Product Description
This colorful photographic field guide describes about 1,200 species of common invertebrates, fishes, reptiles and mammals that occur on and around the world's coral reefs and mangroves. 6-1/2" x 7", 478 pages, 1,300 color photos.
Customer Reviews:
A Diver's Guide to Reef Life.......2007-09-17
A Diver's Guide to Reef Life
Comment by Stephen Wong, Marine Wildlife Photojournalist
I used to believe that biologists (or people who knew much of science) did not make the prettiest images, while dedicated photographers were merely trying to paint aesthetic pictures but didn't know a lot about the scientific part of their subjects. I am sure the biologists could shoot extremely well but they just didn't have the time to create the pretty photos, as their time spent would be doing much research in lab and field. At the same time, wildlife photographers could be stellar ecologist but simply lack the proper background training to discuss seriously the scientific side, or the photographers could know in-depth biology on only a few subjects but not many. Gee, am I wrong! "A Diver's Guide to Reef Life" by Andrea & Antonella Ferrari has changed my steretypic perception.
This 480-page 16cm X 18cm book delivers a wealth of scientific knowledge plus a full load of exquisite images. There must be at least 828 species (I counted) of the more encountered and diver-interested marine creatures' discussed and over 1,200 species of animals deftly composed in the book. Not only the general distribution and sizing of the subjects are talked about, the animals' individual habitats and their intrigue life habits are discussed. The ID shots for the `science' section are more than adequate as the pictures clearly show the species' colors, shapes and unique features so that viewers can immediately locate and relate to. The life habits section and the galleries (many beautiful images) are my most favorite. I am learning a lot from these two areas, plus from the underwater photo-tips that the Ferraris stated in each family introduction.
Besides the more popular diver-quested subjects, such as sharks to the jeweled pygmy seahorses, the book also covers subjects that may be of less interest to most divers, like the corals, sponges and sea squirts. Though these are not talked in-depth, the authors have used ample images to let the readers compare to what they see in their dives - a criteria for a good guide book. The Ferraris also have dedicated a small section on the dangers that the ecosystem now faces and suggested a list of `Don'ts' for everyone to help to preserve the fragile reef.
"A Diver's Guide to Reef Life" is a book that makes nature lovers learn more about the denizens of the seas and the relationships with each other. With interesting marine science balances eye-savvy images, be the book placed on the shelf for educational purposes or bringing it on dive locations for reference, I highly recommend the book for everyone and all resorts.
If you need ONE book, this is the one!.......2007-06-27
This book is the most used book in the library at Raja Ampat's Sorido Bay. It seemed that whatever we were looking for, was in this book. Now I have to resolve the spelling quirk for Thysanozoon. Who is correct? The Ferrari's or the others? Also, a big plus for this book...it stays open wherever you put it, while you are researching all your finds. The construction is ingenious.
Top Guide.......2007-06-18
ANDREA AND ANTONELLA FERRARI have spent years amassing the photographs and information contained in A Diver's Guide to Reef Life, and it shows.
With 1200 tropical species, ranging from coral polyps, gorgonians, sea squirts, sponges, nudibranchs and all of the main fish groups, this is a truly comprehensive work, and probably the only reef guide most divers will need to take with them on a trip.
Covering the Red Sea, Indo-Pacific and many Caribbean species, the book comes in a handy, almost square format with just three species per page, allowing good-sized images of high quality.
The authors describe each species carefully, and where possible give information on behaviour to assist with identification. For example, the reader learns that the orangeband surgeonfish (Acanthurus olivaceus) "can switch its main body colour from dark olive to tan to dark blue in seconds" and that there are 40 different species of triggerfish. One section shows juvenile specimens of some of the commonest fish, demonstrating how unlike their adult forms they can be.
Photographically, Reef Life is excellent, with every shot a genuinely representative view of the animal or fish described. The book also contains a good general introduction to coral-reef ecology, and titbits of information are spread throughout the text: "94 million tonnes of fish are now taken globally each year, compared to 19 million tonnes in 1950."
The Ferraris also produced the Macrolife Guide to Underwater Malaysia, in my opinion the best of its kind. Now they have created an indispensable companion volume that will serve every diver well.
