Oceanography for Beginners

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

Did you know that worldwide, 2 large ships sink each week, on average? Many of them go down without a trace, everyone on board swallowed into the unforgiving ocean. I was shocked at how many container ships, fishing boats and oil rigs are destroyed by mammoth waves each year, and the loss of life that accompanies these shipwrecks. Casey interviews scientists, surfers, ship pilots and marine insurers in order to understand ocean waves.

Although the surfing chapters of the book read like the best adventure stories, I would have preferred a little less Laird Hamilton and a little more science. In fact, I initially thought the “freaks” in the title referred to the surfers that Casey profiles - adrenaline junkies who travel all over the world chasing the biggest waves, risking serious injury and death. But apparently the author is referring to the freak waves that rise unexpectedly and can cause tremendous destruction. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPOC), average wave heights have been rising steadily (by more than 25% between the 1960’s and 1990’s) and the waves are getting faster, too. It doesn’t just *seem* like we’ve had more tropical storms and hurricanes of late - we really have.

Casey is a solid writer and this was a rollicking good read. Really, my only criticism of the book is that by focusing so much on surfing it gives short shrift to the bigger story, which is the increase in large, unpredictable ocean waves and what that means for ocean going vessels, coastal communities, the environment, and, yes, surfers.