Harry Enfield says cold-water swimming left him partially deaf

Harry Enfield’s years in cold water ended with a diagnosis many plunge regulars miss until the damage is hard to ignore: exostosis, better known as surfer’s ear. He said he is partially deaf and only found out what was going on while he was being fitted for hearing aids, after years of swimming in cold water at Highgate Ponds.

This is not about one heroic dip in icy water. The condition is caused by repeated exposure to cold water and wind, and the NHS describes it as abnormal bone growth in the ear canal. It usually affects both ears and develops slowly over time, which is why it can sneak up on people who treat cold immersion as a weekly ritual rather than a one-off challenge. The problems are not subtle either. Hearing loss and infections are both linked to the condition, and Enfield said the growths in his ears could be removed surgically, though he described the procedure as very painful.

That is the useful warning for the ice-bath crowd. Open-water swimmers who spend long sessions in cold, windy conditions are in the highest-risk lane, especially if they are out most weeks through the year. Frequent cold plungers can also build up exposure if the habit is constant and the water is cold enough, even if each session feels brief. Occasional ice-bath users are a different case entirely. The risk climbs with repetition, not with how hard the first shock feels, which is why earplugs matter more than macho tolerance when the exposure starts adding up.

The timing matters too. Cold-water swimming has surged in popularity, with a 2024 study estimating around 1.2 million Brits had joined a local group focused on the activity. Enfield’s story lands in the middle of that boom and turns a recovery trend into a reminder that the ear canal is part of the equation. When hearing starts slipping, restaurants sound harder to follow, or the need to turn down background noise becomes constant, that is no longer just the price of a cold-water habit.

Enfield joked about having “stalactites” in his ears, but the joke sits on top of a real tradeoff. Cold-water exposure can be a useful tool, yet repeated sessions without protection can leave a mark that lasts long after the plunge ends.