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

Garrett McNamara set a world record when he surfed a seventy-eight-foot wave in Nazaré, Portugal, in 2011, a record he smashed three years later at the same break. Propelled by the challenge and the rush, McNamara travels the globe to ride the most dangerous waves, from giant barrels breaking on shallow, jagged reefs to massive, open ocean hurricane swells.

But what motivates McNamara to go to such extremes—to risk everything for one thrilling ride? Is catching giant waves the ultimate exercise in control or surrender?

Through his compelling and emotional memoir, readers will get to know McNamara as never before, seeing for the first time the personal alongside the professional in an exciting 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 nonsurfers alike will embrace McNamara’s story—as they have William Finnegan’s Barbarian Days—for an intimate take on the enigmatic pursuit of riding waves, big and small.

Thoughtful, suspenseful, and spiritually profound, Hound of the Sea is a testament to perseverance, passion, and healing. 

Garrett Mcnamara holds the Guinness record for surfing the world’s largest wave, in addition to garnering numerous first-place wins in professional competitions around the world. He is the first foreigner ever to be awarded the prestigious Vasco de Gama Medal of Honor from the Portuguese Navy. McNamara splits his time between Hawaii, Portugal, and the rest of the world, where he explores with his family.

Karen Karbo is the author of 14 award-winning novels, memoirs, and works of nonfiction. Her adult novels have all been named New York Times Notable Books of the Year. Her genre-bending Kick Ass Women series, including the international best seller The Gospel According to Coco Chanel, mingles biography, memoir, philosophy, humor, and self-help to examine how we should live. Her most recent book, In Praise of Difficult Women, was an national bestseller. Her essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in Elle, Vogue, Marie Claire, Outside, O, the New York Times, The Los Angeles Review of Books, Salon.com, and other magazines.  Visit her online at karenkarbo.com.