Surfer's ear is a common malady affecting the majority of life-long surfers. Many of them will not be aware of this until the narrowing of their ear canals reaches 90% at which point deafness may ensue. The disease is easily preventable by wearing ear plugs for surfing http://zenplugs.com/.
Surfing ear plugs need to be waterproof and ideally antibacterial. ZenPlugs contain Steritouch; proven to kill MRSA, Salmonella and other disease-inducing bugs.