Hunting for Monster Waves Far Out on the Sea From the seminal "Endless Summer" to "Step Into Liquid" to "Riding Giants," surf documentaries burnish a man-at-one-with-nature mythology all their own. "Storm Surfers 3D," the latest in a series of films about two Australian big-wave hunters and tow-in surfing, feels something like a breed apart. In tow-in, a surfer is ferried by Jet Ski to huge waves that couldn't be caught by paddling. Tom Carroll was a two-time world champion in the 1980s, and Ross Clarke-Jones, his friend from the tour, is a tow-in pioneer. We're a long way from two buds and their boards here: backed by a support team that includes a forecaster, local surfers, charter boats, the occasional helicopter and a platoon of cinematographers, the pair spend a winter (May through August, mate) stalking the biggest storms down under and conquering the waves they bring. It all builds to a trip to a shoal almost 50 miles from the coast of Western Australia that has rarely been visited, let alone surfed. The vistas are spectacular, the waves fearsome, the filming often amazing. Additionally, the story of Tom and Ross confronting their limits - Tom, almost 50, warily assesses the risks of the massive surf, while Ross, in his mid-40s, remains in enthusiastic denial - lends a needed heft. The 3-D effects are minimal, though, mainly tossing sea spray at the audience. Better footage comes from cameras embedded in the surfboards or held aloft. When Tom wipes out or feels the side of the pipeline he's shooting through, it's as close as a viewer can get to riding a wave, no wet suit or sunscreen required. "Storm Surfers 3D" revels in its high-tech ways but works best when it focuses on the sport's simplest pleasures.