The Wave

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

De: Susan Casey

Narrado por: Kirsten Potter

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

Reseñas de la Crítica

“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)

Amazing, intense, real life of big wave surfing

Amazing on the tips of your toes book. Great overview of big wave surfing. The author follows the legend, Laird Hamilton around the globe to chase big waves.

How High is the Watet

Tremendous. The author blended scholarly analysis with white-knuckle storytelling. I finished the book in two days because I just couldn’t stop listening. The narrator was also excellent.

I recommend The Wave completely. I learned about the book from my Wondrium.com Meteorology course professor. He said it was a stunning book. I couldn’t agree more.

Mentally Relaxing

I've just finished three books on the financial meltdown so this has been a welcomed diversion. It's a travel log/ tow surfing intro/ wave science intro and the subject matter is light. I find the reader excellent which is important with audiobooks.

The perfect mix of science and stories

Where does The Wave rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It would rank among one of my favourite books all time.

What other book might you compare The Wave to and why?

Similar to John Krakauer. The author documents their research, while telling a story, to complete a journey.

Have you listened to any of Kirsten Potter’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Just pure enjoyment. I learned a lot. I was inspired. I was awed and amazed.

Capturing throughout, very well written.

I listened to 'The Wave' while sailing my 28ft sailing boat from The Bahama's to Louperon, Dominican Republic. It was great to listen to throughout the nights, and a little eerie to think of what was going on in the deep depths below my little home. With no land or anyone else in site, I was completely en captured in 'The Wave'. I highly recommend it, especially to friends sharing a similar experience.

Great Listen. And Relisten.

I've been subscribing for years now to recapture my commute. I've listened to over 80 books. This is the first book that as soon as it ended, I just restarted it. If you have any love of the ocean, surfing, science and legend - you will love this book. Great for repeat listenings too. Not a one and done book.

Rippin!

spellbinding!
I made it through.
well presented and easy to follow recommend to all

Candy for sea-lovers

Other than hearing “knots per hour” used as a measure of speed (knots measure speed, knots per hour measure acceleration), and the canoe from which Eddie Aikau swam to his death called an outrigger (it was Hokulea, the replica voyaging canoe that inspired the Polynesian renaissance), I thoroughly enjoyed The Wave.

Lyrical descriptions. Wide ranging research. Personal connections with interesting people. Firsthand experiences poetically and heartfully shared.

I am a paddler, surfer, and blue water sailor and appreciated the knowledge and perspectives The Wave offers. I found myself searching for a storyline before accepting that, much like a wave, this book is simply an experience to be lived and savored.

Narrator missing the target/Author too

Narrator does not pronounce words correctly and it happens often. And the author is subtly sensational for no apparent reason. We are information starved about the ocean. If you want to understand the ocean, look into “Amphibious Soul”.

who knew science could be a page Turner

from the performance to the writing the fax intertwined with character development the fact that this is a nonfiction is almost unbelievable it's a work of art a masterpiece