How heavy is a big wave? An incredible amount of water threatens the life of a big wave surfer, with just the lip of some breaks weighing more than 300 small cars. Australian Storm Surfers Ross Clarke-Jones and Tom Carroll charge some of the heaviest waves on the planet. In this clip, they break down the mathematical details on how heavy big waves actually are when athletes take them on the head.
"A lot of guys that surf big waves are a lot fitter than me, but they don't have that natural spirit to just go. It's just a charging mechanism or something," says big wave charger, Ross Clarke-Jones.