Status
Available
Publication
Doubleday (2010), Edition: 1st, 326 pages
Description
Investigates 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 number of ships have vanished and new evidence has emerged, oceanographers realized something 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 approaching 100 feet. Scientists scramble to understand this phenomenon. Yet extreme surfers fly around the world trying to ride the ocean's ultimate challenges. The sport's pioneer, Laird Hamilton, with a group of friends in Hawaii, figured out how to board waves of 70 and 80 feet. 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. The book portrays human beings confronting nature at its most ferocious. -- Publisher info.… (more)
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User reviews
LibraryThing member mckait
I was hoping to read a lot more about the whys and whens of freak giant waves in this book. To be sure, there are accounts of such waves during various times in history. I was stunned to learn just how big some of these waves could be, some well over 100 feet!
I would say that the bulk of this story
I was also interested to read of Don King, a cinematographer from Oahu who not only films Hamilton and his exploits, but is famous for filming water scenes in some well known motion pictures, such as Castaway ( starring Tom Hanks).
King began his career as a daring fifteen year old and went on to pioneer new ways to film from inside monster waves.
One of the most shocking recountings was the story of The cruise ship Oceanos.
All 571 of the Oceanos passengers and crew evacuated in a storm on August 4, 1991. A monster wave crashed into the hull of the Oceanos, flooding the ship, including the engine room and caused it to lose power. The ships captaon, Yiannis Avranas elbowed aside passenger, including an injured elderly woman to ensure that he would be one of the first on a rescue helicopter. The rest of the crew followed their captains lead, and took the best and sturdiest of the lifeboats, and fled. Their actions left the rescue efforts of the passengers to the band, and other entertainers. The cruise director was the one to radio for help.
No one died. The captain was later charged with negligence, but tried to defend his actions.
If you are an avid surfer, you will love this book. If you are interested in maritime disasters, this book will give you a little something to sink your teeth into.
I would say that the bulk of this story
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is about surfing giant waves rather than shipping encounters with such freakish activity in our oceans. Laird Hamilton is quite the daredevil, and in fact quite accomplished and determined when it comes to conquering and riding these waves. I was also interested to read of Don King, a cinematographer from Oahu who not only films Hamilton and his exploits, but is famous for filming water scenes in some well known motion pictures, such as Castaway ( starring Tom Hanks).
King began his career as a daring fifteen year old and went on to pioneer new ways to film from inside monster waves.
One of the most shocking recountings was the story of The cruise ship Oceanos.
All 571 of the Oceanos passengers and crew evacuated in a storm on August 4, 1991. A monster wave crashed into the hull of the Oceanos, flooding the ship, including the engine room and caused it to lose power. The ships captaon, Yiannis Avranas elbowed aside passenger, including an injured elderly woman to ensure that he would be one of the first on a rescue helicopter. The rest of the crew followed their captains lead, and took the best and sturdiest of the lifeboats, and fled. Their actions left the rescue efforts of the passengers to the band, and other entertainers. The cruise director was the one to radio for help.
No one died. The captain was later charged with negligence, but tried to defend his actions.
If you are an avid surfer, you will love this book. If you are interested in maritime disasters, this book will give you a little something to sink your teeth into.
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LibraryThing member RidgewayGirl
I have mixed feelings about Susan Casey's newest book, The Wave. She's the author of one of my favorite non-fiction books last year, The Devil's Teeth, which was one of those scattershot approaches to science and history that are so popular right now. You know, the kind of book which gives you a
She's less successful in The Wave and I'm not sure whether it was that the topic was too broad to be handled as the stream of consciousness of someone who is easily distracted, or because the heart of the book was not in a place that interested me. The concept of the book is that until recently it was believed that waves of 100 feet or more were simply impossible from the point of view of basic physics; the weight of the water would cause the wave to collapse upon itself before it grew that high, and eyewitness accounts (which are rare, for reasons of drowning) were overstated due to understandable excitement. Then an 850-foot long cargo ship went down in a storm and the wreck showed damage high up on it's structure. An oil platform was also hit by a rogue wave of over 100 feet high and damage to the structure proved the oil workers were not making things up.
Half of the chapters are about how scientists are studying the physics of waves, how global warming is influencing the size of waves (hint: they are getting bigger), describing instances of giant waves and their aftermath and in discussing how we are reacting to the challenge of rogue waves. This was all excellent, although I would have liked a great deal more. She only describes one event in any detail and the book would have benefited from describing more dramatic events and with paying more attention to them. I would have also liked more of the science, which seems to be complex and speculative.
The other half of the book, told in alternating chapters, was a sort of sports article about a year in the life of surfing king Laird Hamilton, who developed something called tow-surfing. As waves get bigger, they also get faster, so that traditional surfing, where the surfer paddles out to the wave and "catches" it no longer works. Instead, the surfer is chauffeured out to the wave on a jet ski and sort of flung at speed onto its face. The jet ski then drives round the wave to rescue the surfer at the end of his ride. This would have made a great twenty pages or so, but Casey looooves the daredevil romance of it all, in which Hamilton and his entourage of fellow surfers and photographers travel the world to ride the enormous waves generated by storms at sea, and describes day after day of Hamilton's surfing exploits in Hawai'i, California, Mexico and Tahiti. Frankly, Hamilton comes across as an entitled asshat and I quickly grew tired of his complaints about how surfing is no longer the pure sport he practices (as supported by his corporate sponsorships), or how he hates competitions (as he travels with photographers on hand to film his majestic rides) and anyone surfing where he wants to surf. I'm not someone who would pick up a sports biography, so I'm clearly not the right person to comment on that half of the book, but it became a little repetitive over time.
