Endless Summer, Riding Giants–There have been some great movies that explore the Earth’s oceans and their giant waves.  But, few have provided their audience with an understanding of the science of these waves AND do so using 3D.  The new movie “The Ultimate Wave: Tahiti 3D” follows nine-time world surfing champion Kelly Slater on a surfing trip to Tahiti.

“The film explores the hidden forces at work shaping the waves and the islands that lie in their path,” as described on the movie’s website. “In stylized animated segments, the audience is propelled into the cosmos to discover the sources of a wave’s energy; and then back to Earth to witness the swirling dance of the atmosphere that will transfer energy deep into the ocean and shape a wave’s long journey across thousands of miles of open Pacific.”

The Ultimate Wave is playing at IMAX theaters at major science museums across the country including the California Science Center in Los Angeles and New England Aquarium in Boston.  (Here’s a listing of current and upcoming theater venues.)

Once students have seen the movie, educators can take advantage of a free teacher’s guide on the movie’s website.  It also includes a gallery of videos that could be great to show in class.

Photo: Perfect Wave Productions, Inc.

Tags: oceanography, science movies, surfing, the ultimate wave

This entry was posted on Friday, February 19th, 2010 at 7:37 pm and is filed under STEM. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.