Waterproof Headphones for Kiteboarding?

earthsurfer526 · Since 11 Jan 2009 55 Posts Hood River, OR

What is the best setup for waterproof headphones for kiteboarding?

wylieflyote · Since 30 Jun 2006 1648 Posts Puget Sound & Wa. Coast XTreme Poster

Marmot · Since 08 Aug 2007 108 Posts Lyle, WA Stoked

This is not an endorsement for a specific headphone, but if flooding the ear speaker is a common problem, then perhaps the new bone conduction headphones would be better.

I purchased the Aftershoks headphones for exercise, and I have been pleasantly surprised by their performance.

I have no idea how well they would survive full water immersion. They are fully sealed and have a proprietary charging port that has moisture detection.

I'm not willing to try kiting with them, but thought I'd put the bone conduction idea out there.

eric · Since 13 Jan 2006 1853 Posts XTreme Poster

I gave up on kiting and lap swimming with earbuds including those designed specifically for water sports. Water gets into your ear and muffles the sound. Super annoying. You stop, clear the water, jam them in deeper and

Wait for it...

Repeat every 5 min

The jawbone types might be a much better option?

Nak · Thu Mar 25, 21 1:22 pm

Following. I'm more interested in using an ear bud with my Samsung watch to communicate with others during a downwinder or out on the ocean.

ldhr · Since 21 Jul 2009 1487 Posts Hood River XTreme Poster

Lots of threads on this.... do a search for waterproof tunes.

Example - http://nwkite.com/forums/t-42053.html&highlight=waterproof+tunes

earthsurfer526 · Since 11 Jan 2009 55 Posts Hood River, OR

So that link is from 2017 and none of those Amazon links are available anymore, which is why I’m asking again. I had a waterfi iPod shuffle which finally died (plus the ear buds never held up) so I am in the market again and can’t seem to find anything more reliable. What else do people link that they have used on the water?

TommyK · Since 18 May 2015 48 Posts

I talked with a guy in La Ventana who was using some waterproof Sony

I haven't tried them yet but he said they were the best he'd ever had......

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-Waterproof-dustproof-Bluetooth-Technology/dp/B071NTXYNY/ref=asc_df_B071NTXYNY/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=385577198584&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2340922853096690883&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9061081&hvtargid=pla-322744405886&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=79288770955&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=385577198584&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2340922853096690883&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9061081&hvtargid=pla-322744405886

ldhr · Since 21 Jul 2009 1487 Posts Hood River XTreme Poster

My hearing is compromised from 40+years of listening to loud music and using headphones. I first used a sony cassette walkman for skiing in 1982!

It's just my opinion.... but if I had it to do over again..... I would never listen to music with headphones or earbuds. I would always use protection when operating power tools.

I tried music on the water- the wind noise was horrible and I compensated by turning the music up really loud. I threw it away after 2 sessions.
Sella wears a headband to counter the wind noise - that makes sense.

I miss skiing and biking with music but in the long term it's a risk to your hearing and I wish I hadn't done it in my 20's, 30's, 40's, etc.....
Actually that's a lie - I don't miss it.

bigjohn · Since 13 Mar 2012 663 Posts Addicted

Whoops, I posted to the old thread... Sorry now we have two threads going.

Anyway, here's my opinion:

------------------
I just reviewed my Amazon purchases for waterproof wireless headsets. Since 2014 I have purchased 7 headsets for myself.

So, I think it is fair to say that the life expectancy of a bluetooth headset is about one year. To be fair, two of the headsets are somewhere in the bottom of the columbia and one is somewhere in the sea of cortez.

A key component to look for is Bluetooth 5.0

Assuming your phone supports it, it makes a huge difference. Even when I crash I rarely lose connectivity in the water. Also, battery life is not an issue. Pre bluetooth 5.0 batteries in headset would die before my session did.

My last purchase was https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SMFC4NP

Great sound quality, easy to use. Does not have a feature to skip over music tracks like some of my previous versions did.

Sella · Fri Mar 26, 21 10:42 am

Led Zeppelin and I mogul toured the yellow walkman "sport" back in the day and now my ears are not giving me a Whole Lotta Love! Laughing

Still, music on the water is fantastic when you're deep into your session so I recommend going to see the boys @ ProMotion in HR and checking out their beanie caps and headbands. They're thin, wide, comfortable and cover your entire ear. You can slam hard and they'll stay intact plus they block out wind noise and 99% water so you don't have to crank the volume up to 11. The only thing to be aware of is any controls of the bluetooth earpiece will not be easily accessible with the headband and it's a pain in the ass to deal with it once it's locked in. When you're out on the water and want to talk to to somebody it's good to have handy access to your phone (watch is best) for on/off, which is obviously key for launching / landing purposes as well.

Another potential bonus is I've NEVER had sinus issues and I am in the Columbia about 250 hours a season. I don't have allergies but we all know we ride through some nasty top layer spring pollen so having ear coverage is something to consider regardless.

My current Amazon waterproof blue tooth cheapies were purchased 2018 and still going strong.

wylieflyote · Fri Mar 26, 21 2:42 pm

Mtjustice100 · Since 14 Jun 2014 49 Posts

They all break. The non water specific ones seem to last just as long. I always used less expensive ones. They last longer if your wearing a hood and not gettin to sendy, which is tough when ya got tunes!!!