Still, the central topic is fascinating and anything written about our changing oceans is worth a read.
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bunch of fun facts and exciting anecdotes about a subject, without going into too much detail or challenging the reader with difficult bits of the science. It sounds terrible, but when it works, it's entertaining and gives the reader a good jumping off point for further reading. In the case of The Devil's Teeth, Casey took the Farallons, a group of hostile islands west of San Francisco, and created an enticing mix of history and natural science (birds, sharks and currents) that was hard to put down.She's less successful in The Wave and I'm not sure whether it was that the topic was too broad to be handled as the stream of consciousness of someone who is easily distracted, or because the heart of the book was not in a place that interested me. The concept of the book is that until recently it was believed that waves of 100 feet or more were simply impossible from the point of view of basic physics; the weight of the water would cause the wave to collapse upon itself before it grew that high, and eyewitness accounts (which are rare, for reasons of drowning) were overstated due to understandable excitement. Then an 850-foot long cargo ship went down in a storm and the wreck showed damage high up on it's structure. An oil platform was also hit by a rogue wave of over 100 feet high and damage to the structure proved the oil workers were not making things up.
Half of the chapters are about how scientists are studying the physics of waves, how global warming is influencing the size of waves (hint: they are getting bigger), describing instances of giant waves and their aftermath and in discussing how we are reacting to the challenge of rogue waves. This was all excellent, although I would have liked a great deal more. She only describes one event in any detail and the book would have benefited from describing more dramatic events and with paying more attention to them. I would have also liked more of the science, which seems to be complex and speculative.
The other half of the book, told in alternating chapters, was a sort of sports article about a year in the life of surfing king Laird Hamilton, who developed something called tow-surfing. As waves get bigger, they also get faster, so that traditional surfing, where the surfer paddles out to the wave and "catches" it no longer works. Instead, the surfer is chauffeured out to the wave on a jet ski and sort of flung at speed onto its face. The jet ski then drives round the wave to rescue the surfer at the end of his ride. This would have made a great twenty pages or so, but Casey looooves the daredevil romance of it all, in which Hamilton and his entourage of fellow surfers and photographers travel the world to ride the enormous waves generated by storms at sea, and describes day after day of Hamilton's surfing exploits in Hawai'i, California, Mexico and Tahiti. Frankly, Hamilton comes across as an entitled asshat and I quickly grew tired of his complaints about how surfing is no longer the pure sport he practices (as supported by his corporate sponsorships), or how he hates competitions (as he travels with photographers on hand to film his majestic rides) and anyone surfing where he wants to surf. I'm not someone who would pick up a sports biography, so I'm clearly not the right person to comment on that half of the book, but it became a little repetitive over time.
Still, the central topic is fascinating and anything written about our changing oceans is worth a read.
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LibraryThing member lpg3d
The Wave by Susan Casey is an excellent chronicle of the people who chase big waves, and the people who try to understand and predict them. About half of the book follows Laird Hamilton as he chases the biggest waves in the world to surf, while the other half documents the scientists who strive to
Laird Hamilton and his fellow tow surfers are insane. They risk their lives to ride ever larger waves. Casey does a great job of capturing the surfers intensity and the risks they face. I would have liked to read more about the scientists and their work in predicting waves and also more detail about the destructive power of the waves. However, all in all, this is a wonderful book and well worth reading.
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understand what causes rogue waves and how to build ships and platforms to withstand them.Laird Hamilton and his fellow tow surfers are insane. They risk their lives to ride ever larger waves. Casey does a great job of capturing the surfers intensity and the risks they face. I would have liked to read more about the scientists and their work in predicting waves and also more detail about the destructive power of the waves. However, all in all, this is a wonderful book and well worth reading.
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LibraryThing member msf59
“Catch a wave and you’re sitting on top of the world.” Yes, that’s the Beach Boys and if Brian Wilson would have caught a glimpse of one of these monster waves, he might have started hitting the LSD much earlier. Like the title suggests, this is a book about waves, mostly of the freakishly
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large variety. Casey travels the world, visiting scientists and other experts, trying to find some answers to the origins of these deadly rogues, that can turn a super cargo ship, into a crumpled beer can in a matter of seconds, but even with satellite tracking and other advanced technology, these answers can be elusive. The one thing that is clear though, due to climate change, the oceans are getting warmer and more volatile. The author ends up zeroing in on the big-wave surfing community, a ballsy group of mavericks, who hunt down these “giants”, for the ultimate thrill. Her descriptions of what is called tow-surfing, (where the surfer is hauled up to the wave by jet ski) are very exciting and quite scary. “Everything‘s okay until it isn’t.” goes a famous saying, which seems to sum up this dangerous sport, very nicely. Recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member ABVR
The Wave is really two books. More to the point, it really should have been two books . . . and one of them should have been written by someone besides Susan Casey.
The first book -- the one that gets more than half the space, the one that (doubtless) sold the publisher on this project, and the one
The second book -- the one that should have been written by somebody else -- deals with the science of "big" waves, which for Casey includes not only freak mid-ocean waves, but also tsunamis and storm surges (coastal flooding caused by hurricanes and typhoons, certain to get worse as the polar ice recedes and sea levels rise). All those are fascinating subjects, but they're different subjects . . . from one another and from the storm-driven, shore-breaking waves that Casey's beloved surfers ride. She touches on all of them, but because they collectively get less than half the book there's not enough room to do justice to any of them, or to their implications for ships and coastal cities. A writer like John McPhee or Laurie Garrett -- comfortable with science, and gifted at explaining the complex clearly -- could have made this second book sing. In Casey's hands, it thuds. The science doesn't resonate, for her, the way the surf and the surfers do, and it shows.
