Cortes Bank is a sunken island that rises almost to sea level from the deepest Pacific Ocean. Because it’s 100 miles off the California coast, very few people get to see Cortes Bank. Indeed on most swells, no one would even know it’s there at all. But when a big swell passes over, the submerged seamount forces the water up and over into giant, sometimes perfect waves—the biggest in the world. It’s hard to imagine, even for us big wave fans who’ve logged endless YouTube hours. You have to pull away the YouTube frame and imagine the wave in its true frame of reference: in the middle of nowhere. You only see Cortes Bank after spending hours on a boat, plowing over endless lines of cold swell. It’s only then the magnitude of a huge, pure wave erupting in the middle of an open ocean really hits home.
Greg Long atop Bishop Rock. Photo: Chris Dixon
I once went out at Maverick’s on a big day, on the back of a friend’s jet ski. He played the mean older brother and tried to scare me. At one point he stalled, waiting for a huge mound of water to close in on us before he gunned the ski up the face. We hit the top just as the wave peaked, and we free fell off the back before we hit the water and sped on. While laughing hysterically, my reptilian brain processed: I don’t have a lifejacket on. I am the mother of two small children. I wonder how long I could hold my breath? By the time I was deposited back on the beach, I wobbled up the bank, cackling, triumphant, and intensely grateful to be on the shore.
When I translate this experience to being ringside at Cortes Bank, I get instantly uncomfortable. Indeed, when I read Chris Dixon’s descriptions of being out at Cortes, I start shifting in my seat, riffle tapping my foot, swearing under my breath. I can barely read about the place without panicking. First of all, there is no secure place to watch the bank. On big days, it’s shifty and unreliable and massive. The photographers’ boats are in constant jeopardy. And surfing it? OMG. A surfer could fall, get slammed down to the shallowest part of the reef, dragged across the wreck of mammoth ship, and then be flushed out into mile-deep water, never to be seen again. There is no beach to wash up on, just an endless stretch of open ocean.
Cortes is a rare piece of wilderness. It’s unpredictable, uncontrollable, and profoundly uncivilized. It is also a thing of great beauty. I see it when I look at Jason Murray’s and Rob Brown’s photos. I feel it when I read Ghost Wave. That’s why I wanted to publish it so much. It’s not often we get ringside seats at one of the world’s seven wonders, without having to risk more than a trip to the bookstore.
Read the first chapter of Ghost Wave here. If you are in California, read on for information on Chris Dixon’s California Ghost Wave book tour.
October 12, 2011: 7:00pm
Diesel, A Bookstore
Brentwood Country Mart
225 26th Street
Santa Monica, CA
(310) 576-9960
October 13, 2011: 7:30pm
Warwick’s
7812 Girard Avenue
La Jolla, California
(858) 454-0347
October 14, 2011: 7:00pm
Surfing Heritage Foundation
110 Calle Iglesia
San Clemente, CA
(949) 388-0313 x0
October 19, 2011: 7:00pm
Green Apple Books
506 Clement Street
San Francisco, CA
(415) 387-2272
October 20, 2011: 7:00pm
Books Inc.
2251 Chestnut St
San Francisco, CA
(415) 931-3633
October 22, 2011: 11:00am
San Luis Obispo County Chapter of Surfrider Foundation’s
9th Annual Free Fall Art Show and Festival
Cayucos Veterans’ Hall at the pier
10 Cayucos Drive
Cayucos, CA
October 23, 2011: 1:00pm
Beach House
10 State Street
Santa Barbara, CA
(805) 963-1281
Sarah Malarkey
Executive Editorial Director
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EPIC!!!
So the book arrives from Amazon, and I find that the box is empty and no book can be found anywhere in the vicinity. That night, I see my son curled up in a chair with his nose deep in MY BOOK. I asked him how it is and he replies “Excellent. Really cool story. You will love it, Dad.”. A day later the book is on my nightstand, and my son is on YouTube watching video of The Bank going off. Well, my son was right. The story is great. Gripping writing. Great history and insight. If you are a fan, big or small, of surfing, historical sleuthing, Topica Oceania, or just love a good read…this book is for you. One suggestion, if you have family members, roomates, inlaws, or odd tenants living under the same roof, buy more than one copy. You will find the bulk purchase is an investment in harmony that you will not regret. Cheers.
This is amazing! I'm definitely going to try and stop by green apple to pick up a copy.
Damn PuraVida! Thanks for making my day. Shoots, my week. So glad you like it. Gonna show your post to my wife and bring a big smile to her face.
–Chris Dixon