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 dis­missed 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 peo­ple 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.

Another great adventure with Casey

I was introduced to this author by her later book, Underworld, which is also fantastic. Unfortunately she does not narrate The Wave herself, which is too bad because she's an excellent narrator. The person they used is fine, but I always prefer the author whenever possible. As in Underworld, I felt like I was riding along with Casey the whole way as she brings her journalistic style to the story and the science, blending it all together in a way that makes you feel entertained as you learn. One slight critique: the *gushing* way she talks about Laird Hamilton is a little off-putting. It doesn't sound objective. We get it, he's awesome. I enjoyed reading about him and the other big wave surfers -- this is really a bone to pick with the editor, who should have restrained Casey a bit. The tone in Underworld is better, it holds up and helps the reader get to know heroes of science and exploration without sounding so smitten.

nice mix of surfing, science and seafarers

What is great about this book is how Susan Casey brings the oceans to life through the eyes of great surfers, scientists, and seafarers. Not a dull moment in the book. Kirsten Potter's narration was first rate.

A Wonderful Book

I just loved the book and the narrator even more. And as a former merchant seaman and someone who has experienced such unusual wave activity, the book brings it all home.

Move as far inland as possible

What made the experience of listening to The Wave the most enjoyable?

The story was gripping. It clearly painted the picture of being in the ocean with gigantic monsters crashing down around you

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Wave?

There were many, many memorable moments, but towards the end talking to Laird Hamilton while sitting on a jetski at Egypt was very compelling.

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?

It made my jaw drop in amazement.

Any additional comments?

Everything about this book was good, EXCEPT... Kirsten Porter really, really needs to learn how to pronounce gunwale! She repeatedly pronounced it like gun whale. The word is pronounced guhn-l. It made me question if Porter had ever been on a boat.

I have new respect and (fear) of ocean...

Would you consider the audio edition of The Wave to be better than the print version?

I like the audio in general and I never read this book in the print

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Wave?

stories about lardge wave surfers

What about Kirsten Potter’s performance did you like?

good job in general

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

It scared me...