The Wave succeeds as a surf-bum version of Into Thin Air or The Perfect Storm . . . but not as a piece of popular science. Here's hoping that some enterprising writer, and some astute publisher, get together and give the big waves the (science) book they deserve.
The first book -- the one that gets more than half the space, the one that (doubtless) sold the publisher on this project, and the one
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where Casey's heart was in -- is about big-wave surfers, who drop everything to travel to distant corners of the world and ride 50, 60, and even 70-foot waves. It is to surfing what climbing Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen is to mountaineering: Possible, if you're very, very good and know exactly what you're doing, but insanely dangerous even then. Casey writes about the subculture from the inside, all gee-whiz enthusiasm and gushy description of what amazing guys these surfers are, but she makes it work. The surfing chapters of The Wave (even those involving death and serious injury) somehow manage to persuade you, the reader, that top big-wave surfers approach their craft like the test pilots in Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff. The second book -- the one that should have been written by somebody else -- deals with the science of "big" waves, which for Casey includes not only freak mid-ocean waves, but also tsunamis and storm surges (coastal flooding caused by hurricanes and typhoons, certain to get worse as the polar ice recedes and sea levels rise). All those are fascinating subjects, but they're different subjects . . . from one another and from the storm-driven, shore-breaking waves that Casey's beloved surfers ride. She touches on all of them, but because they collectively get less than half the book there's not enough room to do justice to any of them, or to their implications for ships and coastal cities. A writer like John McPhee or Laurie Garrett -- comfortable with science, and gifted at explaining the complex clearly -- could have made this second book sing. In Casey's hands, it thuds. The science doesn't resonate, for her, the way the surf and the surfers do, and it shows.
The Wave succeeds as a surf-bum version of Into Thin Air or The Perfect Storm . . . but not as a piece of popular science. Here's hoping that some enterprising writer, and some astute publisher, get together and give the big waves the (science) book they deserve.
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LibraryThing member TallyDi
I read it twice. The second time was so that I could look on the internet for videos related to the surfing events the author related. I found the subject amazing and Susan Casey's coverage very readable. Giant waves and rogue waves, long thought to have been mere folklore, turn out to be real and
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under study by a wide range of interested parties. At one extreme is scientists interested in why the number of these waves is increasing. At the other extreme is surfers who just want to know where they are and when they'll be there. Along the way I learned the tallest recorded wave height. It was in Alaska's Lituya Bay on July 9, 1958. Witnesses lived to describe it. On the day after, the height of the destruction on the surrounding mountains was measured by a pilot's altimeter reading -- 1,740 feet. Show Less
LibraryThing member wrighton-time
In the middle of the ocean off the coast of Scotland, the RRS Discovery has just found that what was myth, is more of a reality then we have ever known. The stories of oceans devouring ships and one hundred foot waves based off eye witness accounts is now being proven as real with the advance of
And as happens with many of the challenges that mother nature throws at us, there are the usual challengers.This particular challenge is picked up by hundreds of surfers world wide. This books also follows the exploits of this amazing group of individuals as they challenge the mightiest of waves,willing to risk life and limb for the ultimate challenge of surfing the hundred foot wave. Sometimes real life is stranger than fiction which is proved out over and over between the pages of The Waves.
I found this book to be very thought provoking and even hauntingly beautiful. It is also a brutal and terrorizing look at what global warming is doing to our oceans. Susan writes a very comprehensive account of both the scientific studies as well as the surfing from her view from the inside. She knows the people involved in both sides of the issue through both research as well as being one of them. While this is not a book of fiction, it reads very much like one, leaving you breathless at times and horrified and fearful at others. A very real look at a possible future.
I received this book as a free copy from Goodreads First Reads. I am not receiving any compensation and all opinions are my own based off my independent reading of this material.
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technology and the actual measuring devices on ships and platforms across the world. In pockets throughout the oceans of the world , ships, freighters and tankers are disappearing at alarming rates. As technology advances continue to improve, scientists throughout the world are coming together to discuss the alarming facts of what possibilities exist with global warming and how this process has and is affecting the ocean currents. While there have been eyewitness accounts for hundreds of years, there is a disturbing trend that is believed to have made what was an anomaly, into something that is far more frequent, terrifying and destructive then previously thought. There is some talk that in order to become this giant wave where there are certainly treacherous seas, that some anomaly seems to happen where the energy is sucked from other waves giving itself a huge peak that stands high in the air for seemingly moments before crashing down and destroying everything in its course. It seems that often times the wave or similar group of waves seem to come out of thin air actually after the sea has calmed down from a storm. Some of these Rogue waves as they are referred to, are caused by disruption under the sea as well as storms. Witnesses often speak of a smell in the air created by the energy coming off the air surrounding this monster.And as happens with many of the challenges that mother nature throws at us, there are the usual challengers.This particular challenge is picked up by hundreds of surfers world wide. This books also follows the exploits of this amazing group of individuals as they challenge the mightiest of waves,willing to risk life and limb for the ultimate challenge of surfing the hundred foot wave. Sometimes real life is stranger than fiction which is proved out over and over between the pages of The Waves.
I found this book to be very thought provoking and even hauntingly beautiful. It is also a brutal and terrorizing look at what global warming is doing to our oceans. Susan writes a very comprehensive account of both the scientific studies as well as the surfing from her view from the inside. She knows the people involved in both sides of the issue through both research as well as being one of them. While this is not a book of fiction, it reads very much like one, leaving you breathless at times and horrified and fearful at others. A very real look at a possible future.
