A dry ear is least likely to get infected. Efforts to remove water from your ear should be limited to the drying effects of alcohol or, if you have a perforated eardrum, a hair dryer. People with itchy, flaky ears or ears that have wax build up are very likely to develop swimmer's ear. It may also help to have ears cleaned out each year before the swimming season starts. An itchy ear is a maddening symptom.
Doctors often prescribe a cortisone eardrop at bedtime when the ears itch.
There is no long-term cure, but it can be kept controlled. Many types of insects get into the ears. Gnats get tangled in the wax and cannot fly out. They keep on struggling though, and their motion can be painful and frightening. Wash out gnats with warm water from a rubber bulb syringe.