Storm Surfers 3D (ATOM Study Guide)

Storm Surfers 3D is an epic, character-driven adventure documentary following two best friends on their quest to hunt down and ride the biggest and most dangerous waves in Australia. Aussie tow-surfing legend Ross Clarke-Jones and two-time world champion Tom Carroll enlist the help of surf forecaster Ben Matson and together they track and chase giant storms across the Great Southern Ocean.

Over one big-wave winter season in 2011 the team experience the brutal force of Mother Nature, score the waves of a lifetime and come close to death, before embarking on an expedition to surf a mythical wave that has never before been ridden. Seventy-five kilometres from land lies a secret reef known as Turtle Dove Shoal, and this fact triggers a mission far beyond anything they have ever attempted in their lives.

This film explores what drives the thrillseeking of two of the world's most famous big-wave surfers as they pit their organization, motivation and physical skills against the biggest waves never before surfed. The role of weather forecaster Ben Matson is shown as central to the storm surfers' chase. He uses the latest scientific knowledge of ocean currents, how waves form and the weather to create predictive models that show where and when the surfers need to be to achieve their storm surfer goals.

How the surfers cope with the enormous force behind the giant waves is a central focus. The surfers risk injury, maybe even death, to capture and tame the next 'first time ever' wave.

Viewers are brought into the lives of those involved in exploring big-wave surfing. We see what is involved in getting there, successfully surfing a big wave for the first time in history (including surviving the forces involved) and capturing the event on film to create a story with images that will capture the imagination of a general audience.

This film and ATOM study guide would be best-suited to use within the subject areas of:

• Science
• Health and Physical Education
• Humanities (Geography)
• Media Studies