I received this book as a free copy from Goodreads First Reads. I am not receiving any compensation and all opinions are my own based off my independent reading of this material.
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LibraryThing member TooBusyReading
Don't take this book as your leisure reading on that next cruise or you will be constantly watching the horizon, wondering if that next freak wave is on its way.
My reason for reading this book, subtitled In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean, is that I wanted to learn more about
The author talks with scientists studying the phenomenon and hangs out with the surfers who tackle these big waves. Despite the recent improvements in monitoring and measuring, the science still has a long way to go and the ocean is still wildly unpredictable. While the scientific information is interesting and enlightening, I really enjoyed getting a bit into the minds of the big-wave surfers who attempt challenges most of us would never even dream of trying. Some have paid with their lives. Many are part of a close knit pseudo-family, enduring the squabbles all families have but watching out for one another, often at the risk of their own lives.
“If I scare myself once every day, I am a better person,” he had said, “It helps to have that little jolt of perspective that life's fragile.”
(This quote is from an advance bound galley, so may have changed in the published edition.)
The number of huge ships, especially the low-riding tankers, that just disappear without a trace and with little if any media coverage is amazing. Often these ships are registered to countries with loose maritime standards and crewed by under-trained third world natives.
The book also contains information on maritime insurance, climate change, marine salvage companies, lots of people and organizations involved with the vagaries of oceanic behavior.
I do wish the author had explained a few more of the surfing terms for the uninitiated, like I am. That is my only quibble with the book, and it is a minor one. All in all, the book is a fascinating read.
I was given a copy of the bound galley by the publisher, for which I am very grateful.
My reason for reading this book, subtitled In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean, is that I wanted to learn more about
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huge waves, tsunamis, and ocean behavior. I was not so much interested in the surfers or their stories. However, not far into the book, that changed.The author talks with scientists studying the phenomenon and hangs out with the surfers who tackle these big waves. Despite the recent improvements in monitoring and measuring, the science still has a long way to go and the ocean is still wildly unpredictable. While the scientific information is interesting and enlightening, I really enjoyed getting a bit into the minds of the big-wave surfers who attempt challenges most of us would never even dream of trying. Some have paid with their lives. Many are part of a close knit pseudo-family, enduring the squabbles all families have but watching out for one another, often at the risk of their own lives.
“If I scare myself once every day, I am a better person,” he had said, “It helps to have that little jolt of perspective that life's fragile.”
(This quote is from an advance bound galley, so may have changed in the published edition.)
The number of huge ships, especially the low-riding tankers, that just disappear without a trace and with little if any media coverage is amazing. Often these ships are registered to countries with loose maritime standards and crewed by under-trained third world natives.
The book also contains information on maritime insurance, climate change, marine salvage companies, lots of people and organizations involved with the vagaries of oceanic behavior.
I do wish the author had explained a few more of the surfing terms for the uninitiated, like I am. That is my only quibble with the book, and it is a minor one. All in all, the book is a fascinating read.
I was given a copy of the bound galley by the publisher, for which I am very grateful.
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LibraryThing member jynxpierce
I requested this book because my son wants to be a marine biologist and I saw that is was about the ocean. I wasn’t sure that I would like it once I realized it was more about surfing than just ocean issues. But the style is very conversational and gripping. Having the details about past
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shipwrecks and talking to scientist did actually make this more than just a surfing book. The surfers that she wrote about were intriguing characters and I would love to about them. I have only been to the ocean once in my life but the scenes were described in such a way that I felt like I was there. I was greatly captivated by the science behind the waves and the path that the author took to see those rogue waves. I would greatly recommend this book to any one interested in the mighty force of the ocean, including my son. Show Less
LibraryThing member lareinak
The Wave is a fascinating book that offers something for everyone. It has both the scientific aspect of giant waves as well as the view from different surfer’s perspective. The author alternates these two points throughout making the reader not feel bogged down by too much of one thing. Casey
Although, I have never surfed or been around surfers, I found the book to be easy to follow and hard to put down.
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offers us chapter after chapter of scientific evidence and observation that the oceans are changing and giant waves are the result. Although, I have never surfed or been around surfers, I found the book to be easy to follow and hard to put down.
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LibraryThing member DirtPriest
I received this through the early reviewers program and enjoyed it quite a lot. There are two intermixed stories in the book, one is the science of abnormally huge waves on the ocean and the other is a look in to the world of tow surfing. Tow surfing is where the riders are pulled on a jet ski to
I have spent many hours sailing around the Great Lakes and the most fascinating thing to me was the waves and how they actually moved. Logic tells you that the water moves along as a unit, but in reality, the water bobs up and down as the wave energy rolls along. Toss a paper cup (if you are a litterer) or a stick in to the waves sometime, or watch forlornly as a hat blows in the water. It will ride up the front of the wave, flop around briefly at the top, then serenely slide down the back without much lateral movement at all. There are old sailor's tales about every seventh wave being the biggest, but this might be a Great Lakes thing. Very thought provoking stuff.
The book is well written and engaging, written in a lively, conversational tone. I enjoyed it very much, and might go so far as to call it a book about science for people who would never read a book about a scientific topic.
If someone at Doubleday reads this, I noticed a few very minor possible typos in my galley edition. One was a sentence about '...the limitations of the XX chromosome.' I'm pretty sure there should be a plural in there somewhere as the XX would be two chromosomes. Also there were some ship names in italics but one of them was not, at the beginning of the chapter titled 'Heavy Weather'. Just thought you might want to know.
