A Wave of a Good Read

Those of you who have joined me on HILT’s Talk Story on the Land hikes at Waiheʻe or Nuʻu in the past few years have undoubtedly heard me talk about the impact of tsunamis in Hawaiʻi. Tsunamis are a frequent, if unwelcome, visitor to Hawaiʻi’s shores, with destructive waves impacting the Islands, on average, about every 11 years. During these hikes you may have heard me give very specific details about some of these historic tsunamis and listened to my speculations about some of the particularly destructive tsunamis going back several centuries. Of course, the inevitable question I get is ʻbut, how do you know that?’ While I try to explain how we know about these events as best I can,  if you have been the one to ask this question (or have just simply wondered how we know), I have the perfect solution for your inquisitive mind: Professor James Goff’s In Search of Ancient Tsunamis: A Researcher’s Travels, Tools and Techniques.

To say this is a fascinating, fun, and captivating read would be an understatement. I was lucky enough to get to know James in 2020 when I wrote to him to ask some questions about some large coral boulders I had found at Nuʻu. He immediately wrote me back, and we began an email exchange. In October of 2022 James visited Maui and we began exploring Waiheʻe and Nuʻu for evidence of ancient tsunamis, similar to what he describes in his book. Professor Goff’s 35+ years of research experience compellingly described in this book moves through a systematic review of the “strands” of evidence which piece together what we know about these deadly and destructive waves. Tsunami research, which, it should be emphasized, is a multidisciplinary endeavor, seeks to answer the questions of why, when, where, and how destructive these waves have been; always with an eye toward how to best protect coastal communities from the next big one. The temporal scope of Professor Goff’s work is impressive, with discussions of tsunamis extending back several million years, up to the more recent deadly tsunamis in the Indian Ocean, Samoa and Japan, which have claimed the lives of well over a quarter-million individuals in this century alone. Geographically, Professor Goff’s research covers the globe, with discussions ranging from the Mediterranean to Scotland, to the South Pacific. Ultimately, it is the Pacific that has been Goff’s research home for most of his career, and he provides fascinating coverage of his research in Chile, New Zealand, and numerous Pacific Islands, including Hawaiʻi.  

I should emphasize, however, that this is not a book solely focused on disasters and their destructive impacts. Rather, it is a journey through the career of one tsunami researcher who is committed to better understanding the past in order to be prepared for the future. Over and over, while reading In Search of Ancient Tsunamis anʻōlelo noʻeau (Hawaiian proverb) kept ringing in my ear: “I ka wa mamua, ka wa mahope” or (roughly) “we look to the past in order to understand the future.” In Search of Ancient Tsunamis is a testament to the truth of this ʻōlelo noʻeau. As he notes, the goal of tsunami research is to save lives. Professor Goff demonstrates that, in doing so, one can fashion a fascinating career through service to community. Anyone who has conducted field research will immediately resonate with the camaraderie, physical demands and pure joy of scientific investigation. The heart of this work, however, lies in the dedicated sense of purpose scientific investigation offers, something Professor Goff masterfully describes in these pages.    

So, who is this book for?  If you enjoy a scientific adventure story which will take you around the world, you will love this book. If you are interested in the tools and techniques scientists use to better understand our world, and save lives, you will find this a compelling read. If you know someone who is interested in the sciences, and who may be considering making the sciences a career, turn them on to this book; it will inspire them. In Search of Ancient Tsunamis is a fascinating story, a compelling read, and incredibly enjoyable. I encourage everyone to check it out.  

— Dr. Scott Fisher