Have you ever noticed that you felt dizzy, off balance, or had vertigo after surfing? That is more common than you might think! In this blog, I will discuss five possible causes and what to do.

Causes of Vertigo after Surfing

#1 Swimmer’s Ear

If you noticed that your one of your ears is swollen, itchy, red, or painful after you were in the water, you may have developed an outer ear infection. Other symptoms include a feeling of fullness, drainage from your ear, reduced hearing, slight fever, and even swollen lymph nodes nearby.

This may be due to a condition called otitis externa or more commonly known as swimmer’s ear.

Swimmer’s ear can sometimes contribute to dizziness or vertigo after surfing, typically due to a bacterial or fungal infection in your outer ear canal. If untreated, this condition may get worse over time.

You can go to urgent care if you think you have an ear infection causing vertigo after surfing. Your primary care provider can also help, if you can get an appointment without delay.

Your health care provider can give you ear drops to treat this condition.

If you have salt water trapped in your ear that does not eventually drain, you could develop an outer ear infection or swimmer’s ear.

#2 Surfer’s Ear

Surfer’s ear can cause vertigo after surfing. The medical name for this condition is external auditory exostosis (EAE).

In this condition, the ear canal will narrow and close up over time due to the build-up of ear wax and debris inside the ear.

If you have been surfing for a long time and you feel like your ears are not clearing like they used to, you can seek a consultation with an ENT to get checked for surfer’s ear.

If you are diagnosed with EAE, your ENT may recommend a medical procedure to treat the surfer’s ear.

You can also use ear plugs specially made to prevent surfer’s ear.

#3 BPPV

One of the most common causes of vertigo is BPPV. This is a disorder caused by loose crystals displaced within the canals of the inner ear, which can happen after surfing.

If you notice that momentary vertigo occurs when you lie down in bed, roll over in bed, or get up out of bed, then BPPV may be the cause of your vertigo after surfing.

You can find a vestibular health care provider to treat your BPPV with maneuvers to reposition the crystals.

Learn more about BPPV here.

#4 Whiplash Injury to Your Neck

If you got rocked while surfing or landed hard snapping your neck, you may have experienced a whiplash injury to your neck.

If your vertigo after surfing also comes along with neck pain, stiffness, or tension headaches, then you may need to seek neck care.

You can learn more about cervical vertigo here.

This blog talks about who can help with cervical vertigo.

This blog is about dizziness from whiplash.

#5 Concussion

If you hit your head on your surfboard or on the ocean floor, then you may have a concussion. Even a minor concussion can cause vertigo after surfing.

If you recall bonking your head, you can learn more about vertigo after a concussion in this blog.

People with a concussion may have a normal brain CT scan or MRI, so a skilled evaluation is key to diagnosis in many cases.

A concussion after surfing may co-occur with a whiplash injury to the neck and/or BPPV from the head trauma.

Talk to Your Doctor

Talk to your doctor if you have vertigo after surfing, so you can receive proper care and guidance for your individual case.

As you learned in this blog, the possible causes of vertigo after surfing can vary widely. The type of care needed is very specific to the root cause.