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the waves rather than paddling like in a Beach Boys song, allowing them to get to much bigger waves. There is quite a discussion about certain sites that have perfect reef conditions for creating huge waves around the globe, Australia, off of California and Mexico, Ireland and, of course, Maui. The author tags along on several trips to these places and does a great job of conveying the awe and power of the waves. The science part is not that difficult, mostly plain language interviews and references to researchers and what aspects of advanced non-linear maths and physics they are using to study the creation and propigation of waves.I have spent many hours sailing around the Great Lakes and the most fascinating thing to me was the waves and how they actually moved. Logic tells you that the water moves along as a unit, but in reality, the water bobs up and down as the wave energy rolls along. Toss a paper cup (if you are a litterer) or a stick in to the waves sometime, or watch forlornly as a hat blows in the water. It will ride up the front of the wave, flop around briefly at the top, then serenely slide down the back without much lateral movement at all. There are old sailor's tales about every seventh wave being the biggest, but this might be a Great Lakes thing. Very thought provoking stuff.
The book is well written and engaging, written in a lively, conversational tone. I enjoyed it very much, and might go so far as to call it a book about science for people who would never read a book about a scientific topic.
If someone at Doubleday reads this, I noticed a few very minor possible typos in my galley edition. One was a sentence about '...the limitations of the XX chromosome.' I'm pretty sure there should be a plural in there somewhere as the XX would be two chromosomes. Also there were some ship names in italics but one of them was not, at the beginning of the chapter titled 'Heavy Weather'. Just thought you might want to know.
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LibraryThing member kqueue
This books touches on many fascinating topics that I love to read about - big wave surfing, Hawaii, oceanography and climate change. Susan Casey's meticulous research blends them all seamlessly together in an absorbing read that asks the questions: What causes rogue or freak waves? Are they getting
Her research takes her among the big wave surfing elite of Laird Hamilton & David Kalama to an international conference of oceanographers and physicists to Lloyd's of London and to high risk ocean salvage operators in South Africa. The descriptions of huge waves will astound you, and the statistics of ocean accidents will make you think twice before booking your next cruise.
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worse? What effect do they have on us? Her research takes her among the big wave surfing elite of Laird Hamilton & David Kalama to an international conference of oceanographers and physicists to Lloyd's of London and to high risk ocean salvage operators in South Africa. The descriptions of huge waves will astound you, and the statistics of ocean accidents will make you think twice before booking your next cruise.
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LibraryThing member JayM
I normally LOVE books about the ocean, ships, or basically anything nautical......but I couldn't get into this one. From the looks of the reviews below, I'm alone on this one, but it just didn't interest me as much as I thought it would. Sure, the descriptions of the big wave surfers and their dare
This is the first book of Casey's that I've read, so maybe I'll try another one and see how that goes. But as of now, The Wave is not a book I'll be rereading anytime soon.
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devil rides were fascinating, but the rest of the book wasn't nearly as gripping. I found myself losing focus pretty early on.This is the first book of Casey's that I've read, so maybe I'll try another one and see how that goes. But as of now, The Wave is not a book I'll be rereading anytime soon.
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LibraryThing member realbigcat
I wasn't sure if a book about waves could hold my interest for 300+ pages but I was wrong. Susan Casey's book The Wave takes a look at waves from many perspectives including a a very large focus on big wave surfing. It's jam packed with interesting facts about the monsters of the sea. I was shocked
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to read how many ships are lost at sea every week due to rogue waves which continue to get bigger and bigger. Much of the book is focused on the surfers that really risk their lives in pusuit of their passion of riding the biggest waves possible. The surfers focus is on Laird Hamilton the King of big wave surfing. I had no idea how dangerous this sport really is and how consumed the surfers are in finding the big waves. There are some great stories of ships lost at sea and the devastation and destruction caused by these massive waves. In Alaska there was a wave over 1700 feet high that completely wiped out a piece of the coast line. I would recommend this book for anyone interest in the sea or big wave surfing. However after meeting you may change your mind about taking a cruise. Show Less
LibraryThing member jcbrunner
Having picked this up on the strength of her sympathetic bubbly interview in The Daily Show, I was a bit disappointed by the book. There are in fact two contradictory themes in the book. The first is a surfer chick's adventure story seeking the crazy men chasing dangerous waves in the mold of the
The second theme, exemplified by the movie "The Perfect Storm", I found much more interesting. Tsunami and freak waves caused by earthquakes are catastrophic events of extremely low frequency. As few of their victims survive such an onslaught, there is a scarcity of both data and awareness. The sea (and especially the Pacific Sea) is still a dangerous place where minute inattention can spell doom for a ship, its cargo and its crew. As long as commercial insurance and the life of a ship's Third World crew remains cheap, ships will not be built to withstand such freak accidents. The author at least whetted my appetite to read more about meteorological disasters which are bound to increase due to the human propensity to build closer to the sea and the global climate changes.
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great flick "Point Break". This is a story about the development of sport technologies as well as its commercial exploitation. The surfer as a rebel and outsider, dangerous to society and to himself, is turned into a branded circus exhibit. A bit more reflection and distance, and a bit less drooling and objectifying, could have improved that theme.The second theme, exemplified by the movie "The Perfect Storm", I found much more interesting. Tsunami and freak waves caused by earthquakes are catastrophic events of extremely low frequency. As few of their victims survive such an onslaught, there is a scarcity of both data and awareness. The sea (and especially the Pacific Sea) is still a dangerous place where minute inattention can spell doom for a ship, its cargo and its crew. As long as commercial insurance and the life of a ship's Third World crew remains cheap, ships will not be built to withstand such freak accidents. The author at least whetted my appetite to read more about meteorological disasters which are bound to increase due to the human propensity to build closer to the sea and the global climate changes.
