If you feel water has entered your ear canal, tilt your head to the side to cause the water to drain out. Should this not work, you can use a hairdryer. Set the hairdryer on low and hold it about one foot from your ear. Remember, do not use a cotton swab because it will pack material deeper into the ear canal, irritate the thin skin of the ear canal, and can even make it bleed. Also, if you wear a hearing aid, take it out as often as possible.
Hearing aids can trap moisture in the ear canal.
The first symptom of otitis externa is often itching of the ear canal followed by severe ear pain. An infant will usually become irritable and communicate ear pain or discomfort by tugging at their ear. If the ear canal is sufficiently swollen, hearing may become muffled. There also may be a foul smelling greenish-yellow discharge of pus from the opening of the ear canal. Swimmer's ear may or may not be accompanied by a fever.