Sea monsters exist—and not just the scaly, toothy kind. There’s another terror lurking in the sea, one more dangerous than any gilled creature—the freak wave. As the Japanese are all too painfully aware, giant waves can topple entire cities and snuff out thousands of lives in mere seconds. Whether they are caused by undersea earthquakes or violent storms, freak waves are more prevalent than we think, and they’re getting bigger all the time. Author Susan Casey, a lifelong swimmer, became obsessed with giant waves at about the same time that surfer Laird Hamilton perfected the art of surfing them. Casey started hanging out with Hamilton and other big wave surfers, tagging along as they stalked the world’s giant waves. At the same time, she delved into the science behind the phenomenon, showing up at wave researchers’ meetings and translating their super-technical shop talk into English any reader can understand. It turns out that rogue waves remain one of the great mysteries of the physical world—scientists do not agree on a single cause or explanation for the existence of these freaks of nature. What they do agree on, however, is that the incidence and severity of 50-, 80-, even 100-foot waves is growing in direct relation to the rising temperatures of our planet. Awesome news for surfers, but not so good for the 60 percent of us who live near coasts—or for sailors. Combining high-seas drama, adrenalin-powered pacing and a masterful buildup of suspense, The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean, is one of those happy rarities: a nonfiction book that reads like a thriller.
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