Tim Ecott, author Neutral Buoyancy: Adventures in a Liquid World
One of the better guides to marine life.......2007-06-06
As a marine biologist as well as an author and photographer of marine life books, I am very selective in my choice of those that end up on my shelf. I am particularly critical of books with a global scope as these invariably include only a small fraction of what lives in any particular area. These books usually include only what the photographer happens to have good photographs of rather than what is important. This book is an exception as the authors have included many excellent photographs taken by others. In doing so the authors have managed to pull together 1200 of the most important and interesting species, all with concise information on distribution, habitat and behavior. No book of this kind is immune from misidentification, but this one has fewer than most. It's a keeper. For those in the w. Pacific who want to dig deeper, please also check the following: Micronesian Reef Fishes: A Field Guide for Divers and Aquarists
Wonderful photo guide to reef life.......2007-06-04
I have A DIVER'S GUIDE TO UNDERWATER MALAYSIA MACROLIFE and was pleased to see this additional book by the Andrea & Antonella Ferrari. I find this book just beautiful and well researched. This book is superior to some other field guides seem slapped together without much substance. I see this as a great addition to my library. You may also be interested in the following book: Coral Reef Guide Red Sea (Coral Reef)
Average customer rating:
- Something Different
- There is something out there: Sea Hunter by Paul Garrison
- Sea Hunter
- Didn't follow through
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Sea Hunter: A Novel of Suspense
Paul Garrison
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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The Ripple Effect: A Novel of Suspense
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Red Sky at Morning
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Fire and Ice
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Buried at Sea
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Sea Change
ASIN: 0060081678
Release Date: 2003-01-21 |
Book Description
With his electrifying, lightning-paced thrillers Fire and Ice, Red Sky at Morning, and Buried at Sea, Paul Garrison firmly established himself as the premier author of contemporary high seas adventures. And now he plunges us into perilous waters once again with a spellbinding tale of danger, unnatural phenomena, and technology gone mad.
A charter captain in the British Virgin Islands, David Hope is a man severely shaken by personal loss and looking for nothing more than one last client to round out the season. At first it seems Sally Moffitt is his salvation. Beautiful and reckless, a filmmaker specializing in the mysteries of the deep, she meets David in a Tortola bar. And before long they are riding the placid Caribbean waters aboard David's catamaran, Oona, carrying a cache of "liberated" film equipment.
They aren't alone. There is something swimming beneath the surface, sleek and frightening -- an inexplicable perversion of the natural order never before caught on film . . . until now. No sooner is Sally's precious footage shot and secured than they are hailed by a huge, elaborately fitted research vessel -- a towering high-tech windjammer under the command of one William Tree.
Though charmed by the amiable, obese, and wildly eccentric Tree -- a scion of one of America's wealthiest and most powerful families -- David and Sally are not ready to trust him with their discovery, for the big man knows more than he is letting on. And he would brush them aside as easily as he would an annoying insect in his singleminded pursuit of a dark and brilliant vision that is slowly coming to light -- one that the whole world will recognize ... and fear.
But David and Sally have something Tree desperately needs, and they intend to keep it hidden -- until catastrophe strikes. A nightmare uncontained and all too real is rising up from the depths, setting the two adventurers off on a breakneck hunt for answers to the greatest and most devastating mystery the seas have ever nurtured -- a mystery that is now, ruthlessly and relentlessly, hunting them....
Crackling with tension and alive with the salt-spray-tinged authenticity that is Garrison's trademark, Sea Hunter is a magnificent voyage of uncharted waters, as deep and mysterious as the ocean itself.
Customer Reviews:
Something Different.......2007-01-30
Warning, possible spoiler alert:
I don't know how to describe this book other than Jaws meets Frankenstein. Basically, a group of scientists have crossed a Dolphin with an Orca (killer whale) but they have also added all kinds of technological gizmos to the animal in order to use it for anti-submarine warfare. But, surprise, surprise, they lose control of the creature and with it loose, it is free to attack any submarine regardless of nationality. Its attack consists of basically frying any and everything electrical possible on the submarine which would of course be bad news to the crew. Additionally, there's a political conspiracy involved with the funding of the project (isn't there always).
All-in-all, I thought it was a pretty good book. Not being an avid sailor nor understanding all the nautical terms, I was able to follow the book pretty well. It's definitely not the type of novel I usually read (fantasy), but it was a nice change.
There is something out there: Sea Hunter by Paul Garrison.......2004-03-24
Those familiar with Paul Garrison's earlier novels such as "Fire and Ice" and "Red Sky at Morning" are aware that technology (often state of the art or beyond) plays a major role in his novels. It certainly is true in this novel and that aspect will not be addressed in this review as to do so would reveal most if not all of this very enjoyable novel.
