Podcast Summary
Growing up with NASA and Surfing Passion: Legendary surfer Kelly Slater, with 11 championship titles, was driven by his passion for surfing despite a challenging experience with geometry in school. His connection to NASA through his mother and witnessing shuttle launches added depth to his story.
Kelly Slater, a legendary surfer with 11 championship titles, grew up in Florida's Space Coast with a strong connection to the space program. His mother worked at NASA, and he watched many shuttle launches, including the tragic explosion of Challenger. Despite a difficult experience with geometry in school, Slater's passion for surfing began at a young age and drove him to pursue the sport obsessively. Bill Finnegan, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and staff writer at The New Yorker, described Slater as the "king" of the surfing world, having been the consensus best surfer for 25 years. Slater's life in surfing is characterized by an intense pursuit of good waves and a struggle to balance that obsession with other aspects of life. Slater's unique background in both surfing and space exploration adds depth to his story and highlights the diverse experiences that shape individuals' lives.
Surfing: Balancing Forces and Finding Connection: Surfing is an intricate balance of physical forces and spiritual connection with the wave.
Surfing, according to Bill Kelly, can be seen as an equation where the surfer must find the balance between various forces, including gravity and momentum, to ride the wave effectively. This concept requires a deep understanding of both the physical and spiritual aspects of surfing. For non-surfers, this may seem like a complex concept, but it's a fundamental aspect of the sport. Surfers, including world champion Kelly Slater, must find the "sweet spot" on the wave, where they are balanced against gravity, to ride it successfully. This takes a lot of practice and dedication. Surfing is not just about physics; it's also about finding a connection with the wave on a deeper level. Surfers describe this experience as being a moving zen, even spiritual, and some have compared it to revisiting the womb. Surfing is an intricate dance between the surfer and the wave, requiring a deep understanding of the physics involved and a connection to the wave on a spiritual level.
The Intense Interplay Between Surfer, Wave, and Board: Surfing is about finding the sweet spot of a wave, applying forces, and experiencing the dynamic interplay between the surfer, wave, and board. Barrels offer a thrilling experience inside, but be aware of the complex physical interaction.
Surfing involves more than just riding a wave. The sweet spot of a wave, where a surfer experiences intense acceleration, is located at the curl of the wave beneath the lip. Surfers apply forces back and forth to find this spot, and the wave pushes back, creating a dynamic interplay between the two. The difference in pressure between the surfer's feet can help maneuver their position in the curl. Waves are powerful and can snap a board in half. Barrel-shaped waves form when deep, energetic swells encounter shallow water rapidly, creating a rapid break and barrels. Surfing inside a barrel is a thrilling experience, filled with intense joy and a sense of time slowing down. However, it's important to remember that this is a complex physical interaction between the surfer, the wave, and the board.
The intense focus and concentration required for surfing: Surfing involves deep focus, fine details etched in memory, and terms like 'hang loose', 'tombstoning', and 'hang 11'. Dealing with high and low pressure and potential water spits adds to the experience.
Surfing, particularly barrel riding, requires intense focus and concentration. The speaker argues that the experience is not slow but rather deeply imprinted in memory due to the fine details of what one sees and feels. Zen is a term used to describe this state of absolute focus. The game of "surf talk" introduced various surfing terms, such as "hang loose" meaning to relax, "tombstoning" where the surfer is underwater and the board is vertical, and "hang 11" where the surfer is head first in the water with one foot sticking up. Additionally, surfing big waves involves dealing with high and low pressure, and sometimes the collapsing tube can "spit" water and pressure back at the surfer.
Physics of Surfing: Wind, Waves, and Speed: Surfing relies on matching or exceeding wave speed for successful rides, with wind and lunar cycles influencing wave generation.
While surfers may not consciously consider the complex physics behind their sport while riding a wave, the underlying factors such as wave speed and depth play a crucial role in catching and riding them. Waves are primarily generated by wind, with the lunar cycle influencing wind patterns through unequal heating on Earth's surface. The most important physics factor in surfing is the speed of the wave and the surfer, as catching a wave requires matching or exceeding the wave's speed. Gravitational waves, a topic from a fan question, are a different type of wave with their unique properties, and the concept of surfing them in another dimension is currently beyond our scientific understanding.
The Early Stages of Earth and the Moon: A Surfer's Dream: If the early Earth had liquid water and the moon was closer, surfing would have been an exhilarating experience with 8,000 times larger tidal waves.