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LibraryThing member spounds
Wow! What a ride! This is a great book!
I grew up in land-locked Oklahoma. I married a guy from Florida who spent as much time surfing as he did going to college. On our honeymoon, he tried to introduce me to the ocean. The waves were up to my armpits and he tried to get me to swim through one to
That’s part of the reason I started this book with both anticipation and fear. The idea of someone actually wanting to ride a 100-foot wave fascinated me, but if a 4-foot wave could unhinge me, what would descriptions of a pounding by a 100-foot wave do?
The book did not disappoint. The stories that Susan Casey tells of Laird Hamilton and his buddies taking on these giants of the oceans were breathtaking. I enjoyed learning about the mechanics of tow surfing and getting into the heads of the surfers as they do things that humans are not supposed to be able to do.
When I started the book I wondered how much there could be to say about waves, but Casey did a great job mixing up the stories of surfing with interviews with experts studying how these waves are generated and what can be done to help those responsible for steering giant ships through them and rescuing those who get caught in them. Even those chapters kept me up at night wanting to see what happened next.
And one other kudo to Casey. This is a book of superlatives. Describing ultimate waves, the scientists that study them, and the brave but wacky surfers that ride them over and over again could have degenerated into a book of clichés, but Casey didn’t let that happen. She did a great job keeping the similes and metaphors fresh throughout.
Great book! Highly recommended!
I grew up in land-locked Oklahoma. I married a guy from Florida who spent as much time surfing as he did going to college. On our honeymoon, he tried to introduce me to the ocean. The waves were up to my armpits and he tried to get me to swim through one to
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get past the break. I didn’t make it. I just remember my head lying on the sand and not being able to get up. When the wave finally retreated I pulled myself up and got out of the water as quickly as I could. That was it. From that point on in my life I only went in up to my knees.That’s part of the reason I started this book with both anticipation and fear. The idea of someone actually wanting to ride a 100-foot wave fascinated me, but if a 4-foot wave could unhinge me, what would descriptions of a pounding by a 100-foot wave do?
The book did not disappoint. The stories that Susan Casey tells of Laird Hamilton and his buddies taking on these giants of the oceans were breathtaking. I enjoyed learning about the mechanics of tow surfing and getting into the heads of the surfers as they do things that humans are not supposed to be able to do.
When I started the book I wondered how much there could be to say about waves, but Casey did a great job mixing up the stories of surfing with interviews with experts studying how these waves are generated and what can be done to help those responsible for steering giant ships through them and rescuing those who get caught in them. Even those chapters kept me up at night wanting to see what happened next.
And one other kudo to Casey. This is a book of superlatives. Describing ultimate waves, the scientists that study them, and the brave but wacky surfers that ride them over and over again could have degenerated into a book of clichés, but Casey didn’t let that happen. She did a great job keeping the similes and metaphors fresh throughout.
Great book! Highly recommended!
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LibraryThing member Helcura
This is a book about surfing. It's a book about surfing at the extremes of human ability. The people Casey encounters are crazy in an admirable kind of way - they are utterly dedicated to the experience of surfing big waves and are willing to suffer pain, injury, even death in to achieve the
The book has a few historic anecdotes and some weak science (not the author's fault, wave science requires serious math), but its strength is the depiction of the people and places involved in the quest to find and surf the biggest wave humanly possible.
Worth reading.
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experience.The book has a few historic anecdotes and some weak science (not the author's fault, wave science requires serious math), but its strength is the depiction of the people and places involved in the quest to find and surf the biggest wave humanly possible.
Worth reading.
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LibraryThing member jenngv
I read the Devil's Teeth by Casey and enjoyed it. It did, however, like this book, tend to get a little long winded. She does a great job putting you in her place with lots of description. In this particular book, I would have loved a photo of each location she visited. This may happen, I'm not
I agree with EclecticEccentric's review that each chapter is a different location, but the gist is the same. There is a lot of speculation about waves, and lot scientists haven't figured out. The characters are basically the same, and although they deserve recognition for their bravery, they are putting themselves in danger for the thrill. I appreciate their depth in feeling for our oceans, but they are not heroes, in the sense of Firefighters, Doctors, Nurses, Police Officers, or the Military.
Casey does put the human element into the book with the surfers, but continues to stress how much we don't know about the science of waves. Maybe the book should have been titled "Big Wave Surfers" and left the science to a minimum. It is obvious that she did exhaustive research on the subject, and although she gave us factoids, the focus seemed to be more on Laird Hamilton and his buddies. After a while I felt I needed to skim (which is not good) to get to something new.
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sure, since this is an ARC, but I feel it is necessary to get a full grasp of her narrative. I agree with EclecticEccentric's review that each chapter is a different location, but the gist is the same. There is a lot of speculation about waves, and lot scientists haven't figured out. The characters are basically the same, and although they deserve recognition for their bravery, they are putting themselves in danger for the thrill. I appreciate their depth in feeling for our oceans, but they are not heroes, in the sense of Firefighters, Doctors, Nurses, Police Officers, or the Military.
Casey does put the human element into the book with the surfers, but continues to stress how much we don't know about the science of waves. Maybe the book should have been titled "Big Wave Surfers" and left the science to a minimum. It is obvious that she did exhaustive research on the subject, and although she gave us factoids, the focus seemed to be more on Laird Hamilton and his buddies. After a while I felt I needed to skim (which is not good) to get to something new.
