Stealing the Wave: The Epic Struggle Between Ken Bradshaw and Mark Foo

by Andy Martin

A classic true story of sporting rivalry - unto death.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports

Audible Audio

First published March 5, 2007

Reviews

[Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hawaii, surfing, huge waves, ambition, and the untimely death of Mark Foo...a very cool book, even for the land-lover!!

[Turi Becker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up Stealing the Wave when I didn't have anything to read at lunch a few weeks ago - testament to how short my lunches are now that it's taken me this long to read it. It's all about the surfing at Waimea Bay in the 80s and 90s, and in particular, the rivalry during that period between Ken Bradshaw and Mark Foo. I learned quite a bit about the whole scene; from Eddie Aikau's story (and where "Eddie would go" came from) to the origins of tow-in surfing. And, of course, why Foo was at Mavericks when he died.

I didn't like Andy Martin's writing style at first. Seemed like he tried to work too many vocab words in for no good reason, seemed a little self-consciously poetic. He used the term cordon sanitaire at least twice. But I got used to it, and I would call this a good read.

[Karina Szczurek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, just loved it.

[Tim Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

After it became clear that my “beaches to peaches” transition from sailboat to rural South Carolina boonies wasn’t going well, I got all jammed up inside, unable to move forward, backward or side to side. I loved the Southern belle I’d pursued back to her family’s generations-old plantation house, but I missed the fun I used to have. The solution, at least for a while, was to buy a $200 kiddie pool from Big Lots, put my surfboard in it, then fall asleep on my stomach.

With this information under your belt, grab a copy of Stealing the Wave for your boat or beach house library.

Much is said by the sub-title: The Epic Struggle Between Ken Bradshaw and Mark Foo. For seasoned surfers, it says it all.

If you’re not a seasoned surfer, think “Superman versus Batman.”

These two guys couldn’t get enough of one another in terms of their intense competition to be king of big-wave surfing. Ken Bradshaw was a hot-tempered Texan with fully ripped muscular structure and the jaw of a Great White. He considered himself a keeper of Old Guard traditions.

Foo, on the other hand, was a fast rising up-and comer-from the next generation.

Very quickly they began to butt heads. (On one occasion, Bradshaw took a BITE out of Foo’s board.)

Yet, too, in the spirit of true competitors at the top of their sport, they needed on another to keep motivated, to raise the bar higher and higher.

Finally, at a California surf spot known as Maverick’s, one of them pushed that bar too far.

I still think of them sometimes when the coolest of things happens as I’m under sail—two dolphins swim alongside, surfacing and submerging in tandem, pushing one another to go faster and faster it seems.

[Jessica Carr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Martin tried hard (too hard) to make Bradshaw look responsible for Foo's death. He wasn't. Foo was a very experienced surfer who publicly spoke about how easy it is to die surfing big waves. At the time Foo was accused of exaggerating the dangers to promote himself. After his death, the way big waves are patrolled by safety crews on jet skis greatly improved. Unfortunately, Foo was the first of a string of well known, experienced big wave surfers to die in big waves (Milosky, Chesser, Solomon, Davi).

[George Foord · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite book; you don't have to be into surfing to read this its about human conflict and is a pleasure to read

[Malcolm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andy Martin is an intriguing combination of major league academic (he teaches French at Cambridge) and fine surfing writer (and previously the surfing correspondent for The Times, as in London). In this he takes us into the bizarre world of big wave surfing, and the rivalry between two of the sport's most impressive figures. Unlike so many other insider sports writers, he knows how to explain the passion, the experience, and the utter stupidity of big wave surfing, so that those of us have much more sense than ever to climb onto a small piece of foam and fibreglass to slide down the face to a 20-or-more foot wall of water with the risk of falling under a weight measured in the tons, have a vague sense of what it might be like. Neither Foo nor Bradshaw, the subjects of this book, seemed all that likeable to me, but both garnered my respect. Worth a read, even if you don't care for surfing, just to see how good sports writing can work.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a weird thing with surfing stuff. This book focused on the birth of big wave surfing at Waimea Bay and the rivalry between Ken Bradshaw and Mark Foo. Honestly it felt like the book trumped up the whole rivalry thing too much. Regardless, the book was good and compelling. I knew some important details about Mark Foo already so I was especially interested to see how the book handled that stuff.

