Riding the Storm
Whenever a storm is a-brewing, we are usually warned to stop whatever it is we are doing and told to head inside, where it is warm and safe. Plans are most often postponed for another day due to the weather, and we are forced to take a “rain check.” After all, who wants their picnic to be blown away by strong winds; or get hit by stray branches and leaves while biking; or get struck by lightning when just walking around? It really is safer to be indoors when the weather is on the fritz.
Experiencing storms at the beach are a different story altogether. Wind can kick up the waves to enormous heights, and the tide on the shore really gets much stronger. Not to mention, heavy rains that come in from all sides can really disorient someone. This isn’t exactly the perfect day at the beach for the ordinary person. Quite frankly, this borders on the dangerous.
For Australian surfing legends Tom Carroll and Ross Clarke-Jones, however, these conditions constitute an excellent day at the beach. These two men are, simply put, adrenaline junkies of the Australian variety; and if you put surfing and storms in the same equation, you get one thing: big waves.
Pushing the limits of big wave riding to greater heights, Carroll and Clarke-Jones have devoted themselves wholly to tackling the biggest, most nightmarish waves they can find, all in the name of filmmaking. Their new show on Discovery Channel, Storm Surfers, follows the exploits of the two surfers as they hunt down the biggest storm fronts in Australia and ride them.
Traveling up to 35 kilometers from the mainland by jet-ski to reach these mammoth waves, Carroll and Clarke-Jones use the jet-skis to “tow surf” one another onto the waves. Between them, they have managed to conquer the infamous Shipsterns Bluff and the mythical never-before-surfed Dangerous Banks off the coast of Tasmania. Using the latest HD camera technology and GPS tracking devices, Storm Surfers gives audiences a fantastic vantage point — right from the front of the surfboard — as the two surfers push the limits of physical endurance in the pursuit of the ultimate ride.
Working with Carroll and Clarke-Jones is meteorologist Ben Matson, from the surf forecasting website swellnet.com.au. Considered one of the best in the business, Matson uses cutting-edge technology to alert the two surfers on a daily basis as to the movements of weather systems and swells around the country. With the help of Matson, Carroll and Clarke-Jones are able to keep a close eye on where storms fronts are forming, and potentially big waves.
On one occasion, Matson discovered a fierce low-pressure system forming in the Southern Ocean, off Antarctica, heading towards the Dangerous Banks in Tasmania. With just 48 hours’ notice, they manage to assemble and fly into Tasmania where Carroll, Clarke-Jones, and the rest of the team pulled off a world’s first in treacherous conditions, displaying incredible bravery and skill as they rode the eight-meter waves at Dangerous Banks.
Storm Surfers adds a new dimension to reality TV viewing. It is a combination of weather prediction, science, extreme surfing and sheer bravery. After all, what extreme surfer would know when and where gigantic waves will occur without the proper forecasting tools? This phenomenon is delved into deeper and is explained using measurable parameters. Carroll and Clarke-Jones also breathe new life into the phrase “mind over matter” as they talk about surviving harsh conditions out on the sea, including physiological effects such as the tremendous G-force exerted on their bodies.
Watch what these guys do on their show. Just remember, they are professionals and have years of surfing experience behind them. So the next time we experience another Milenyo, don’t be tempted to do anything unwise.
Storm Surfers premiers on The Discovery Channel, Sunday, March 1 at 9 p.m., and repeats on Monday March 2 at 12 a.m., 8 a.m., and 2 p.m.; Friday March 6 at 8 p.m.; and Saturday March 7 at 3 p.m.
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Email me at enricomiguelsubido@yahoo.com.
