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Marvels that can change our perception of the world

Surfing the at times 60-foot-high monster waves of Hawaii is a life-threatening sport, not only because falling off your board means being swallowed by thousands of tons of water and possibly drowning, but also because surfing the crowded waves means risking a crash with fellow thrill-seekers. Due to starting speeds of 40 miles per hour, the pointed boards pose real health risks. That’s why the same right-of-way rules apply to all the waves in the world. Only the surfer closest to the breaking wave’s crest can start riding the wave. In this photo that’s the surfer in the blue T-shirt on the far right. All other surfers must sit out this wave (see green board) or take a gamble that the surfer who has priority won’t make the wave, which is why some paddle parallel to the wave (yellow board).

THE NEXT BIG THING This surfer and the one to his left have no chance of catching this wave. They have started to paddle out toward the nearest mountain of water. HOLDING OFF The surfer in red (with a blue board) has a bad starting position. He is too...