I had unknowingly admired Doubilet's work in many National Geographic articles over the years. The recent Great White cover photo was fantastic although a little untimely as it had to be hidden from my girlfriend who I was going diving with for 2 weeks a month later.

I was proud of a few photos I took on that holiday but when I saw this book I almost threw my camera away. Doubilet takes underwater photography to another level altogether. This book displays Doubilet's talent and dedication to the full with a diverse portfolio taken over many years from all over the world. The light in his trademark above & below water photo's is so perfectly balanced my friends assumed it was manipulated.

Buy this book for anyone who appreciates natural beauty. My Mother and girlfriend were first on my list and just as impressed.

This book rivals, and in many instances surpasses, the great underwater photography works of Chris Newbert (Within A Rainbowed Sea, In A Sea Of Dreams). I never thought I'd live to see a work of underwater art more stunning than Newbert's, but Doubilet has certainly raised the bar. The black and white work is haunting (especially the manta shots) and his use of light is mindbending. If you love the ocean and its sea-peoples, buy this book -- you won't regret it!

This book is really IMPRESSIVE.
It is an oversized,full color photo book about the ocean realm.
David Doubilet revolutionized UW photography in 1989 with "Light in the Sea",which was a remarkable book. This is like a sequel book,released ten years later,which is even more remarkable.
Because it is so huge,it is usually too broad for most book cases. Therefore,I have it laying in my bookcase,instead of standing.
The book is introduced with a story of Doubilet`s life and how he came in contact with the underwater world.
Every picture is worth a thousand words,but I have got some favorites among them.
One is a picture of a tuna skeleton,which is very unusual - a tuna that has met a natural death,not captured by man. The stingray pictures (one of them the cover pic),are also very remarkable,and truly portrays the grace and beauty of these magnificent but dangerous animals.
The black and white photos of Sea lions and Mantas are also spectacular,and in b/w,they become even more artistic.
The enormous schools of Jellyfish are also rather impressive. There are many good pictures of sharks in this book,especially white-tipped reef sharks and an incredible picture which truly portrays how fearsome a 20-foot great white really is,when throwing it`s jaws against the cage.
There are also some ultraviolet photos of corals,which are quite spectacular too. And so are the scorpionfish pictures,especially of the Rhinopias,which is the most well-camouflaged fish in the world.
And there are so many more,which would take an entire book to mention. As my review cannot be that long,you`ll have to buy the book for yourself and find out what the other images are.
The book perfectly captures the beauty,mystery,danger,and wonder of our oceans,with a varied library of images. It is quite inspiring,and my stories "The Magic Shell",which are about marine animals,will partly be based on the look of these habitats and animals. It really makes your fantasies lift off. Just open the book and look at the intro picture of a sardine school beneath the waves. It will blow you away!

This was a truly excellent read - if you are interested in how they make those impressive aquarium displays, how they catch the livestock, overcome the challenges of adapting them to aquarium life and lots of stories along the way, this is the book for you from the man widely acknowledged as being "it" when it comes to designing pioneering public aquaria.

Highly recommended for anyone out there fascinated by fish and the marvellous public aquariums around the world. Enjoy it!

David C. Powell provides the reader with an excellent insight into the life experiences of a dedicated biologist. His detailed descriptions and insights of all the efforts that went into sharing his exciting discoveries is a joy to read. For anyone who visits aquariums this is a must read book. It provides rare, behind the scenes, information about the enormous effort and dedication involved in providing public aquarium exhibits. Dave's style has the flavor of Ricketts and Stienbeck all in one.

If among the things you have to confess you know nothing about are designing, stocking, and running a public aquarium, you can change that and have a darned good time filling in these particular voids. David C. Powell, who knows more about running aquariums than just about anyone, has written a memoir, _A Fascination for Fish: Adventures of an Underwater Pioneer_ (University of California Press) that tells about his unusual career and has more than its share of pleasing anecdotes.