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LibraryThing member Judgejudy2u
When I first started reading this book I thought it was going to be a lot of statistics and repeatative information. I put the book down for several weeks. I finally picked it up again and was pleasantly surprised. After the first section talking about the number of ships sunk by rogue waves and
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the waves in general the book took a turn for the better and turns out to be more of a surfers story emphasis on chasing rogue waves around the world. Not knowing much about surfing, this story of world class athletes and the intenisty of their sport was quite interesting and informative. The book is well written though a bit repetative but worth the time to read Show Less
LibraryThing member abbot
Entertaining, but too much Susan Casey, too much macho fetishism.
LibraryThing member UnderMyAppleTree
When I decided to read The Wave I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The ocean, waves and the science behind them was a subject I was interested in but I didn’t see how someone could write an entire book about them. It didn’t take me long to find out. This book sucked me in immediately. There
This is not a dry facts and figures science book. Susan Casey writes in a wonderfully descriptive and engaging style. The book reads like a novel but at the same time you are digesting scientific data and amazing facts. She makes the science easy to understand and the descriptions of the surfers, the waves and the rough seas come to life.
The author traveled with surfer Laird Hamilton and his friends, all extreme surfers that seek out giant waves. These are not just any big waves, they are 60, 70 and even 100 foot high waves. They are not the kind of waves one can paddle out to; they require the surfer to get a tow with a jet ski and have a teammate to rescue them when they hit the surf. There is little margin for error. They risk serious injury and even death when slammed by the force of one of these waves. Their amazing adventure is told in alternating chapters with the story of the scientists and their aspirations to understand how and why these giant waves are formed.
Every two years wave scientists gather at a conference to exchange information on wave research. This has become a hot topic since the 2004 Indonesian tsunami and the recent concerns of how climate change could affect the world’s oceans. The warmer the water the more volatile the seas become with more destructive storms and larger waves. It is also theorized that with the sea level rising due to the melting of the ice cap there is more pressure on ocean bottom resulting in a greater number of underwater earthquakes and, as a result, tsunamis. Again, fascinating stuff.
Each year more than two dozen large ships and their crews go missing. It usually gets explained away as bad weather and is never studied in the same way an airplane crash is analyzed. These scientists want to change that and are now investigating disappearing ships. The author meets with many of the scientists, attends their conventions and explains the research to us in such a clear way that we don’t have to know calculus or chaos theory to understand it. I had no problem following along and I haven’t taken a science or math class in years.
If you enjoy reading about adventure I highly recommend this book. You may not want to go on a cruise or a swim in the ocean after you read it but I know you will be amazed, awed and entertained.
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is a lot to learn about our oceans and the people who study them, sail them and surf them. In one word, fascinating.This is not a dry facts and figures science book. Susan Casey writes in a wonderfully descriptive and engaging style. The book reads like a novel but at the same time you are digesting scientific data and amazing facts. She makes the science easy to understand and the descriptions of the surfers, the waves and the rough seas come to life.
The author traveled with surfer Laird Hamilton and his friends, all extreme surfers that seek out giant waves. These are not just any big waves, they are 60, 70 and even 100 foot high waves. They are not the kind of waves one can paddle out to; they require the surfer to get a tow with a jet ski and have a teammate to rescue them when they hit the surf. There is little margin for error. They risk serious injury and even death when slammed by the force of one of these waves. Their amazing adventure is told in alternating chapters with the story of the scientists and their aspirations to understand how and why these giant waves are formed.
Every two years wave scientists gather at a conference to exchange information on wave research. This has become a hot topic since the 2004 Indonesian tsunami and the recent concerns of how climate change could affect the world’s oceans. The warmer the water the more volatile the seas become with more destructive storms and larger waves. It is also theorized that with the sea level rising due to the melting of the ice cap there is more pressure on ocean bottom resulting in a greater number of underwater earthquakes and, as a result, tsunamis. Again, fascinating stuff.
Each year more than two dozen large ships and their crews go missing. It usually gets explained away as bad weather and is never studied in the same way an airplane crash is analyzed. These scientists want to change that and are now investigating disappearing ships. The author meets with many of the scientists, attends their conventions and explains the research to us in such a clear way that we don’t have to know calculus or chaos theory to understand it. I had no problem following along and I haven’t taken a science or math class in years.
If you enjoy reading about adventure I highly recommend this book. You may not want to go on a cruise or a swim in the ocean after you read it but I know you will be amazed, awed and entertained.
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LibraryThing member actress133
This book is utterly fascinating, even for readers who have no interest in surfing or oceanography. Casey has presented an extremely well-researched work that includes information on global warming and environmental consequences and the extreme sport of tow surfing. I loved the conversational,
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easygoing tone to the novel, which helped immensely in getting through some of the more depressing anecdotes. I will definitely recommend this book to others. Show Less
LibraryThing member lauri804
Explores the world of elite surfers who follow the biggest waves in the world while they search for the elusive hundred-foot plus waves. It's as close as most of us will ever get to riding a wave like that. And why do the waves get so large, and are they wreaking havoc on ships more often ? It's
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all explained in her interviews with wave scientists, ship recovery captains, and other ocean specialists. The science is painless and interesting. A great book to read on a winter weekend while you imagine those blue crashing waves. Show Less
LibraryThing member hippypaul
National Geographic published a list in May of 2004 of the 100 Greatest Adventure Books of All time. It included such classics as [The Worst Journey in the World], [Into Thin Air], and [Terra Incognita]. I will take bets that [The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean] by
This fine work is a skein of three interconnected stories, the dawning recognition in the scientific community that the “Giant Waves” long thought to be myth do indeed exist, a review of some of the most deadly effects of great waves, and the thrilling stories of the men and women who challenge the sea for sport.
