About the book

In keeping with the collaborative nature of the programme, the book chosen for 2013-14 is the same as that used by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington:The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean by Susan Casey.

The book is an account by the enterprising journalist Casey of her search to understand the secrets and dynamics of the massive waves that periodically sweep through many areas of the world’s oceans. She interviews scientists, surfers and sailors and records their encounters with these freak waves to discover they may not be as rare as once believed. It is an epic story of mankind’s confrontations with one of the most powerful forces in the natural world.

From the publisher (Anchor Books):

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.

The book was chosen specifically for its interdisciplinary focus and because it incorporates a variety of themes, including globalisation, risk analysis, sport, environmental conservation, climate change, economics, history and the cultural studies. The Wave will appeal to a wide range of students, faculty and staff.