The Voodoo Wave : Inside a Season of Triumph and Tumult at Maverick's

The Maverick's surf point near Half Moon Bay, California, is one of the most dangerous places in the world to catch a ride on a wave. It is also the site of the ultimate challenge of big wave surfing: the Maverick's Surf Contest. Mark Kreidler takes the reader inside the fifty-foot waves of Maverick's and inside the lives of the competitors who challenge them. He introduces the reader to the man who first dared to ride a wave at Maverick's, Jeff Clark. Kreidler's riveting account of the 2010 season captures the jaw-dropping performance of South Africa's Chris Bertish - who was the best of twenty-four surfers amid the biggest waves many had ever seen - as well as Clark's clashes with the contest's management. A thrilling account of the culture of high-risk, high-adrenaline athletes, The Voodoo Wave is also a story of what happens when love of the endeavour collides with the realities of business in the twenty-first century.

A sports writer and columnist, Mark Kreidler contributes to both ESPN.com and ESPN: The Magazine. He is also the author of Four Days to Glory and Six Good Innings. Author website: www.markkreidler.com