In Susan Casey's new book, THE WAVE: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean, she uses her uniquely colorful language to explain the lifestyles, mentality and exploits of the world's greatest big wave surfers.The celebrated author and former swimmer perfectly captures the essence and mindset of the modern-day daredevils of the oceans, centering upon renowned surfing pioneer Laird Hamilton and their life savers, the men who tow them into the giant waves in exotic locations around the globe.
Susan's language enables surfers like Laird, Dave Kalama, Raimana Van Bastolaer and Garrett McNamara to seemingly jump out of the pages, fully engaging the reader's full attention. They relish risk and skirt on the edges of death in locations that range from gray bone-chilling temperatures to aquamarine tropical paradises.
Susan writes how Laird explain how barely perceivable changes (to land-based athletes) in swell direction, wind and wave intervals can produce unlimited variations in the wave these adventurers seek. "Every wave's different on the same day. It's never the same mountain."
Laird's comment provides a great analogy for open water swimmers. Its open water corollary could be, "Every course is different on the same day. It's never the same challenge."
Waves, winds, currents, buoy location, pack swimming or solitary swimming, jellyfish, water temperature, tidal flows - everything can change during an open water swim. Like sailors tacking against the wind or snowboarders screaming down a mountainside, open water swimmers must navigate the elements on the fly. Like big wave surfers, they expect the unexpected.
Copyright © 2010 by Open Water Source
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Thank you very much for your interest in the world of open water swimming.