The formation of the moon 400 billion years ago would have resulted in colossal tidal waves, making it an intriguing time for surfing enthusiasts. Star Trek's warp drive concept of compressing and expanding space-time might be fascinating, but it's essential to remember that it's a work of fiction, and humans cannot surf gravity waves in the afterlife. Regarding a more tangible topic, if we assume the presence of liquid water on all planets in our solar system, Earth, during its early stages, would have experienced the most significant waves due to the moon's closer proximity. The height of these tidal waves would have been 8,000 times greater than today, making it an exhilarating time for water sports enthusiasts. However, it's essential to distinguish between these hypothetical scenarios and the reality of surfing. Modern surfing facilities, like Kelly Slater's Surf Ranch, create man-made solitary waves using advanced technology. These designer waves offer surfers a consistent and perfect wave, unlike the wind swells found in water parks. The pursuit of the perfect wave is a continuous endeavor, with Kelly Slater's Surf Ranch being a significant step forward in this quest.
Revolutionizing Surfing with Perfect Waves: The Kelly Slater Wave Company creates customizable, consistent waves using soliton technology, offering surfers an unparalleled experience and a philosophical challenge.
The Kelly Slater Wave Company is revolutionizing the world of surfing with their advanced technology that generates a perfectly consistent, customizable wave. This wave, known as a soliton, is an isolated disturbance that propagates freely and maintains its unique shape as it breaks. The engineering behind this innovation allows surfers to manipulate the wave's characteristics, providing an unparalleled surfing experience. The first man-made soliton was discovered accidentally in 1834, and since then, scientists and engineers have been fascinated by its unique properties. The Kelly Slater Wave Company's wave pool in California has not been replicated anywhere else, making it a significant breakthrough in the surfing world. This technology not only offers surfers the ability to train and hone their skills on a repeatable wave but also represents a philosophical challenge, as it provides a flawless, dream wave that is not found in the ocean. The engineering behind this wave involves generating a base wave and then designing it to specifications. Adam Fitchen, the chief scientist for the Kelly Slater Wave Company, is leading the way in this groundbreaking field.
Scaling up wave technology: More than just math and physics: Engineering solutions are crucial for handling large amounts of water and costs in scaling up wave technology. Calm attitude and understanding energy dissipation are essential for surviving large waves.
Creating large-scale wave technology is a complex process that involves more than just the math and physics. It requires engineering solutions to handle the large amounts of water and the costs associated with the project. The challenges of scaling up laboratory experiments and dealing with the forces involved can make it difficult to reproduce the same results on a larger scale. Surviving a wipeout in large waves also requires a calm attitude and an understanding of the dissipation of energy in the wave. It's important to keep heart rate down and relax, waiting for the energy to dissipate and not getting trapped in a vortex. The fear is of being held down by larger waves, known as a 2 wave hold down, which can keep you underwater until the next wave comes.
Mental and physical calmness key to surfing big waves: Accepting danger and staying calm helps surfers ride out turbulent conditions and return to surface, pushing limits for thrill
Surfing big waves requires a high level of mental and physical calmness, which can be challenging when faced with turbulent conditions and the fear of drowning. Surfers like Kelly Slater emphasize the importance of accepting the situation and making peace with potential danger to calm oneself down. This mindset allows surfers to ride out the turbulence and eventually make it back to the surface. Additionally, big wave surfing competitions, such as the one at Jaws in Hawaii, showcase the extreme conditions and the importance of being prepared for the unknown. Despite the challenges, surfers continue to push the limits and seek the thrill of riding the biggest waves. However, as Kelly Slater pointed out, the perception of the observer plays a significant role in how difficult surfing is perceived, and even small waves or lap dogs surfing can provide a sense of achievement and joy.
Surfing: More Than Just Riding Waves: Surfing is a profound experience that combines science, nature, and personal growth. Understanding the science behind it enhances the spiritual connection, even for those not pursuing expertise.
Surfing goes beyond just riding a wave. It's a profound experience that combines science, nature, and personal growth. Surfers, like Bill, dedicate themselves to the sport, often having a whole collection of boards, or a "quiver," for various conditions. The science behind surfing, such as understanding waves and their role in transferring momentum and gases, enhances the experience rather than detracting from it. Surfers, including pros like Kelly Slater, describe surfing as a spiritual experience, a feeling of being "born to do it." Even if one doesn't become a surfing expert, the simple act of surfing every day can bring joy and fulfillment. As Walt Whitman's poem "The Learned Astronomer" suggests, appreciating the beauty of the universe, whether it's a sunset or an ocean wave, is enhanced by understanding the science behind it.
Exploring the universe from within and without: Embrace both inner and outer perspectives for a deeper appreciation of the universe and our place in it
Exploring the universe from the inside of our homes through knowledge and understanding, and from the outside in nature, provides a transcendent experience. Neil deGrasse Tyson, your host and personal astrophysicist on StarTalk, encourages us to keep looking up and embracing both perspectives for a cosmic perspective on life. By recognizing the interconnectedness of our inner and outer worlds, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the universe and our place in it. So, take a break from your screens and go outside, but don't forget the knowledge and understanding you've gained from your studies. The juxtaposition of the two can lead to a truly transcendent experience.