The book effectively credited Ken Bradshaw with cultivating big wave surfing at Waimea. This is weird because Riding Giants, the documentary about surfing, barely mentions Bradshaw. The book implies that this is because Bradshow is a gigantic asshole and the producers of Riding Giants (Stacy Peralta) wanted to stick it to him. That's sort of like making a documentary on big-time tennis and not including McEnroe.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stealing the Wave is the account of an epic sporting rivalry that will be compelling for any sports fan, regardless of interest in or experience with surfing in particular. The belligirents are Ken Bradshaw, a hardened Texan with an obsessive level of perseverence to become the very best of his craft, and Mark Foo, a Chinese-American with incredible technical expertise, who wants to make surfing as big as rock music, with him as the new superstar. The two men have a great level of professional respect for one another, but never really see eye-to-eye on a personal level, and go to increasing lengths, exposing themselves to greater and greater danger, as they battle it out to become the true master of surfing. Of course, the most interesting aspect of the book is nothing to do with surfing per se, but rather about the nature and purpose of obsession. 7/10

[Jerry Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another very specific subject. You certainly don't have to be into big wave surfing to enjoy this book. i'm not and it provides a fascinating insight into this world. I had heard of Mark Foo when he was sadly killed surfing a few years ago.

The story is interesting and focusses on two surfers and their rivalry over a number of years. The author writes well and keeps the human interest alive as well as doing his best to explain the nuances of this sport. However there is some jargon in it that I didn't really understand and is not particularly well explained. All in all an enjoyable and not taxing read

[Noah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good read if you're like me and have an abiding interest in surf culture and history despite not actually being a surfer yourself. You get an inside look at a very specific moment in surfing history: Hawaii's North Shore in the 1980's, which was the epicenter for big wave surfing and its growing commercialization. The rivalry between Bradshaw and Foo doesn't really sustain the book on its own, but fortunately there's enough else to hold it together.

[Supermanfriday · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book..To me surfing was like Baseball,Basketball and Grid-iron etc..boring and meaningless to me.However of recent times I've tried to read great feats and rivalries..This book s one of the best I've read.I dont know why but i was rivetted and found surfing unbelievable ,and through the book, followed by reading about Eddie Aikau and others.The nearest I would ever get to being a surfer is falling over into a puddle,however trust me a truly great read..

[Alistair · Rating 3 out of 5]

this does what it says on the tin
although the author gets carried away { weak joke intended } by the surfer aesthetic and it all gets too overblown for me , it does convey the do or die and some do ) obsession of surfers looking to ride the biggest wave , brilliantly .
I ccould have done with a bit more realism and less mysticism , but the story tips along on the crest of a wave .

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent stuff. I remember looking at Surfer magazine growing up and looking at the pictures of Foo riding Waimea. He was fearless. I had heard of Bradshaw but never really knew his backstory. I really like the part about how their epic struggle extended to fighting over Brazilian babes on the North Shore.

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frightening, funny, informative and excellently written this is an exceptional account of a great rivalry in a sport that I have no idea of. I would say that this is a must for anyone not just surf afficionados

[Nate Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ken Bradshaw biting chunks out of surfboards....

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

good story except when he got too metaphysical about waves
stick to the syory next time

[Heidi Meister · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great trip down memory lane - loved getting to know the behind-the-scenes story of these two watermen and their rivalry

[Ralphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is epic
Respectful homage to two great surfers
😎👍🏄🏽‍♂️🏄🏽‍♂️📚✅

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent, amazing, captivating, very well written

[Joe Chen]

I am a family friend of Charles/Lorna/Wayne/Sharlyn/Mark Foo.... I wish to read more about the family covered in your Foo-Foo (Chapter 8) and wish to continue to finish this chapter