Disclosed is a facemask equipped with earplugs which permits wearers to hear clearly sounds underwater or hear others to speak to each other. The earplugs can be easily removed from their ears after finishing scuba diving. Thus, scuba diving will increase fun. As a matter of course, wearers will not suffer from bradyacusia, and they will have no fear of losing the sense of balance by allowing cold water to reach the semicircular canals of the inner ear while swimming underwater.

An underwater eardrum protector for use in underwater diving by a person having a perforated eardrum includes an inflatable bladder insertable in an ear canal of the person; a tube for supplying a non-compressible fluid to the bladder so as to inflate the same; a housing fluidly connecting the bladder to the tube; and a pump which supplies the non-compressible fluid to the tube, the pump including a cylinder having an inner wall, a piston slidable in the cylinder so as to define a variable volume chamber with the inner wall of the cylinder, the chamber being in fluid communication with the tube, O-rings connected with the piston for providing a fluid seal between the piston and the inner wall of the cylinder so as to seal the variable volume chamber, and a piston rod for slidably moving the piston in the cylinder so as to reduce the volume of the chamber and force the non-compressible fluid in the chamber through the tube and into the bladder, the piston rod being connected with the piston in a freely rotatable manner and being threadedly connected with the cylinder.

A device for facilitating the equalization of pressure across the eardrum of a user, comprising (a) an ear piece being sized and dimensioned for tightly fitting the outer ear canal of the user, such that when the user being underwater, water being prevented from entering between the ear piece and the outer ear canal, the ear piece being formed with a channel having an inner opening and an outer opening, the inner opening facing the eardrum of the user and the outer opening facing the outside, the channel and the outer ear defining a permanent void; and (b) an inflatable bag being in fluid communication with the ear piece via the outer opening, the bag defining a changeable void.

A diving mask supplemented with a device for facilitating the equalization of pressure across the eardrum of a user, including (a) a mask body configured to closely fit the face of the user so as to cover at least the eyes and nose of the user, so that, when in use, the mask body and the face of the user define a first closed space, the mask body including a transparent window through which the user sees; (b) first and second ear cups for closely covering the ears of the user, the ear cups and the sides of the head of the user define a second and third closed spaces around the ears of the user, respectively, each of the ear cups including (i) a flexible ear cover for covering an ear of the user; (ii) an external solid frame for supporting the ear cover; and (iii) a solid outer cover for protecting the ear cover; (c) first and second tubes extending from the mask body, each of the first and second tubes having a first end and a second end, the first ends communicating with the first closed space defined by the mask body and the face of the user, the second ends communicating with the second and third closed spaces, respectively, defined by the ear cups and the sides of the head of the user; and (d) a strap arrangement connecting between each of the first and second ear cups and the mask body and between the first and second ear cups.

A method and apparatus for providing improved protection for the auditory systems of persons who may be subjected to excessive sound pressures or concussive shock waves or who may have certain disorders of the ear which require the exclusion of foreign matter or fluids from the auditory canal, comprising an earplug or an earplug set in which auditory canal inserts may be pneumatically expanded into positive sealing engagement with the auditory meatus by the application of orally-blown pneumatic pressure developed by the human pulmonary system.