system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: When you're swimming, why doesn't the water flood your ears and kill you?
gpt
Lucky for you, your ear has a protective barrier called your tympanic membrane (eardrum). This keeps the middle and inner ear separated from the outside environment.

Even if your eardrum gets torn, your body has a connection from the ear to the throat known as your Eustachian tube so if you were to go swimming with a perforated eardrum (a bad idea since the risk for infection skyrockets), you'd still be alright.