The Wave

In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean

By: Susan Casey

Narrated by: Kirsten Potter

Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

From Susan Casey, bestselling author of The Devil’s Teeth, an astonishing book about colossal, ship-swallowing rogue waves and the surfers who seek them out.

For centuries, mariners have spun tales of gargantuan waves, 100-feet high or taller. Until recently scientists dis​missed these stories - waves that high would seem to violate the laws of physics. But in the past few decades, as a startling number of ships vanished and new evidence has emerged, oceanographers realized something scary was brewing in the planet’s waters. They found their proof in February 2000, when a British research vessel was trapped in a vortex of impossibly mammoth waves in the North Sea - including several that approached 100 feet.

As scientists scramble to understand this phenomenon, others view the giant waves as the ultimate challenge. These are extreme surfers who fly around the world trying to ride the ocean’s most destructive monsters. The pioneer of extreme surfing is the legendary Laird Hamilton, who, with a group of friends in Hawaii, figured out how to board suicidally large waves of 70 and 80 feet. Casey follows this unique tribe of peo​ple as they seek to conquer the holy grail of their sport, a 100-​foot wave.

In this mesmerizing account, the exploits of Hamilton and his fellow surfers are juxtaposed against scientists’ urgent efforts to understand the destructive powers of waves - from the tsunami that wiped out 250,000 people in the Pacific in 2004 to the 1,740-foot-wave that recently leveled part of the Alaskan coast.

Like Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air, The Wave brilliantly portrays human beings confronting nature at its most ferocious.

©2010 Susan Casey (P)2010 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Something is stewing in our seas, and Susan Casey - traveling, and in some cases swimming, all around the world - is eager to find out what it is. Both a rollicking look at the ocean’s growing freakishness and a troubling examination of our ailing planet, The Wave gives new meaning to the term ‘immersion reporting.’” (Hampton Sides, author of Hellhound on His Trail, Blood and Thunder, and Ghost Soldiers)

“At once scary and fun, The Wave surprises at every turn.” (Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Field Notes from a Catastrophe)

“Like the surfers and scientists she profiles, Casey lived and breathed giant waves for years. Casey combines an insane passion for craft with an uncanny ability to describe the indescribable. In The Wave she whisks the reader off to unimaginably surreal settings and puts them in the middle of mind-blowing scenarios. This book sucked me in like the undertow at Pipeline.” (Mary Roach, author of Stiff and Packing for Mars)

Very exaggerated science and anecdotal information.

The reader amplifies the exaggerated tales and school girl crush for Hamilton. I would not recommend this book if you are looking for science of waves, although there is some wave physics in the book. It does a good job of identifying some of the largest wave locations, but trails off to eye witness accounts (not accurate science), and lost ships due to global warming.

Great book for the waterman in you.

Enthralling! I’ve read it once and listened twice. Enjoyed it every time good writing and story telling

Great beyond expectations

Thank you. As a 72 year old past surfer (Cali) I lived vicariously through the words and realized. I could never do what the tow surfers do, but it was so fun to listen in to your description of the events
Scott R. Adishian, D.D.S.

Uh...Well.....

I think this one is; uh, deserves a 4 star rating; though I think I've displayed my ambivalence to that sufficiently. Waves; particularly Tsunami and rogue waves have been a fascination for me for a few years now and I'd hoped this book would answer some of my questions about those. What I wasn't expecting was an almost surfing groupie fan magazine fawning ode to Laird Hamilton by the author. There is quite a bit of information pertaining to waves and the best places to find them; as well as the reports of people who found themselves caught up in rogue waves around the world. Unfortunately far too much of this selection is dedicated to the author's extreme admiration of Hamilton the Surfing God. Perhaps he is worthy of such admiration; after all he did convince Gaby Reese to marry him and bear his children, but it wasn't the reason I purchased this audio. The book is well done, it accurately conveys the extreme dangers of waves the size of ten to twelve story buildings. The narrator Kirsten Potter does a fantastic job with the material and the author truly expresses the magnificence of the sea and the amazing power of it. This is probably a very good listening for anyone who relate to that; it just wasn't what I thought I was buying.

most excellent!

In the same genre as "Shadow Divers," this is a fun, gripping and informative read. The writing is fresh, and the narration is perfect. Highly recommended.

Compelling non-fictionI have always been fascinate

I have always been fascinated by ocean lore, so this was catnip to me. Casey, a competitive swimmer, is passionate about this stuff and it shows. Little did I know that 200 large ships a year disappear into giant waves or other mysterious vortexes in the sea. She sends time with big wave surfer Laird Hamilton, Lloyd's of London and other top experts in the relatively new field of wave science. Will global warming make the oceans even more dangerous? I say sell that beachfront real estate before it's too late.

Too much surf

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Would try to have more at sea,ocean info and less surfing stories.If you want to write about waves and surfing stick to surfing.

If you’ve listened to books by Susan Casey before, how does this one compare?

havent

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

performance was good

Any additional comments?

When I think of waves I think of big sea stuff...not that surfing 100 ft waves is small but I was looking for more of the out on the desolate ocean perspective. It does have sea/ocean data and stories but not what I was looking for.Haven't finished the book yet but it is falling short of my expectations.

Interesting stories

Enjoyable to listen to, until the mispronunciations became rampant. I got to the point that I had to stop listening for several days...maybe I'm just too OCD.

Stories were great amd educational, but I don't listen to books to have climate change crammed down my throat. The book would have meaning without so much of that agenda being pushed.

excellent

its good start to finish, very well written, and expertly narrated. it'll be a favorite.

A good, fun book.

First the good. Then the not quite as good but still okay.

When this book is actually discussing waves and the science, it's well written and fascinating. A truly interesting study of something we still understand little of.

When it's discussing surfers......well that's something different entirely. Laird Hamilton is a god among men and the rest of the surfers are merely lesser deities. All chiseled features and tans and muscular whatnot. Sure the scientists get similar discriptions, but it's the surfers she adores. Not as interesting as the science to me, but I'm a geek and a guy so hearing about hot bodied surf gods isn't really my cup of tea. ;-)

Even then, it's still a great book. The narration is excellent and the subject matter (even the surf stuff) is interesting. Perfect for a summer listen or a winter listen when you're wishing it was summer. Highly recommended.