Did anyone have experiences learning watersports, kitesurfing, wingfoiling, etc after losing their hearing?
Do you take off your hearing aids before going into water?
How do you make sure you’re not missing something important you need to hear while in water? (There’s always something said while you’re already in water)
How do you protect your ears? (In my case, my ears shouldn’t be exposed to water)
Has anyone with hearing loss started learning to swim as an adult? How was the experience?
Well let’s see now. I was born with a mild hearing loss which progressed to moderate by 20s, then my current snake-belly over the decades to today, at a youthful 70!!
So, I definitely learned - and have always LOVED! - water sports even with compromised hearing. I even bought the Phonak Lumity Life rechargeables cuz they were being marketed as “waterproof”. I put that to the test (and it was a GIANT LIE).
But if you’re asking CAN a person get in the water without aids? YOU BETCHA! I snorkel and swim frequently, and it’s always deaf as a cinderblock. I tell the lifeguard (if there is one) or the boat man if I’m on a tour, or whomever, that I’m deaf as a stone, so if they need to get my attention in the water, just tap me? Yeah, and that happened when swimming in a community pool, lol! The lifeguard reached into the water and tapped me with a foam NOODLE to tell me he was moving the lanes over for group swim.
Anything more important that can’t be communicated with hands flying around and GIANT mouthing of words is gonna have to be written down.
I usually swim in pools wearing earplugs to keep the water out, cuz the kiss of death for hearing aids is to put them into damp ear canals. Hope that helps!
Do you take off your hearing aids before going into water?
Definitely. The current “flagship” hearing aids are generally built to be reasonably tolerant of water and dust - for example, the Phonak Infinios are IP68 “plus”. This means that you’re OK if you get splashed or rained on, or (probably) even if you accidentally get into the shower without remembering to remove your aids. But they are not designed for swimming or other water sports.
As @1Bluejay said, you can try to make accommodations - but you may need to find allies, like friendly lifeguards or “buddies”.
Learning to swim as an adult was fine once I stopped worrying about missing sounds.
Very true!! We gotta let go and lean INTO it.
I should also confess tho, that all the years I lived by a lake, I’d bob in my inner tube every summer with my aids IN. Never tipped over, altho that might have happened, but the lake was rarely choppy, and I even welcomed a speedboat zooming by so I could bob in their wake. FUN FUN FUN!!!
but you may need to find allies, like friendly lifeguards or “buddies”.
Yes, this would be reassuring! Thank you!
@Jolian said: (unavailable)
Learning to swim as an adult was fine once I stopped worrying about missing sounds.
I think maybe this is why I get panicked in water. I fear being completely deaf in water, and traumas also get in the way.
Thanks for sharing your personal insight!
Luxor, Egypt
