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Harper Wave

Hound of the Sea: Wild Man. Wild Waves. Wild Wisdom.

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Description

In this thrilling and candid memoir, world record-holding and controversial Big Wave surfer Garrett McNamara--star and subject of the HBO mini-series, 100 Foot Wave--chronicles his emotional quest to ride the most formidable waves on earth.Garrett McNamara set the world record for the sport, surfing a seventy- eight-foot wave in Nazaré, Portugal in 2011, a record he smashed two years later at the same break. Propelled by the challenge and promise of bigger, more difficult waves, this adrenaline-fueled loner and polarizing figure travels the globe to ride the most dangerous swells the oceans have to offer, from calving glaciers to hurricane swells.But what motivates McNamara to go to such extremes—to risk everything for one thrilling ride? Is riding giant waves the ultimate exercise in control or surrender?Personal and emotional, readers will know GMac as never before, seeing for the first time the personal alongside the professional in an exciting, intimate look at what drives this inventive, iconoclastic man. Surfing awesome giants isn’t just thrill seeking, he explains—it’s about vanquishing fears and defeating obstacles past and present. Surfers and non-surfers alike will embrace McNamara’s story—as they have William Finnegan’s Barbarian Days—an its intimate look at the enigmatic pursuit of riding waves, big and small.Hound of the Sea is a record of perseverance, passion, and healing. Thoughtful, suspenseful, and spiritually profound, McNamara reveals the beautiful soul of surfing through the eyes of one of its most daring and devoted disciples. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Paperbacks; Reprint edition (August 1, 2017)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062343602


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 04


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.8 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.68 x 8 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #245,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #64 in Surfing #5,901 in Personal Transformation Self-Help #62,780 in Religion & Spirituality (Books)


#64 in Surfing:


#5,901 in Personal Transformation Self-Help:


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Garret writes in such a way to make you feel like you are right there on his board with him
I've never surfed and probably don't want to. However, Garret writes in such a way to make you feel like you are right there on his board with him, searching always for that 'Big Mama' of a wave. This was one book I really hated to see end. It pretty much covers his entire life, how he got into surfing after skateboarding, his triumphs and tragedies are all quite openly written about. I do understand his focus and drive, which you will always see in a truly competitive person. I'm glad I read his book, if nothing else at least I can now listen and perhaps watch surfing with a more educated point of view. Thanks Garret! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2018 by rebcarol
    • Deserves to be read
McNamara's surf memoir is a worthy read if only for the fact that he was the first to conquer surfing a 100 ft wave. This work chronicles McNamara's life from childhood through the present. With respect to non-fiction memoirs written by prominent personalities from the surfing world, I make it a point to read them all. Unlike other athletic pursuits, surfers rarely take time to write about their sport. "Hound of the Sea" is a story written by a surfer for surfers. The title is a reference to the author's Celtic surname meaning "hound of the sea". Unlike Finnegan's "Barbarian Days" and Duane's "Caught Inside," McNamara's story doesn't come across as a literary, colorful, masterpiece of prose. Nearly all the chapters are 5-6 pages long that address specific milestones or memorable moments in the author's life. The first 77 pages seemed pretty unremarkable at first, but later it was clear how the early non-surfing years of the author's life gave shape to his life goal "To Keep Surfing". What I really enjoyed about reading this book was the honesty and mater of fact transparency the author so humbly offers to anyone interested in really knowing what it is to walk in his shoes (or more appropriately his flip flops). Among the elite few who've ever surfed "Jaws," "Teahupo'o," "Mavericks," or "Cortes Bank" to name a handful of big wave spots, at one point or another, these surfers all discover that what they do in the water is like living in a fish bowl. The chapter titled "Incident at Cortes Bank" is one example of how the opinions of non-witnesses and media could really crush a person's spirit. This was a really important passage and I'm glad McNamara chose to include it. What I didn't enjoy reading about was the cavalier attitude toward including marijuana and other drugs in the surfing lifestyle. True as it may have been for McNamara, it is sad and disappointing to be reminded that not every surfer (even those who are tremendously accomplished) is a clean living, serious athlete. In the end, what worked for me as an admirer of Garrett McNamara was the "blue print" he developed to become the kind of serious big wave rider who is worthy of historical recognition. In the realm where McNamara operates (riding enormous killer waves), one cannot imagine how these surfers are able to keep fear in check. In his words, brief and concise, on page 219, McNamara says, "Fear is something we create, because we're stuck in the past or envisioning the future. If we stay in the present there is no fear." Coming from a man who'd endured the physical trauma of having his body tortured from the thousands of pounds per square inch and being pounded on reefs countless times, there is no question that Mr. McNamara has the credibility to speak to fear. McNamara's work is a testimony that even a crooked path can lead to greatness if one remains humble and sticks to their "blue print." ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2017 by PDX Author
    • Well-written memoir of a most unusual life !
I read this right after reading Laird Hamilton's recent book and by contrast this book is a fascinating and unusual memoir and also very well written. It would be difficult to think of anyone with a stranger childhood who rose to world prominence in any sport - much less one as dangerous and demanding as big wave surfing. One hopes that with all of his life experiences, encounters with nature, and his repeated feelings of being "blessed", that Garrett will move beyond a mushy spiritualism and see the creator of the great waves he rides and the guiding hand on his life ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2019 by Keith C.
    • Super fun read
Guys like G-Mac and Ace Cool always suffered a lot of bad press, jealousy and are misunderstood by those that don’t know them. The feats that G has accomplished are not “normal” and the fact that 99.99999999% of humanity would instantly die in the hundreds of situations he has been in made me curious as to what kind of a man does this. The book explains this beautifully and in a highly entertaining manner. The read is a great ride. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2019 by Edward Brinkman
    • Great book!
Really fun and interesting book! It’s about much more than just surfing.
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2022 by R. Hunt
    • Good read
If you are interested in surfing and those people this is a must read. But it is also a very good autobiography and life story besides the aspect of big wave surfing with the right amount of motivational finger wagging without getting too annoying.
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2017 by Bandhu Steerling
    • It's A Good Ride
The oceanic equivalent of Hillary's conquest of Everest. G Mac's adventures amaze and entertain as he keeps it real with much insight into the emerging daredevil surf culture. It's a good ride for the reader.
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2018 by Greg Wilkinson
    • DROP IN ON ONE HELL OF A BOOK!! PUT YOUR SEATBELTS ON FOLKS!!
Sounds a lot my life but on the East Coast!! Very vivid in all aspects. A tough guy with a big heart. If most people just had one-tenth of the experiences that Garrett had we would be more rounded as people. Awesome book!!
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2016 by TN8S

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