Abstract
Surfing big waves and wave functions For some chemists, seeing the results of their latest experiments brings sufficient excitement into their lives. But others, like Sarah Gerhardt, seek out more extreme thrills to bring balance to their intellectual pursuits. When she’s not teaching chemistry at Cabrillo College, Gerhardt manages to carve out some time surfing at the legendary—and dangerous—spot known as Mavericks in Northern California. Mavericks is infamous for its frigid waters, jagged rocks, and great white sharks. If you watch the surfers from shore, Mavericks looks like an average surfing spot, but paddle out 3 km to where the waves are, and the swells can measure up to 18 meters high. Gerhardt describes the experience of surfing there as “kind of like jumping off a building and then having the building chase you.” The first time Gerhardt attempted to surf Mavericks, she was a graduate student “in the throes
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