1. The Outer Ear

The outer ear is comprised of the visible portion of the ear, called the auricle or pinna, the ear canal, and the eardrum. The pinna collects the sounds from our environment like a funnel and transmits them through the ear canal to the eardrum. These sounds are really vibrations in the air. When these vibrations reach the eardrum, they make it vibrate and the vibrations are passed on to the middle ear. Glands in the outer portion of the ear canal form earwax, which is designed to lubricate the canal and collect dirt and dust, and protect the eardrum. Earwax disposes of itself naturally. Cotton swabs should never be used in the ears as they can injure the very sensitive skin of the ear canal and simply push the wax deeper into the ear. This impairs the ear's natural cleaning process.

2. The Middle Ear

The vibrations of the eardrum are intensified by a chain of small bones in the middle ear (called the hammer, anvil, and stirrup because of their shapes), connecting the eardrum to the inner ear. The Eustacian tube connects the middle ear space to the back of the throat and nose. As external air pressure changes, the middle ear needs to adjust. You feel this when you are in an elevator or airplane.

3. The Inner Ear

The inner ear is comprised of the balance organ and the cochlea. The cochlea (Latin for the word 'snail') is a hollow tube that is coiled into the shape of a snail. It operates like a microphone, converting vibrations into impulses, which are sent to the brain and identified as sounds such as speech, music, or street noise. Above the cochlea is the balance organ, which responds to changes in body movement. Disturbances of this organ when sailing may result in dizziness and nausea as changes in motion send conflicting messages to the brain.