Synopses & Reviews
A riveting and rollicking tour-de-force about the terrifying power of nature's most deadly phenomena — colossal waves — and the scientists and super surfers who are obsessed with them.
The New York Times bestselling author of The Devil's Teeth probes the dramatic convergence of baffling gargantuan waves that pummel oil rigs and sink massive ships, the extreme surfers willing to stare down death in order to ride them, and the marine scientists trying to unlock the physics of these waves, the climate changes that are provoking them, and what chaos they might wreak. Susan Casey explores the phenomenon of monster waves and how they have become an obsession for extreme surfers like Laird Hamilton — who serves as the author's guide as she takes the reader into the intense, white-knuckle world of 100-foot waves.
From the Hardcover edition.
About the Author
SUSAN CASEY is the author of the
New York Times bestseller
The Devil's Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America's Great White Sharks. She served as creative director of
Outside Magazine, where she was part of the editorial team that developed the stories behind the bestselling books
Into Thin Air and
The Perfect Storm, as well as the 2002 movie
Blue Crush. The Toronto-born Casey was also recently named Editor-in-Chief of
O, the Oprah Magazine.
From the Hardcover edition.
Table of Contents
"Casey's sharktastic bestseller
The Devil's Teeth announced the debut of a powerful voice in adventure writing, and her follow-up does not disappoint… [Her] writing on wave forces and maritime disasters is masterful."
—Outside Magazine
"[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
"It's an exhilarating read, almost like riding a 100-foot wave yourself, but not nearly as dangerous."
—Garden & Gun
"Casey writes compellingly of the threat and beauty of the ocean at its most dangerous. [She] also smoothly translates the science of her subject into engaging prose. This book will fascinate anyone who has even the slightest interest in the oceans that surround us."
—PW
"This book is adrenalin. You don't want to surf the waves described herein. Read the book. It's safer that way."
—Eddie Vedder
"Like the surfers and scientists she profiles, Casey lived and breathed giant waves for years. Combine this kind of insane passion for craft with an uncanny ability to describe the indescribable and whisk the reader off to unimaginably surreal settings and scenarios, and you have the rogue talent that is Susan Casey. The Wave sucked me in like the undertow at Pipeline."
—Mary Roach, author of Stiff and Packing for Mars
"Reading The Wave is the closest most of us will ever come to the sensation of riding, or even seeing, one of these towering monsters of the sea. Itʼs exhilarating, astonishing, and, not infrequently, terrifying. Brace yourself."
—Candice Millard, author of The River of Doubt
"At once scary and fun, The Wave surprises at every turn."
—Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Field Notes From a Catastrophe
"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
From the Hardcover edition.
Reading Group Guide
1. Why do you think there isn't more news coverage on sunken freighters, tankers, and bulk carriers? Do tragedies at sea strike a different chord in the popular imagination than say, a plane crash?
2. What's the difference between surfing a wave and surviving it? What drives people to extreme situations and how does one draw the line between determination and courting disaster?
3. Many big wave surfers, like Laird Hamilton, are married with children. How do you think they rationalize putting their lives on the line for what many would consider sport?
4. Why do you think the psychological beating is often worse than the physical injury for surfers? Do you think Brett Lickle's mishap towards the end of the book helped him see what was really important in life or psychologically cripple him?
5. Surfers and scientists have different methods of judging a wave's intensity. Is one rubric more accurate than the other?
6. Susan Casey found a strong female presence in the scientific community that seems to be lacking in the surfing world. Why do you think surfing - and tow surfing in particular - seems to be so male-dominated? What drives more men than women to extreme sports?
7. Why is respect for the waves so important? What happens if you lose this respect?
8. Many surfers in the book refer to themselves as "watermen." They're not simply athletes or thrill seekers - they almost have a sixth sense when it comes to the water. What can we learn from these watermen in terms of how they regard and intuit the ocean? What responsibility, if any, do you think these adventurers have to the ocean and to one another?
9. Historically speaking, massive geological events occur frequently, but humans generally remember devastating natural disasters within their lifetimes. Do you think this ability to forget events such as the Lisbon tsunami of 1755 and move on is part of what makes our species so resilient? Or do these sorts of memory lapses leave us ill-prepared to deal with future disasters?
10. After Susan Casey witnesses a sixty-eight foot wave at Killers, she remembers Laird Hamilton's assertion - "If you can look at one of these waves and you don't believe that there's something greater than we are, then you've got some serious analyzing to do." How has your perception of the ocean - and those who study it and ride its waves - changed after reading The Wave?