The Wave

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

By: Susan Casey

Narrated by: 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.

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.

Not a clue

This is an immensely entertaining and gripping book. I loved hearing the stories, learning the small amount of science, and feeling the awe of the author. But the narrator! So bad. The problem is that she has no, zero, idea what Laird Hamilton and his crew sound like. I've only seen Step Into Liquid, but I know that these guys sound nothing like the chill surfer dudes the narrator lazily chose to characterize them as. Every time she related their dialogue I cringed at her generalized dude voice. Do note that the book is largely about these surfers and not much about anything else. As enthralled as I was with the surf stories, I wanted more science and more history. Ah well.

Great ride

This was a fun read for a life long mariner! Fast passed and well written.

The Wave blows you away

The Wave is an exciting and interesting read, full of great ocean and wave stories. As Susan Casey travels the world with surfers and scientists tracking big waves, freak waves and exploring the reasons for their existence, we gain an understanding of the world of water, its energy and spirit.
Packed with fascinating and well researched information, the book is presented in a personable style. Casey is always respectful of the ocean and the people whose stories are linked with it.

Great data. Almost zero cultural awareness.

Incorrect pronunciations and exclusions of women abound. I hope the author will consider revising this book with updated and more inclusive language. It’s awful to think how women tow-surfers must feel listening to this. It’s like Ms. Casey doesn’t know they exist. And please, just ask someone from the places you’re talking about how they pronounce their own names. Haleakala, for instance.