Powell took the first fish he caught as a kid and slept with it under his pillow. He maintained the lobster tank at a fancy Malibu restaurant. When he read Cousteau's first book, _The Silent World_, he knew he had to start diving. As he kept specimens in his home aquarium, he joined the Marine Aquarium Society of Los Angeles. A fellow member told him of a job opening as an aquarist at Marineland of the Pacific; it was just what he wanted to do, and from there he worked at various aquariums, directing the live exhibits at the Monterey Bay Aquarium until retiring four years ago. He now seems to be the most frequently consulted consultant whenever towns or nations want to set up aquariums.

Powell writes with admiration and affection about the creatures he has to capture and then keep in as home-like an environment as possible, including the wonderfully named sarcastic fringehead, the "thumbsplitter" mantis shrimp with its faster-than-the-eye claw, and many more. He tells about the process of capturing samples in many different ways, but diving and capturing fish is the easy part. Transporting them is hard. There are different gadgets and containers that have to be used, including the truck transport named the "Tunabago." It is planning the displays of the fish that obviously has given Powell the most satisfaction in his career. His description, for instance, of the responsibilities of putting up the largest window in the world, a gigantic acrylic pane fifty-five by fifteen feet, thirteen inches thick, and weighing thirty-eight tons, is completely engrossing.

Powell's book, a mixture of autobiography, oceanography, ichthyology, museology, and funny stories, is a delight. In seemingly effortless style, he conveys the excitement even in the minor aspects of his career. He gives a final essay on the importance of aquariums (disdained by Cousteau as "fish prisons") in bringing people closer to nature and in promoting the conservation that could keep the oceans healthy. His book is a worthy summary of a lifetime's effort in that cause.

It's absolutely great! You will learn everything about biology, behaviour and social interaction of the Great Whites. This is a MUST have!

I think this book is great but a bit too expensive for my liking Danielle Mullins

In recent years, public opinion on the Great White Shark has turned away from the fierce bloodlust inspired by fiction and returned to the more civilized sense of awe and wonder at the amazing size and ferocity of these giant predators common to the days before Hollywood brought us 'Jaws' in its technicolor (mostly red) splendor. With specials common to PBS and the Discovery Channel, public awareness of the GW is higher now than ever before, making the shark more and more popular to study. The results of this scrutiny are brought to light in 'Great White Sharks : The Biology of Carcharodon carcharias', a collection of scientific papers edited by A. Peter Klimley and David G. Ainley. In this fascinating work, the picture of the GW as bloodthirsty killer is erased and replaced with the image of the predator's role as king of the sea. There are papers dedicated to nearly every scientific aspect of the animal from its ancestry to its behavior to its populations in oceans around the world. Nearly every serious question about the GW is explored, if not answered. The only thing that makes this book a little inaccessible is the fact that is geared for academic use and research. It is not a book written for the masses, such as Ellis and McCosker's 'The Great White Shark', another excellent book on the subject. But if it is depth you are looking for, Klimley and Ainley & Co. provide it. This book is not to missed by serious students of the GW.

The narration and sound effects are fabulous. Keeps little ones interested. Great facts are included however, they will never realize that they are learning.

The illustrations in this book where fabulous. The details where obviously pain-stakingly done. You can tell David Kiehm puts his heart and soul into his work. I can't wait to see more of his work!

I can't believe that someone else has not reviewed this excellent guide to the intertidal biota of the Pacific Coast. This book has set the standard for reference guides to marine life along the Pacific Coast, as well as other locations. It is much more than a field guide -- though it also serves that role. This book describes the intertidal zonation patterns of the Pacific Coast as well as the ecology and aspects of the natural history of the organisms that live there. The book contains good taxonomic references as well. This is the book that many of the country's marine scientists cut their professional teeth on. If you are interested in marine biology, the diversity of life, or the ecology of nearshore habitats, this book is definitely for you. The main strength of the book is the logical organization by type of habitat and vertical elevation on the intertidal zone. The main challenge of a book like this is to remain up to date, which the publisher has managed by producing revised editions on regular basis. This book is a must for any field or arm chair marine naturalist!