Donald Hope is the captain of the charter boat Oona, operating out of the British Virgin Islands. His twin-hulled catamaran needs expensive work and he needs to get one last charter done before having at least some of the work done. To do so, he needs to get to port fast to pick up his last set of clients. He is running behind because he had to disperse the ashes of his lover and friend Barbara who finally succumbed to a yearlong coma. Then his race to port is further interrupted by a near disastrous collision with the USS Vermont, a nuclear attack submarine that suffers total computer failure. After being checked out by the very upset navy crewmen who initially believe he may have been involved with their problems, he proceeds to port arriving hours after he was scheduled. Upon arrival, he discovers that his trip was for nothing as his charter has cancelled due to their being hospitalized for food poisoning.
While trying to figure out how to salvage what is left of his business as well as his boat, he meets Sally Moffitt in a bar. She comes with a laundry list of her own problems as well as plenty of attitude and he does not really want anything to do with her. But, she would be a paying client if he accepts her charter job so that she can work on a nature film documentary. With great reluctance, he finally agrees and after she steals her gear back from her soon to be ex-husband, they flee on board Oona.
Within hours of leaving the port, they spot a strange sea creature dancing off their port bow. Part Dolphin, part something else, the creature whatever it is, behaves nothing like they have ever seen before and seems to be attracted to the twin hulled catamaran. As the creature allows them glimpses of it and its strange behavior, Sally becomes convinced that this is the subject for her film and something that no one has ever seen before. Sally is sure that if she can capture enough footage it will allow her to make her mark in the world of expensive nature documentaries and bring her the fame and fortune she needs to make the films she wants to do as well as putting it in her soon to be ex-husband's face.
As they follow the creature northward, they are intercepted by the Star of Alabama, a five masted sailing ship in the mode of old but thoroughly modern from stem to stern. Under the command of William Tree, this floating research vessel cost millions and as a member of one of America's most powerful and wealth families, power and control is everything. While beguiling Sally with various offers to fund her work if a suitable subject is found, he is not so able to blind David Hope.
David knows something sinister is up with Tree and begins to wonder if Tree and the strange sea creature are somehow linked. As the creature continues to lead them north, both ships follow and slowly David and Sally begin to figure out the puzzle. As man and nature try to stop them, David and Sally try not only to survive but also document the strange creature.
This is a very enjoyable fast paced novel featuring intriguing characters and an interesting premise. While most of the action involves chasing the creature and sailing the boats involved, it is not overly filled with technical sailing jargon. This novel is a faster read than some of his earlier works, but filled with the usual hallmarks of action, technology and strong writing. Paul Garrison continues to deliver a good read and this book continues that tradition.
Sea Hunter.......2004-02-01
I love finding a new author I can add to my library list. The cover was what hooked me in the first place. I personally enjoyed every page of this novel and didn't want to put it down. I've shared it with friends and family and the overall review is excellent. The story line was unique and captivating with a little of everything from a budding romance to adventure on the high sea. The highest compliment I can pay to this author is to now go buy his other books, which is what I plan to do right now.
Didn't follow through.......2003-07-31
The premise behind Sea Hunter was great. A sea captain with a chip on his shoulder, a pushy documentary film maker, a killer dolphin hybrid that is threatening submarines from around the world: what went wrong? The biggest problem this book had was that nothing ever happened. As an avid reader of adventure fiction, I kept wanting more adventure. More romance. More danger. More anything. I could go on for days with the could haves, should haves or might haves. This one just didn't deliver.
Amazon.com
With so much interest in the raising of the Titanic, young readers will certainly be fascinated with David Macaulay's ambitious Ship. Like the recent movie Titanic, Macaulay uses the present day as a portal to the past--first recounting a diving expedition that leads to the discovery of Magdalena, a fictitious 15th-century wooden ship embedded in a treacherous reef near the Bahamas. Overcoming obstacles from pirate treasure hunters to government bureaucracy, the excavation team manages to piece together the intriguing but ultimately tragic story behind the 400-year-old caravel. Finally, the team hits pay dirt when the ship owner's 1504 diary is miraculously discovered in an archive library in Spain's Seville. At this point the narrative switches into the past, allowing the reader to witness the building of the ship through the voice of the ship's owner--and experience the heart-wrenching escalation of the owner's hopes and dreams. This is what Macaulay does best--highlighting and interweaving the human story that fuels the creation of an object, while masterfully visualizing the event with detailed, historically accurate illustrations. Macaulay fans will appreciate the diverse artistic styles displayed throughout the book, from murky underwater images to highly detailed architectural drawings, sepia-toned journal entries to impressionistic watercolors. Simultaneously, the author eloquently portrays the many voices of this human drama, especially that of the ill-fated ship owner. (Ages 10 and older) --Gail Hudson
Book Description
In Ship we join a group of underwater archaeologists as they search for a long-lost caravel in the reefs of the Caribbean Sea. A combination of drawings, maps, and diagrams details the ship's recovery, and as clues to the past are pieced together, a story emerges - of the triumphant birth of the ship Magdalena from Spain, and its tragic voyage to a far-away continent.
