Some feedback on the new Surfplugs cord from one of our German riders 'Chriz Kohler':
'Good strong stuff, almost unbreakable, no problems with it'
'I like to surf more with the Surfplugs than without ... it's strange but true'
Friday, 26 February 2010
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
Surfers Ear Surgery
Thanks to Pat Cummins from NCS surfboards for sending me this picture of his ear following his recent surfers ear surgery. For full details of the surgery and NCS surfboards visit the recent article in Drift Magazine at http://www.driftsurfing.eu/index.php/archives/3893. We are fitting him up with a set of Surfplugs next week..... !
Monday, 14 December 2009
A new breed of shaper
Rob Shaddick, lives and surfs in North Devon. When he’s not surfing he can be found in his shaping workshop surrounded by dust with a pungent smell of resin filling the air. He’s shaped for Reubyn Ash, Lyndon Wake, Beau Bromham, Karma Worthington, Ben Haworth, Alex Baker, Nick Lloyd and over 600 other surfers worldwide so how has he remained so elusive?
Rob is a different breed of shaper. With a background as an NHS audiologist Rob has been quietly developing and shaping custom surfers ear protection for the last 4 years. Surfplugs was started by helping out a few of his mates with Surfers Ear and surfing related ear problems but has grown into a business that now produces over 300 sets of Surfplugs per year – and average of six sets per week.
“Off the shelf products just don’t provide the performance that most surfers crave. Earplugs are such an individual thing; it can make a huge difference what type you use.”
Customization is the key to Rob’s success in the business. Every Surfplug that Rob makes is as unique as the surfer riding it. Surfplugs are produced completely in-house, ensuring the very best quality, design, finish and customer service every step along the way.
In a startling similarity to surfboard manufacture each Surfplug is hand shaped and sanded to the individual requirement before adding personalised design, logos and finished with gloss coats. Leashes are added to keep them secure and they are then packaged in a zip bag and returned to the customer.
Surfing is still largely a tribal affair, and developments or new products are often viewed with suspicion. Rob decided to build the business slowly and relied on word of mouth and the positive feedback that his customers were providing.
‘We figured that if the product didn’t work then nobody would recommend Surfplugs. Fortunately our customers think they are great!’
Rob says, ‘In our first year we only made 18 sets and despite the recession we have seen growth each year and now produce over 300 pairs a year. It’s encouraging to learn that Surfers are really investing in their health’.
Wetsuit technology has enabled Surfers to remain in the water for longer. Frontiers are being pushed and previously unachievable cold water destinations are now being surfed. With longer exposure to cold water conditions a rise in Surfers Ear and surfing related ear problems is expected. Surfplugs are the custom product designed for ultimate performance and protection against Surfers Ear.
For more information about Surfplugs visit: http://www.surfplugs.co.uk/ or email: info@surfplugs.co.uk
Rob is a different breed of shaper. With a background as an NHS audiologist Rob has been quietly developing and shaping custom surfers ear protection for the last 4 years. Surfplugs was started by helping out a few of his mates with Surfers Ear and surfing related ear problems but has grown into a business that now produces over 300 sets of Surfplugs per year – and average of six sets per week.
“Off the shelf products just don’t provide the performance that most surfers crave. Earplugs are such an individual thing; it can make a huge difference what type you use.”
Customization is the key to Rob’s success in the business. Every Surfplug that Rob makes is as unique as the surfer riding it. Surfplugs are produced completely in-house, ensuring the very best quality, design, finish and customer service every step along the way.
In a startling similarity to surfboard manufacture each Surfplug is hand shaped and sanded to the individual requirement before adding personalised design, logos and finished with gloss coats. Leashes are added to keep them secure and they are then packaged in a zip bag and returned to the customer.
Surfing is still largely a tribal affair, and developments or new products are often viewed with suspicion. Rob decided to build the business slowly and relied on word of mouth and the positive feedback that his customers were providing.