Ed Ricketts was to marine ecology what Alan Watts was to Zen, Timothy Leary was to LSD, and Jack Kerouac was to beat, and he was a little of all three. This is the monumental work that put Ricketts permanently on the map as a marine ecologist, and one of the first. This book is a must-have reference for anyone who visits the seashore. I am particularly interested in the fact that persons who have ordered this book have also ordered books by Thomas Pynchon. Anyone else out there besides me get the connection? Please let me know!

Charlie Two Shoes is a fascinating story of one man's friendship with a group of US Marines and his incredible perseverence in getting re-united with them. Peterson and Perlmutt tell the story through Charlie's eyes and those of his Marine pals. They give us an intriguing look at life behind the Bamboo Curtain. More amazing than Charlie's budding friendship -- he was around the Marines for about four years as a teenager -- is his enduring perseverance in keeping his dream of a reunion alive. The dream survived decades, including years in a Chinese prison and more under house arrest in his small village. After all that, his eventual reunion in the U.S. had drama of its own. One Marine buddy turned out to be more interested in his own fortunes than Charlie's,and Charlie's efforts to stay got mired as much in domestic politics as international. A good read by gifted writers.

Charlie Two Shoes and the Marines of Love Company is not only an inspiring story about friendships and loyalty, but also an excellent retelling of some little known American history. Set in Northern China starting at the end of World War II and continuing to recent times, the reader will learn about the atrocities visited upon the Chinese peasantry by the Japanese, the communist take over of China and America's futile efforts to stop it, the severe poverty and starvation the Chinese people endured, and the political repression and corruption that continued for years. Into the shadows of these desolate and hopeless conditions, the warmth and charity that the American Marines and missionaries brought with them to China and to a young boy, nick-named Charlie, shine brightly. The reader is invited on a journey through Charlie's life of joys and travails, but is pulled aside by the authors from time to time for some excellent and concise description of the historical context. Thus this true tale of friendship and suffering also enables the reader to also learn the larger story of the historical events which ultimately were its cause.

I bought this book for my six year old son.He and his brother have always loved Jerry Pallotta's alphabet books, so I thought we'd give this book a try! Boy, are we glad that I did! The illustrations are beautiful, and as always Mr. Pallotta gives children information in a way that they can understand - but without talking down to them. My son really loved the twist at the end of the story. He was relieved that Danny wasn't out there in the ocean all by himself!

This beauty of a book has so many quality elements! The pictures are gorgeous, first of all, and easily catch and hold readers' attentions. Perhaps some parents will raise their eyebrows at the seemingly disobedient little boy's adventures, but children will be entranced. The ending, in which it is revealed that Danny's adventures are really a bath-time story he is telling himself, far from being a cop-out, is reassuring to parents and kids alike. In between, there is much (accurate!) information, gently shared, that will prompt kids to tell their own bath-time stories.

This book was extremely helpful to me while I learned all about the fishes at the Aquarium of the Pacific. It is very concise and yet includes every order and family that I ever encountered during my studies. I recommend it wholeheartedly!

This 1995 copyright date assures the reader s/he is getting the latest in deep-sea discoveries. Scientists can gather more information with the latest, quieter cameras. It has photos from the most beautiful to the most grotesque fishes. The text is organized, readable & enjoyable

This is the best general kayaking book on the market today (2001). Covers the range of the activity. Enjoy.

I don't know if I'd agree with the subtitle; Seidman's guide is by no means complete (for that, see Dowd's "Sea Kayaking") but it certainly does cover the essentials of the sport, and as others have noted, it is certainly sufficient to introduce a newcomer to all the essential techniques needed to get started. While no book is a replcement for a good teacher, Seidman gives you enough to get out and teach yourself basic strokes, braces and perhaps even rolls- though that's something best seen demonstrated first.

