Ross Clarke-Jones

Barton Lynch: This is Barton Lynch with Ross Clarke-Jones, internationally reknowned big-wave rider. Ross, so listen um.., Hawaiian Soul Surfing, what does that phrase mean to you when you hear it?

Ross Clarke-Jones: Hawaiian Soul Surfing means a hell of a lot really to me. I've spent the last 13 years of my surfing career and my life here in Hawaii and basically all the winter and, I dont know, its just something about this place that you don't really get anywhere else in surfing, like I can spend hours surfing Sunset here or Waimea or something and I come in feeling like my soul has been either releived or satisfied. Its a fine line, but the real soul surf... cause there's so much mixture here, because there's surfing when you surf Pipeline or something, there's cameras and, you know Rocky Point everybody's actually taking photos for their sponsors which isn't really soul surfing to me. Its like as soon as you go out and theres rain and theres no photographers, theres no surfers around.., that is what a real soul surfer to me is out there on his own and um, I do that sometimes but thats not all I do. (laughs)

BL: You do it when its 30 foot with two riders, ain't it?

RC-J: Well some friends are always nice too.

BL: And so, let's talk about the difference between earning your income from the pro-tour and doing the contests which you did for 10 years most probably and then, you know for the last 5 years or 4-5 years you've been earning your income by just surfing I suppose.

RC-J: Well basically, yeah. I've been fortunate enough for my sponsors, Quiksilver and Oakley, to support in my traveling the world basically all year, finding the best surf and, you know doing some photos and doing, you know visiting surf shops and basically hanging out with different groups of surfers around the world promoting Quiksilver and stuff, and uh basically that I've had the freedom to surf wherever I like which is one of the best jobs in the world. I cant think of a better one. The money is good 'cause its basically the same as what it was when I was on the tour but I don't have to travel to all the different contests and uh, I create my own tour which is um, which I'm very happy about and it seems to be working well.

BL: (laughs). I say it's working well too. So what are your goals with your surfing? What do you want to do with your surfing? Obviously you're here for the winter and uh, lets talk about that K2 Big Wave Challenge.

RC-J: Well this year I got quite a few things on the plan. The Eddie Aikau which I've been waiting and hoping for for the last 7 years. um, I've been waiting anxiously. I've learned how to wait over the years. Like the knots before the potential day..

BL: Nerve-racking?

RC-J: Very nerve-racking. I usually don't sleep. I can't sleep. Im just too on-edge, you know, wanting it to happen. They had one round last year or the year before but now they've got the Eddie which they cut down to 24 guys so there's a good chance they'll be able to squeeze it into a shorter period and have the event. Then there's this K2 thing which you've got to paddle into the biggest wave and get it photographically accepted as the biggest wave and they'll throw you 50 grand, so I'm looking forward for that too which could happen on the same day, cause if the Aikau happens, take the biggest wave in the Aikau and it could be worth 100 grand, so that would be nice. Get it all on one wave and one day, that would be a lovely day. But uh, also with the jetskis and towing in, I'll be doing some filming with that somewhere here if it gets big enough so, but the funny thing is it will all happen on the one swell which is going to be hard to do everything but I'm going to try.

BL: And so talk about the tow-in, your partner is Tony Ray.

RC-J: Yeah. Tony Ray. He's a very skilled partner. I'm fortunate to have him, um probably half the girls of course. But uh, he's a great surfer and he won the Haleiwa event this year and that helps him pay half of his school off, but uh Tony's great. We're learning together. We both ski skis together and we've been practising skis together pretty much on all sorts of days... onshore days, 12 feet plus, not that big but big enough and were pretty much ready for a really big day.

BL: Oh yeah.

RC-J: Yeah. I think we're really confident. Jeff Bushmans made a few really good ones and Tony and I got our little trip going. Its good.

BL: That's quite a , we wish you all the best.

RC-J: Thank you.