Customer Reviews:
History, for the kids........2005-04-17
My sister's boyfriend picked this book up at a garage sale and happened to leave it lying around. I was drawn to the cover art and once I started flipping through the pages, I couldn't put it down. It's not exactly a literary page-turner, though the story is kind of interesting - consisting mostly of a diary that was discovered in the early 1990's that contained a man's account of his experiences building a ship in Seville, Spain in 1504. But the illustrations, especially in the second half of the book, are of an incredibly high caliber. I was highly impressed with Mr. Macaulay's abilities and look forward to collecting the rest of his books if they, too, include such interesting painted pages.
Average customer rating:
- Well worth your time
- A Must Read for Divers
- Absorbing and enthralling
- I found a soul mate. . . .
- The best book on diving
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Water and Light: A Diver's Journey to a Coral Reef (Southwestern Writers Collection Series)
Stephen Harrigan
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Diver Down
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The Rapture of the Deep: And Other Dive Stories You Probably Shouldn't Know
ASIN: 0292731205 |
Book Description
"Moving, intelligent and, in the best sense, literary.... Stephen Harrigan is anchored in reality; he knows that the environment he's describing is in serious jeopardy. At the same time, he has made this book sparkle with his remarkable ability to discuss the metaphysical and spiritual aspects of underwater exploration without ever sounding saccharine or murky."
—
New York Times Book Review
"[Harrigan] tells us about the people who live on Grand Turk, or come there on business, and he is given to reflecting on the subtleties of the underwater experience, but his real virtue as a writer is his ability to convey, in precise, lucid, prose, the marvels of the sea bottom."
—
New Yorker
"Harrigan ...captures the peacefulness of being rocked by salty currents, the massive beauty of the reefs, the exhilaration of the sport, and the mental scramble to retain fast-fading memories of sights almost unimaginable on land. Fellow divers will relish his camaraderie, while those who prefer staying topside will feel as though they've taken the plunge themselves."
—
Booklist
This evocative account of the months Stephen Harrigan spent diving on the coral reefs off Grand Turk Island in the Caribbean was originally published by Houghton Mifflin in 1992.
Customer Reviews:
Well worth your time.......2004-05-27
Great book, but I just couldn't give it 5 stars like many others did. I reserve 5 stars for truly monumental works. In this rating system, if you rate The Lord of the Rings, Les Misrables, Great Expectations, and The Grapes of Wrath 5 stars, can you honestly count this work with them?
A Must Read for Divers.......2002-01-18
This is the best book about scuba diving I've ever read and should be read by anyone and everyone that is interested in scuba diving. It does a fabulous job of describing the great things about scuba diving without telling you what you already know. That said, it is also a great story and would probably be enjoyed by non-scuba divers. This is a great gift idea for a diving inclined loved one.
One warning... one of the reviewers recommended reading this to get your diving fix when you aren't going to be able to get underwater for a while; NOT TRUE. I found the exact opposite, this book only heightened my desire to go diving to near pathological levels!
If you've read this, I'd also recommend reading Neutral Buoyancy by Tim Ecott which is another good book about diving. It has more history and straight information than this book.
Absorbing and enthralling.......2001-07-26
Stephen Harrigan has captured the most enjoyable account of his Diving adventures. I felt myself re-living the events and relating them to my own modest enoyable times spent in the Caribbean recently. Superbly written and hard to put down. Makes airplane flights disappear. Happily discovered we are in the same City too.
I found a soul mate. . . ........2001-04-23
I was in tears by the end of the first chapter-- I thought I was one of a FEW who feels more at home underwater than on the surface. I don't get to dive very often (family, etc.) but whenever I need to "dive", I pull out this book & I'm in Heaven. Harrigan's descriptions of not only what he sees but what feelings these visions invoke move me beyond words, as I think they would anyone who feels the ocean in their blood.