The photos are one of the strongest parts of the book, and a good argument for buying it- next to the "Perforamance Sea Kayaking" video Seidman's book has the best illustrations of basic moves to be found anywhere. If you were only going to buy one kayaking book, this would not be a bad choice- but after working your way through it you'd be well advised to move on to more detailed and specialized books as well.

I got into sea kayaking after reading this book and it is all the author said and more. I've lent this book to a number of friends who are now also "hooked". This is an easy to read book, one that evokes the possibilities of kayaking along with information necessary to develop the confidence to make them happen. I highly recommend it to anyone considering this great sport.

A good book for nearly anyone. There is plenty of excitement and it is full of sea knowledge. My only complaint is that there are dreary sections filled with the author's life philosophy that I found quite boring, and ended up skipping over.

Books should have a central theme, and the philosophy blurred whatever the theme was supposed to be. A good editor would have removed most of it.

I absolutely loved this book, and am looking forward to reading it again. Carlos' narrations combined with his twist on words paints a picture even the most land locked reader can imagine. As a marine enthusiast and student, it is wonderful to read works from hunters who also appreciate the undersea world and respect its power and importance.

The Blue Edge is Carlos Eyles latest book. It is a pseudo-diary of the authors sixty-five day journey aboard the Nirvana with his friends Jack and Pam. He journeys through the Sea of Cortez to the San Benedicto islands. The journey is on one level a journey from the once bountiful Sea of Cortez to near pristine San Benedicto islands. On another level it is a journey through man's impact on the ocean in the infinitesimal slice of geographic time that man has populated the planet. On an introspective level it is a journey through one man's search for balance and his link to the ocean, and to himself.

The word "mystical" has been used to describe the writing of the book. "Mystical" implies something apart from the human experience. The Blue Edge is experiential. It is about experiences that we all face. It is apropos that the boat is named Nirvana, which is the Buddhist term for "enlightenment." Some of the things that the Buddha realized on the road to enlightenment were, that the world is suffering, all things are impermanent, and that there is no Self. The Blue Edge takes us through part of that journey. It shows us the pain, and the joy, as one man struggles with finding his place in the world. As he tries to balance his love for the ocean, his love for his family, and his love for himself.

Carlos leads the reader through the fragile, and thus transitory, illusion of the permanence of job, family, possessions, and our natural resources. He describes how man's greed, and ego, has affected the balance of the once pristine waters of the Sea of Cortez, and how it also is taking its toll on the San Benedicto islands.

For the spearfishmen this is the journey that some of us go through in our diving careers. Our pictures of full stringers of fish on our desks and walls. Our attempts to give permanence to a moment in time. Our attempts to catch the "most" fish. As our diving careers progress we find we take fewer and fewer shots looking for the "right" fish. The contrast Carlos paints with Jack, who is struggling to find his place in his relationship with Pam and with the ocean, and the spearfishermen aboard the Ambar III that are dumping the carcasses of the filleted fish into the water, to Brian Yoshikawa not taking any shots waiting for the 200 pound tuna.

The Blue Edge may be difficult reading for people who have no ties to the ocean, since the sixty-five day journey is aboard a boat. It, however, is must reading for anyone who spends any time with the ocean. The book encapsulates our life journey in those sixty-five days. It gives us glimpses of Nirvana (enlightenment) through Carlos's eyes. It is this poignant glimpse which is what wraps us up page after page, because we feel from the very beginning of the book that Nirvana is not to be attained for Carlos at this time. The struggles through the grinding teeth of sharks, and lawnmowers, is something the ocean takes us through. The longing to play in the ocean, the longing for wealth, the longing for pleasure, the longing for the kill. The experiences Carlos goes through in The Blue Edge shows us that "Nirvana", on one level, or more simply the struggle to find balance with the ocean, on a lower level, is unattainable as long as we long to possess it.