Spend some time near a surf break, and you’ll notice plenty of people dancing around, trying to find just the right combination of movements to dislodge water trapped in their ears.
‘Surfer’s ear’ is most common where cold water and wind chill abound. Bone grows inside the ear canal, resulting in blocked ears, infections and intense pain. It’s a preventable problem that affects around 60 percent of surfers, and many others who venture into cold water.
While in his early twenties, Chris Ryan was living his dream on the East Coast -- working in a factory at night and surfing all day. He noticed water blocking his ears and experienced pain during long sessions in Gisborne’s pristine waves. A visit to the doctor revealed 80-90 percent of both ear canals were blocked with ossification -- an irreversible bone growth also known as exostosis.
He joined the public health care waiting list, but headed overseas soon after. The problem got steadily worse, until two decades and dozens of ear infections later, Ryan could ignore the pain no more, and booked in an operation to drill the bone away. The first operation was a success.
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