The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean

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. "From the Hardcover edition."

Review :
"[Susan Casey] examines big waves from every angle, and goes in deep with those who know the phenomenon most intimately....Casey makes a convincing, entertaining case (nifty cliffhangers and all) that there is a heretofore little-known monster in our midst....She pushes the scientists on the big question.....Casey is fluent in 'gnarly' and proficient in 'wonk, ' and she writes lucidly so the rest of us can come along for the ride. Her wonderfully vivid, kinetic narrative....offers a prescient vision of watery perils--and sometimes, bittersweet triumphs....Amid the images of demolition, Casey hangs on to the magic and beauty of waves."--"New York Times Book Review" "You think "Jaws" made you fear the ocean? In this adrenaline rush of a book, Casey....describes 'nature's biggest tantrum'....Her eerie, majestic descriptions...make THE WAVE an unsettling thrill ride that's as terrifying as it is awe inspiring."--"People " "Immensely powerful, beautiful, addictive and, k "[A] captivating hybrid--an intro to the mind-melting physics of waves and a ride-along with the scientists and surfers who chase after them...Fascinating" -- "Men's Journal" "[A] breath-snatching thrill ride" --"Elle" "Casey pursues....with tenacity and literary grace....a powerful voice in adventure writing....delves into the science....masterful"--"Outside" “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"