Elements of surfing

Suzie Harrison

Mosun’s Club M in Laguna Beach was transformed into a big surf party

Sunday for the premiere of “The Sixth Element, the Ross Clarke-Jones’

Story.”

Australian Clarke-Jones is known as a big wave rider, and this

film illustrates his conquests on land and water, making it more of a

life story than just another surf film. Narrated by Dennis Hopper the

film is visually vibrant, exciting and inspirational.

Kelly Slater was one of the many surfing icons at the event, and

is a close friend of Clarke-Jones. Slater is credited with getting

Hopper aboard the project.

Producer Sam Long said the film is going on a wide release tour

debuting in Laguna Beach, then France, Australia, Brazil and New

Zealand.

The production company decided to premiere it in Laguna Beach

because the Assn. of Surfing Professionals World Championship Tour

was at nearby Lower Trestles in San Clemente Sept. 10 through

Tuesday.

“A lot of the surfing community is based around Southern

California,” Long said. “Laguna Beach is a great launching pad with

all the surf hype of the community.”

Like Clarke-Jones, Long, director Justin McMillan and writer Chris

Neilus all are from Australia, which is the home base for their

company, RCJ Productions.

The film takes the viewer on an excursion of Clarke-Jones’

adventures including fearless explorations that might seem inane to

some. The film explores areas from the Amazon to the remote corners

of Tasmania in search of the biggest wave.

Clarke-Jones’ zest for life exudes from every bit of his being.

Breaking into the big-wave scene professionally in 1986, he had many

impressive runs along his surfing career.

But it wasn’t until 2001 that his endless pursuit and drive paid

off big when he won the Quiksilver’s big surf contest in Memory of

Eddie Aikau.

Aikau was one of the world’s best wave riders who died March 17,

1978, paddling his surfboard for miles to save crew members of a

capsized Hokule’a canoe.

Twenty years later the epic Waimea Bay surfing contest began in

his memory. The competition is considered the most prestigious event

in surfing. Clarke-Jones became the first non-Hawaiian to ever win

this big wave competition.

“I feel like nothing is impossible -- the word doesn’t exist,”

Clarke-Jones said. “The power of positive thinking is so true. You

can create in your mind your destiny, positive or negative you create

it yourself.”

Clarke-Jones credits his second wife of 10 years, Marcia, for many

positive experiences. They met in Sao Paulo, Brazil one of his

favorite places. Like his first wife, Marcia Clarke-Jones is a native

Brazilian.

“A person like [Marcia] that changes your life,” Clarke-Jones

said. “She has never said anything to bring me down. She is like an

amazing angel.”

Clarke-Jones knew he had to marry her and had to separate from his

first wife. The two were married and live in Australia with his two

children from his first marriage.

“It’s difficult to find a love like that, but doing it for the

right reason it will always work out,” Clarke-Jones said.

Originally the film was pitched to corporations.

“These big business corporations in Australia saw it and wanted me

to give lectures to their CEO’s to pick my mind about decision making

in really stressful situations,” Clarke-Jones said.

The company heads looked at his surfing clips as he conquered huge

waves and wanted to know the psychology behind it when he was about

to catch a100-foot-wave. As a result, he has been giving lectures for

the past two years geared toward aiding people to look at

million-dollar deals without fear.

“You have to have a goal and feel good about it,” Clarke-Jones

said. “People think too much -- there’s too much outside influence

that messes with our mind.”

Exploration is something that is in his blood his great

grandfather was Sir William Howell, an English explorer.

Clarke-Jones’ father gave him his blessings when he decided to drop

out of high school and travel the world on a big wave expedition.

The film has just been released in surf stores and will be

available to the mainstream in Jan. 2005.