Storm Surfers

After ten solid years in the spotlight and with big wave competition awards winners bringing attention to our big wave scene, it was only a matter of time before the international crews came knocking. Ross Clarke-Jones had already been involved with several missions here in the deep south and had also filmed a documentary for Natural History NZ where he and his tow partner Tony Ray took Daniel Kereopa under their wings and taught him the ins and outs of tow surfing. This doco named ‘The Science of surfing’ was viewed by millions worldwide and really put NZ on the big wave map. RCJ however through all of this had figured that NZ had the untapped and raw potential to search for big wave arenas and returned in 2010 to film another documentary with his partner in crime and former world champ Tom Carroll called ‘Storm Surfers’. The crew made up of the two big wave legends as well as many of the local big wave riders was joined by a production crew of directors, producers, sound crew, rescue, doctors and film and photographic shooting from land, jet ski and helicopter. Every big swell was watched with great interest with the mission being put on standby over and over hovering in the amber code before issued with a stand-down. With most of the crew having to fly in from Australia at the drop of a hat and with a huge budget being spent, the call had to be last minute and certain. Finally after months of waiting, Storm Surfers was given the green light and the entire crew met on the roadside ice in Te Anau hours before dawn in the middle of winter, bound for a rumoured surf break in northern Fiordland. With access being long and beyond the range of ski’s, it was decided to head on down the Cascade River by ski and out into the open ocean, navigating a fast flowing glacial fed river with water temps of 3ºc was definitely a different experience and the local white baiters who find their way to their cribs via jet boat would have been bemused as to why these surfers were flying down the river at close to 100k an hour. Ross and Tom were gone; the two speed merchants live for thrills and do everything at top speed, including driving back along the forests gravel track later that night at 140k, leaving skiddies and more in the underpants of those unlucky enough to be sharing the same car. With eight jet skis, a boat and a helicopter the crew arrived at Barn Bay to find the forecast swell had never arrived and there were a few long faces, yet Tom and Ross still put on a show. Sam Hawke who had teamed up with Doug Young had lost his borrowed tow board belonging to DK on the rocks and had to swim in to find it, while the cameraman had been caught inside on the ski dry docked on the rocks, until a more than perfect surge filled the area and the ski was able to take off, talk about a lucky break. While the waves certainly weren’t anything to talk about, the adventure itself was simply mind blowing, full throttle, fanging up a crystal clear river with mountains surrounding you, and trading fresh cray’s for fresh whitebait that Miles Ratima managed to sweet talk from a passing trawler were epic moments that will never be forgotten in the big wave adventure journey. Storm Surfers then returned for another crack at the Southern Fiordland wave of Port Craig and stared a raw and unforgiving storm in the face which RCJ claimed were hands down the most extreme conditions he had ever attempted to surf in. With horizontal hail and 60 knot winds piercing any flesh not covered up. They wanted to surf a storm and Aotearoa delivered.