‘We figured that if the product didn’t work then nobody would recommend Surfplugs. Fortunately our customers think they are great!’
Rob says, ‘In our first year we only made 18 sets and despite the recession we have seen growth each year and now produce over 300 pairs a year. It’s encouraging to learn that Surfers are really investing in their health’.
Wetsuit technology has enabled Surfers to remain in the water for longer. Frontiers are being pushed and previously unachievable cold water destinations are now being surfed. With longer exposure to cold water conditions a rise in Surfers Ear and surfing related ear problems is expected. Surfplugs are the custom product designed for ultimate performance and protection against Surfers Ear.
For more information about Surfplugs visit: http://www.surfplugs.co.uk/ or email: info@surfplugs.co.uk
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Happy customer.... thanks for the feedback!
Hi Rob, got my Surfplugs this am, just got back from Putsborough and all is good - feels so nice to not have water sloshing around in my ears after a surf...
Thanks for the great service and a great product.
Rob Jones
Thanks for the great service and a great product.
Rob Jones
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Who's on Board with Surfplugs??
Need convincing?.. heres a list of some great local riders... what have they got in common?? yep.. you've guessed, they all use Surfplugs to prevent Surfers ear - I would love to mention you all but to date I think theres over 600 of you!
Nick Lloyd
Ben Haworth
Nathan Carter
Tassy Swallow
Reubyn Ash
Beau Bromham
Tim Ellman-Brown
Karma Worthington
Sophie Hellyer
Olly Daglish
Alex Baker
Paul Kirby
Nick Lloyd
Ben Haworth
Nathan Carter
Tassy Swallow
Reubyn Ash
Beau Bromham
Tim Ellman-Brown
Karma Worthington
Sophie Hellyer
Olly Daglish
Alex Baker
Paul Kirby
Outdoor Adventure instructors get plugged!
The Outdoor Adventure centre, Widemouth Bay, Bude was pleased to have its surf instructors fitted up with Surfplugs. They spend a significant time in the water and is important to protect the safety of the instructors and their health. Thanks to Caroline, Stell and everyone else - you know who you are. Outdoor Adventure offers a range of activities for all and their website can be checked out by clicking here.
New Surfplugs leash design..
Surfplugs have just launched a new and improved leash design for the Surfplugs. The older style leash suffered with the problem of breaking at the joint, particuarly in the winter months when the addition of a hood made the problem worse. The new leash fit flush, are screwed rather than glued into the plugs and are developed from a cord type material rather than the plastic. If aanyone wants to upgrade to the new leash just send your Surfplugs in and we will do it for you - now thats fair isnt it?
Monday, 16 November 2009
So what does Surfers Ear look like?
Well you can't tell by just looking at someone, but as soon as you start looking into the ear canal the full horror of surfers ear starts to reveal itself. The slow growth of bone starts to close the ear canal - here's a picture of Tim Ellman-Brown's right ear, he's a surfer from Newquay and an all round great bloke... but he's got some seriously messed up surfers ear!.. if you need to compare it with a normal ear then look at the other photo.. I will leave it up to you which one you think is the normal ear!!!
Friday, 6 November 2009
So what are the clinical reasons for Surfers Ear
Well - without getting into this too deeply, here a little more info. Thanks to those who have provided feedback to the blog pages and I hope to get a bit more contect up soon for you hungry knowledge monkeys!
Surfers ear (Exostosis) is a common but preventable condition of the ear canal. In the UK waters it is six times more common than in the tropics and the more frequently you surf the more likely you are to develop it. It can become apparent after as little as five years of regular surfing.
The combination of wind and wet skin promotes bony growths within the ear and results in partial or full blockage of the ear canal, trapping water and debris which can cause painful ear infections. A feeling of fullness or difficulty clearing water from the ears after surfing is a clear indication of developing Surfers Ear as is painful or recurrent ear infections.
