Swimming With a Cochlear Implant: What the Makers' Water Ratings Say

Three makers, one code, three sets of limits

The three cochlear implant makers whose documents we read all use the same code, IP68, and then write their own limits next to it. Advanced Bionics' instructions for the Naída CI AquaCase say it protects against "failure due to continuous immersion in water up to three meters (9 feet, 10 inches)." MED-EL's SONNET 3 FAQ gives "a maximum depth of 1 meter for 60 minutes" in fresh water. Cochlear's accessory page says processors with Aqua+ "can be continuously submerged under water to a depth of up to 3 metres for up to 2 hours."

The same code therefore covers different depths and times, and in MED-EL's case a single kind of water. Each document ties its figures to named models and, for two makers, to a named accessory. The table sets the four ratings side by side, with the parts and limits each maker attaches, so that a rating read for one processor isn't carried over to another.

Advanced Bionics: the AquaCase for the Naída CI

Advanced Bionics puts its water protection in a container. The AquaCase instructions for use describe a case for the Naída CI processor, worn with an AquaMic microphone and its cable, and give it the IP68 rating with the three-meter depth quoted above.

The parts list is narrow: "only the PowerCel 110 battery and AquaMic may be used with the AquaCase." The O-Ring seal "should be inspected prior to each use and will need to be changed periodically," and the case and its O-Ring "should be rinsed following submersion in salt or chlorine treated water." Those are care steps for the device, quoted from the maker; we add none of our own. The document gives no time limit next to the depth, and we don't infer one from the IP68 code.

MED-EL: SONNET 3 alone in fresh water, WaterWear for the rest

MED-EL rates the SONNET 3 processor itself. Its FAQ reads: "SONNET 3 has an IP68 rating: Waterproof for immersion in fresh water up to a maximum depth of 1 meter for 60 minutes." For other conditions it sends users to a cover: "WaterWear should be used in chlorinated or salt water and when participating in prolonged, intense water activities."

Two more lines on the same page set limits. A cover bought for an earlier processor won't do: "WaterWear for other SONNET series processors is not compatible with SONNET 3." And the SONNET 3 EAS version carries a lower code: "SONNET 3 EAS is water resistant and has an IP54 rating," with no depth or time written next to it on that page.

Cochlear: Aqua+ for Nucleus 8 and Kanso processors

This section rests on Cochlear's UK accessory page as archived in July 2026, not on the live site. That page names the processors: "the Cochlear Nucleus 8 Nexa, Nucleus 8, Nucleus Kanso 3 Nexa, Nucleus Kanso 3 and Nucleus Kanso 2 sound processors with Aqua+ are dust and water resistant to level IP68" of the IEC 60529 standard. With Aqua+, they "can be continuously submerged under water to a depth of up to 3 metres for up to 2 hours."

Aqua+ is a silicone sleeve, and it is not permanent: "the Aqua+ silicone sleeve can be reused up to 50 times," the page says. The archived page shows no US price, and we haven't checked which models are sold in the United States today.

Cost and coverage: the processor, not the water case

None of the three maker documents quoted here prints a price for its water accessory. Medicare's 2026 DMEPOS fee schedule lists a replacement external speech processor and controller at $9,873.11 to $10,367.03 in the states where it shows an amount, a fee for the processor and not for Aqua+, WaterWear or the AquaCase; our page on cochlear implant processor replacement cost covers that fee and the replacement rules.