The best book on diving.......2001-04-02
When people want to know what it's like to dive, I give them this book. Harrigan has captured the essence of scuba diving. He has nearly expressed the inexpressible.
Customer Reviews:
The Maritime Heritage of the Cayman Islands.......2000-07-10
Pirates, naval warfare, ship wrecks and sunken treasure...this book has it all !
While archeology (even the marine variety) can be a dry subject, Roger C. Smith does an excellent and workmanlike job of extensively documenting the maritime history of the Cayman Islands.
As the son, grandson and nephew of a long line of Cayman Island mariners (my ancestors were among the first permanent settlers) I found the documentation of many of the stories told by my elders to be fascinating.
Today the Islands are best known as a tourist destination and a major player in the world of off-shore banking.
This was not always the case. In the distant through relatively recent past the Cayman Islands were a significant supplier of manpower to the regional and even the world maritime industry.
Mr. Smith documents the maritime evolution of the Cayman Islands with extensive research in the Islands and Europe.
Coupling the research with detailed field work and an ability to write in an informative and entertaning fashion results in a GREAT READ.
I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in maritime history, pirates, treasure or the Cayman Islands.
Average customer rating:
- Very Pleased
- The blend of natural history and area political insights combine in a fine first-person survey
- Report of an Expedition to the Caribbean
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Murmurs from the Deep: Scientific Adventure in the Caribbean
Gilles Fonteneau , and
Francois Bellec
Manufacturer: Arcade Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1559707763 |
Book Description
A scientific expedition into unknown parts of the Caribbean to study the tectonic plates of the region answers the intriguing question: Is there a language of fish? Gilles Fonteneau, a longtime colleague of the legendary Jacques Cousteaus Calypso team, fulfilled a lifelong dream when in 2001 he launched his own exploration, aboard the 45-foot catamaran Prince de Vende, into the silent world of the sea. Little did he know when he set out that his efforts to better understand the dynamics of the tectonic plates of the region would have such worldwide significance, as shown by the tsunami disaster of southeast Asia in December 2004. His second goal, sponsored by NASA and the Bacardi Family Foundation, to make acoustic recordings of the regions fish, produced startling results, which will go a long way toward understanding and protecting threatened species. As fascinating as it is scientifically revealing, Murmurs FROM THE DEEP sheds new light on the ever-mysterious underwater world.
Customer Reviews:
Very Pleased.......2007-01-15
The book arrived in record time in the condition promised. What more can you ask?
The blend of natural history and area political insights combine in a fine first-person survey.......2006-10-15
You may not readily recognize the author's name; but he launched his own expedition ala Cousteau in 2001 to measure the movement of the tectonic plates of the Caribbean - and indeed joined Cousteau's team and sailed with him for several years. So while his background is similar and influenced by Cousteau, he moved on to become a business executive for thirty years before returning to his first love, marine exploration. His goal was more than measuring plate movements: he wanted to make audio recordings of the fish of the Caribbean, and wished to study the erosion of local coral reefs. The blend of natural history and area political insights combine in a fine first-person survey of adventure in MURMURS FROM THE DEEP: SCIENTIFIC ADVENTURE IN THE CARIBBEAN.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Report of an Expedition to the Caribbean.......2006-05-02
Now this is the way to retire. Enough money to have a good sized catamaran and to afford the time to go on a privately funded research trip that lasted several months.
To be sure there was a scientific justification for the trip, two actually. He was installing equipment to measure the movement of the tectonic plates, and he was recording the noises that fish make. But while this work was being done, there was plenty of time available to sit and observe the sunset, to look at the beauty of the islands, to visit the locals.
So to wrap up a summary of the book:
o It has a discussion on the tectonic plates, where they are, how they move, and how they cause tsunamis.
o It breaks some new ground in the area of fish noises, and proves that they do communicate to a certain extent.
o And it is a beautifully written travelogue of a slow moving life around a part of the caribbean.
I find myself wondering just how much the fish recordings did. There has been an awful lot of listening done in the oceans by the people looking for submarines. Big, sensitive networks of listening devices cross the ocean. I can't help but believe they heard the fish. But does this really matter. It's a delightful, entertaining book.
Average customer rating:
- Title of Book Vague
- A great introduction to communicating underwater
- Basically, it's a kid's book. Use a dive slate!
|
Scuba Talk: A Guide to Underwater Communication : Florida, Bahamas and Caribbean Edition
Keith A. Ellenbogen
Manufacturer: Blue Reef Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
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ASIN: 0964540746 |
Book Description
Two communicate underwater a diver needs one of two things, expensive underwater communication equipment or a creative imagination.
