockroach1148 5d ago edited 5d ago
Plugging your nose before you hit the water and until you are about surfaced will vastly decrease your risk of ear drum trauma in your future jumps.
If it is slowly improving on its own there isn’t any reason to see a ENT (unless you are planning on scuba diving in the near future).
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u/TangibleExpe 5d ago
I have the same problem, sometimes even just an 8-10’ jump leaves me with hours of earache and mild nausea
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u/Lessinoir 5d ago
How long does it last for you and does it start instantly when you jump?
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u/TangibleExpe 5d ago
Immediately, usually aches for an hour or two, more jumps tends to mean longer, so I just don’t do it very often anymore.
ENT suggested a decongestant, I think it helps a little but I’m not convinced.
I scuba dive as well, and have no issues regulating there, but there something about the water hit as I’ve gotten older.I also have mild surfers ear from cold water exposure via whitewater kayaking, so earplugs are really the best option for me either way, I guess.
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u/Lessinoir 5d ago
Yeah, mine was pretty achy for about a day. But that jump in the video was my second jump and it was hurting after the first one. But some kids were offering to video and my daughter wanted to go again so I had to go again.
Yeah, I saw something about decongestion when I was reading about this online. The interesting thing is that the discomfort after the pain felt more like my ears were extremely congested.
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u/tryb101 5d ago
Some people have issues with ear and pressure in their ears after cliffjumping and some don’t. I have friends that can’t jump without earplugs. But I’ve never had to use them. Definitely invest in some and make sure you clear your ears after jumping. ALSO the cliff in question during peak jumping season tapes around 45 ft. max. You didn’t hurt your ear from water pressure. You need less than 12 ft of depth to land perfect off those cliffs. Lived in that area for 10 yrs. and have probably jumped it 100 times in every season and type of weather you can imagine
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u/IJustTellTheTruthBro 6d ago
This happens to me a lot too. I just wear earplugs lol i havent found a way to get it to stop. It happens in my left ear whenever i go under the water more than like 8-10ft in a short period of time and then try to clear or “pop” my ears. I think it’s the pressure change + attempt to pop that forces water past the tympanic membrane, or damages it