Strange and frightening events have happened at sea. In 1982 a 337-foot-high oil platform which was built to withstand 110-foot seas and 115-mile-per-hour winds capsized and sank close to instantly, killing all eight-four people on board. The author’s investigations at Lloyd’s of London revile an almost unnoticed list of maritime disasters. In the years from 1990 to mid-1997 a total of ninety-nine huge bulk carriers were lost. Then in a four-month period in the winter of 1997-98 twenty-seven vessels along with 645 people were lost in a single four month period.
Weaving through this story is the growing belief by the scientific community that things are most likely to get worse before they get better. The effects of climatic change will be significant at sea. Effects that range from higher sea levels to more frequent tsunamis are likely as the increased weight of water makes the sea floor itself more prone to underwater landslides and collapses.
In the mist of this change and concern came a startling announcement. In July 2001 a man named Bill Sharp speaking for a surf wear company issued a press release. It offered a prize of $500,000 to anyone who rode a 100 foot wave. This “Golden Carrot” created a huge surge in people attempting to ride big waves and brought many people into the extreme sport who had no business being there.
Ms. Casey spends almost half of her book on the sport of surfing and its many manifestations and on the individual who choose the extreme end of the sport. She writes with power and with a deep understanding of the experience. She choose her narrators early and follows them through the period when the fall out from this challenge made a huge and often tragic impact on the sport of surfing.
From start to finish this is a wild ride of a book that manages to be as educational as it is exciting. It is hard to review this book without falling into “my heart beat faster” or “I was on the edge of my chair” but it is in truth that good of a tale.
A copy of this book was provided free for the purposes of this review.
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[[Susan Casey]] ends up on their next list.This fine work is a skein of three interconnected stories, the dawning recognition in the scientific community that the “Giant Waves” long thought to be myth do indeed exist, a review of some of the most deadly effects of great waves, and the thrilling stories of the men and women who challenge the sea for sport.
Strange and frightening events have happened at sea. In 1982 a 337-foot-high oil platform which was built to withstand 110-foot seas and 115-mile-per-hour winds capsized and sank close to instantly, killing all eight-four people on board. The author’s investigations at Lloyd’s of London revile an almost unnoticed list of maritime disasters. In the years from 1990 to mid-1997 a total of ninety-nine huge bulk carriers were lost. Then in a four-month period in the winter of 1997-98 twenty-seven vessels along with 645 people were lost in a single four month period.
Weaving through this story is the growing belief by the scientific community that things are most likely to get worse before they get better. The effects of climatic change will be significant at sea. Effects that range from higher sea levels to more frequent tsunamis are likely as the increased weight of water makes the sea floor itself more prone to underwater landslides and collapses.
In the mist of this change and concern came a startling announcement. In July 2001 a man named Bill Sharp speaking for a surf wear company issued a press release. It offered a prize of $500,000 to anyone who rode a 100 foot wave. This “Golden Carrot” created a huge surge in people attempting to ride big waves and brought many people into the extreme sport who had no business being there.
Ms. Casey spends almost half of her book on the sport of surfing and its many manifestations and on the individual who choose the extreme end of the sport. She writes with power and with a deep understanding of the experience. She choose her narrators early and follows them through the period when the fall out from this challenge made a huge and often tragic impact on the sport of surfing.
From start to finish this is a wild ride of a book that manages to be as educational as it is exciting. It is hard to review this book without falling into “my heart beat faster” or “I was on the edge of my chair” but it is in truth that good of a tale.
A copy of this book was provided free for the purposes of this review.
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LibraryThing member Sean191
I had reservations about this book. I've been skateboarding and snowboarding for nearly two decades now, but have never surfed . . . I would and I'd probably do alright if it weren't for the fact that I'd do REALLY well with the drowning part since I'm a horrible swimmer.
Anyway, enough about me
In addition to the surfing, she also included interviews with scientists studying the ocean, waves and the environment. Wisely, this information wasn't too overwhelming. It was really interesting to me, but in small doses - which Casey manages to deliver. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and there's a lot of different reasons others might as well - from the extreme sports enthusiasts to the environmentally conscious to those who just love a good cliffhanger.
Anyway, enough about me
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and more about the book. Casey does a great job with the stories here. She follows, for the most part, living surf legend Laird Hamilton on a number of big wave excursions. She draws enough others into the mix as well and really gives enough detail about each that I was concerned when a chapter gives a hint that someone actually died on a particular day in the waves. Casey does a great job of providing a number of cliffhangers throughout the book, making me want to keep reading just one more chapter to see how things went before putting the book down for the night. Of course, that "one more chapter" turned into two or three more often than not. In addition to the surfing, she also included interviews with scientists studying the ocean, waves and the environment. Wisely, this information wasn't too overwhelming. It was really interesting to me, but in small doses - which Casey manages to deliver. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and there's a lot of different reasons others might as well - from the extreme sports enthusiasts to the environmentally conscious to those who just love a good cliffhanger.
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Awards
British Columbia's National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction (Longlist — 2011)
John Lyman Book Award (Science and Technology — 2010)
SB&F's Best Books (2011)
The New York Times Notable Books of the Year (Nonfiction — 2010)
San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year (Nonfiction — 2010)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2010
Physical description
9.55 inches
ISBN
0767928849 / 9780767928847