Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    One Writer's Search for the Perfect Wave

    In 1978 a young writer dropped everything and toured the developing world looking for the perfect wave. Journalist William Finnegan tells us what he found along the way. He's the author of Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life . Big wave surfing in Tahiti at Teahupoo Photo: Duncan Rawlinson

    • rss
    • Share
    By Warren Olney • Aug 12, 2015 • 10m Listen

    In 1978 a young writer dropped everything and toured the developing world looking for the perfect wave. Journalist William Finnegan tells us what he found along the way. He's the author of Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life.

    Duncan Rawlinson

    The full episode

    3 of 3
    Europe's Migrant Crisis
    1. 1:33Hillary Clinton Hands Over Email Server to FBI
    2. 8:23An Immigration Crisis in Europe
    3. 41:37One Writer's Search for the Perfect WaveYou’re reading this
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • KCRW placeholder

      Andrea Brody

      Senior Producer, KCRW's Life Examined and To the Point podcast

    • KCRW placeholder

      Charlotte Duren

      Producer, To the Point/Which Way LA?

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Evan George

      Director of Content, News

    • KCRW placeholder

      William Finnegan

      New Yorker magazine

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    3 of 3
    Europe's Migrant Crisis
    1. 1:33Hillary Clinton Hands Over Email Server to FBI
    2. 8:23An Immigration Crisis in Europe
    3. 41:37One Writer's Search for the Perfect WaveYou’re reading this
    Back to To the Point