Scuba Talk has solved the problem with a system of hand signals to relay the sighting of marine life with speed, ease and accuracy. This book provides a diagram of each hand signal, which is accompanied by a spectacular color photograph, useful facts, plus diving advice for commonly seen aquatic animals in the Florida, Bahamas and Caribbean region.
Customer Reviews:
Title of Book Vague .......2005-05-26
It's a very cute, compact, spiral bound book with striking photographs. However, I was disappointed with my purchase.
I had anticipated that the book would focus on hand signals to be used as an underwater language for divers.
However, the book focuses primarily on hand signals for the identification of fish.
There are 70+ pages in the book and only two pages are designated for (extremely basic) hand signals for scuba divers.
If you want to communicate the id of a fish to your dive buddy, this is the book for you.
A great introduction to communicating underwater.......2000-11-04
A great book for someone who is new to the diving experience. Great visuals.
Basically, it's a kid's book. Use a dive slate!.......1999-07-24
serious divers will likely think this complex system is pretty silly. A slate works really well. But for kids, or for a few basic communiques, the book has some good signals. It would take a good knowledge of the marine creatures before the signals would make sense. It does go far beyond the simple hand signals from your PADI classes. It would be a neat gift to give a Junior Open Water graduate.
Average customer rating:
- A rehash of Caribbean Diving Guide.
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Underwater Caribbean (Secrets of the Sea)
Kurt Amsler
Manufacturer: White Star
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 8854400130
Release Date: 2004-10-15 |
Book Description
Thousands of multicoloured fish flock around the diver, surprised, almost overwhelmed by the amazing kaleidoscope of colors swimming around the walls of the reef. But the Caribbean can also be the scene of emotional encounters with larger and fearsome pelagic fish. Kurt Amsler's splendid photography and narrative take the reader on an unforgettable voyage through the secrets of the Caribbean underwater universe, including a meeting with the dolphins of Bahama Bank, another with the rays of Stingray City, a dive into the mysterious Blue Hole of Belize, and a visit to the naval "cemetery" of Saint-Pierre in Martinique.
Customer Reviews:
A rehash of Caribbean Diving Guide........2007-05-15
The title of this book may have been re-worked but the product is still the same. What a pity these publishers do not take notice of constructive criticism. The book simply fails to reach the standards demanded by today's discerning Scuba Diver on just about all fronts except photography. Furthermore, this is not a book about the "Caribbean" at all - just a selective number of destinations the author happens to have visited - in some cases not even recently. Once again, therefore, the title of this book fails to match the product itself.
The content is a poor attempt to cover 28 dive sites from 9 countries. Not only is the choice of country questionable for a "Diving Guide," but not only the very best diving from each chosen location is included.
This book appears to have been thrown together from whatever material was available from a number of contributors and the result is a very disjointed effort. It would have been far better to send those contributors out into the Caribbean with a firm plan of action in order to ensure all destinations were covered and the information was up to date. Instead, the cheaper option was preferred and it shows.
The book commences with a very disappointing selection from the Bahamas - which avoids all mention of the world-famous Blue Holes (as though they do not even exist), followed by a brief trip to the Florida Keys. Since when were either the of these destinations "in" the Caribbean?
A trip to Cuba, which includes 3 low-grade sites (maximum depths of 20m, 15m and 10m respectively) is followed by Cotzumel (sic) where, yet again, the best sites are avoided. Four sites from the Caymans - predictably including "Stingray City" (yawn.), are followed by three in Belize - where the Author attempts to rename the "Great Blue Hole" the "Giant Blue Hole." After yet another disappointing visit to Honduras, the reader is treated to a 1,600 mile journey to Guadeloupe and Martinique for 2 dives each before rounding off the diving in continued disappointing fashion with the last 2 underwater sojourns being a further 500 miles away in Curacao.
This book is supposed to be about Diving in the Caribbean but destinations such as; Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, BVI, Cayman Brac, Grenada, the Grenadines, USVI (to name but 8.) are not mentioned at all.
As already suggested, the photography is generally very good although a number of images are under-exposed and not up to the standard expected in this day and age. Quite frankly, if these publishers start using inferior photographs there will be no point in considering their products at all.
Altogether a book which is of little value to any serious diver.
NM
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