The problem has increased with improvements in modern wetsuits design; surfers are in the water for longer, especially during the winter when lower temperatures and prevailing winds create higher risk.
In severe and advanced cases of Surfers Ear the narrowing can create deafness and the only treatment is by a surgical operation called a ‘Canaloplasty’ where the surgeon digs a hole in the bone behind the ear and drills out the bony lumps. New methods of surgery are also emerging including ear canal ‘chipping’ techniques however, either operation should be a last resort as it can be painful, carries the risk of complications and will put you out of the water for at least two months, and if you don't continue to protect the ear it will return. Prevent this happening and get fitted with Surfplugs™.
Surfers ear (Exostosis) is a common but preventable condition of the ear canal. In the UK waters it is six times more common than in the tropics and the more frequently you surf the more likely you are to develop it. It can become apparent after as little as five years of regular surfing.
The combination of wind and wet skin promotes bony growths within the ear and results in partial or full blockage of the ear canal, trapping water and debris which can cause painful ear infections. A feeling of fullness or difficulty clearing water from the ears after surfing is a clear indication of developing Surfers Ear as is painful or recurrent ear infections.
The problem has increased with improvements in modern wetsuits design; surfers are in the water for longer, especially during the winter when lower temperatures and prevailing winds create higher risk.
In severe and advanced cases of Surfers Ear the narrowing can create deafness and the only treatment is by a surgical operation called a ‘Canaloplasty’ where the surgeon digs a hole in the bone behind the ear and drills out the bony lumps. New methods of surgery are also emerging including ear canal ‘chipping’ techniques however, either operation should be a last resort as it can be painful, carries the risk of complications and will put you out of the water for at least two months, and if you don't continue to protect the ear it will return. Prevent this happening and get fitted with Surfplugs™.
Monday, 2 November 2009
Why text your mates about your surf trip?
The little Beep Beep of my phone just alerted me to another nugget of useless text information, but these little notes often take the edge off the day. This particular day isn't going well, it's raining outside, the surf is blown out, and I'm sat in the workshop making Surfplugs getting heady on the lacquer and covered in dust and on top of all this I've just superglued one of my fingers to an envelope (??). So reaching for my phone I was further depressed to learn that it was Nick 'Lloydy' Lloyd just letting me know that he's off on a 10 day surfing boat trip to indo. Has the man got no feelings? and on top of that he wants me to provide him with a new set of surfplugs for his trip, He's a great chap and a decent surfer but fancy telling me stuff like that! it was only a few months ago that he texted me in the same way to tell me he was off to Sri Lanka (have a heart my man, think of us all left behind trying to paddle out through blown out freezing mush back here in Devon)..... Well I'm making the plugs right now for you...... One of them is poo brown with a big picture of a C*ck on it and the other Surfplug has the words 'I love it up me' on it... I hope you like them!
Rob
Rob
Sunday, 1 November 2009
What is Surfers Ear?
Many people ask me what actually causes surfers ear? If we look at the most basic explanation it is growth of the bone within the ear canal caused by the cooling effect of the wind over the moist skin layers. Its a protective mechanism, the ears are trying to close and restrict water into the ear. The good thing is that this doesn't happen quickly and takes years of regular surfing before it becomes a serious problem, I typically see the first signs of development after about 5 years but severe cases tend to be restricted to those that have been surfing for 15 to 20 years or more. The bad thing is that it can trap debris, wax, create infection, pain and may require surgery - and speak to anyone who has it and they will all tell you they wished they had used plugs or knew about this condition sooner! I have only just started this blog for surfers ear and am not sure yet what the hell im doing but I hope to be able to offer you an incite to this common condition, post some pictures of affected ear canals, show you how great out surfplugs are and tell you a little about who we sponsor, who's riding with surfplugs and which beaches, surfshops or events we will be at so that you can come and meet us. Cheers for now and catch up soon..... Rob.... oh yeah, and if you like pop by our website at www.surfplugs.co.uk
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
