Iconic wave riders deal with age, seek big breaks in ‘Storm Surfers 3-D’
Cape Solander, an hour’s drive from Sydney, Australia, and near where Capt. James Cook landed when he discovered the continent, is lined with craggy rocks and covered with razor-sharp barnacles. For most people, the first instinct wouldn’t be to leap in.
But that’s just what Tom Carroll and Ross Clarke-Jones do for a living, surfboards and Sea-Doos in tow, conquering vicious surf breaks like Cape Solander, as well as massive walls of water in uncharted areas.
“It’s a satisfying feeling,” said ClarkeJones. “It’s one that stays with you for many years — waves from ’98, I can still remember now.”
The two surf swashbucklers appear in “Storm Surfers 3-D,” the third film of their titular series and the first filmed in 3-D, with the pair diving headlong for big, dangerous breaks and using the latest forecasting technologies to spot the storm fronts that churn up the biggest waves.
Clarke-Jones, 47, has been surfing since he was 11, and after struggling through a stint on the Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour, he became a big-wave surfing pioneer, suffering every kind of injury along the way.
But with a passion for speed that he quenches with surfing, snowboarding and speed racing, the threat of injury hasn’t cowed the rambunctious Aussie.
“I feel like if you’re trying to conquer or going to battle against the ocean, it always wins. You have no chance against her,” said Clarke-Jones. “I like to be in rhythm with it. When you’re in rhythm with the ocean, you have such a good time.”
But as much as “Storm Surfers 3-D” fea- tures stunning cinematography of some of the most beautiful, remote places in the world, it’s also the story of the odd-couple pairing of its two main characters, ClarkeJones and Carroll.
Carroll is a living legend — he was a two-time champion of the Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour and the first person to earn a million-dollar surfing contract — and at the age of 51, he has become a careful and meditative family man.
Seeking speed
In contrast, Clarke-Jones is a raucous speed freak, and isn’t restrained about mocking Carroll for mellowing out.
“I watched him and I thought, ‘Is that going to happen to me?’ Priorities change.”
But it’s clear they are close friends. They still kid around with each other — “(Carroll) guards his food like it’s gold. He’s a greedy little boy” — and Clarke-Jones still plays pranks on the “vulnerable” Carroll (most recently lying about an upcoming turn on a push-bike, sending Carroll crashing into a lake).
“That goofing around … is why we feel and stay young. We’re still seven and eight years old, I guess.”
It’s an especially vital relationship as they enter their middle years together, when the waves continue to demand everything from the body.
“Most people won’t admit (their age), especially in our game. It’s quite hard. If you’re paid to be a big-wave surfer, and you’re scared, it doesn’t really work,” Clarke-Jones says.
He says he really felt his age during the course of filming this movie, most notably as Carroll simultaneously battled a kind of fear, the former champion’s self-confidence depleted by a training injury and familial concerns.
Whether a future movie is filmed in 3-D will depend on demand. There were also production issues associated with the technology. The crew had difficulty syncing the cameras, delaying Clarke-Jones and Carroll from tackling the waves.
“Waves don’t wait — they’re only there for a certain time. But that was a test of my patience. Ten years ago, I wouldn’t have listened to a word and would’ve gone straight out surfing.”
So perhaps, in the shadow of the giant waves, even the rowdy Clarke-Jones can grow up just a little bit.
“Missing swells is OK now. Before, I was really upset if I missed a swell, anywhere in the world.”