Shark

Scuba divers will be interested in Mr. Stafford-Deitsch's opening essay in which he discusses why he made all the dives in this book ALONE, in violation of the first rule of diving. His discussion of his decision to do this is certainly provocative. The photographs are splendid and equally so is the range of shark species he finds and photographs. Although I was intially interested in the chapter on Great Whites, which is excellent, I was left breathless at reading and seeing his adventures off Sanganeb Atoll in the Red Sea. He happened upon a rarely observed schooling formation of Hammerheads and was the first to photograph them. I no longer have my copy as a student of mine a few years ago was so taken by it when I loaned it to her, I had to "spread the wealth." A wonderful book.

There are photographs in this book to make even the most seasoned underwater photographer go "Wow!" On top of that, this particular author not only knows his subject but also has the most readable style of writing which enables him to make any point - no matter how technical that point may be!, easy for the layman to understand. This is the first of two books from this author I have to review. Having read this one and studied it's content, I then glanced through the other one to see if the standard was the same. There I was going "Wow" again. "Shark a Photographer's Story" is a hard back book in which the author describes every aspect of the Shark. Whether you are a diver, marine biologist or someone who is simply interested in the subject, "this" is the book to take home. This is the book where we can all learn something about these largely misunderstood creatures and, if finances are tight, this is probably the only book you really need on the entire subject. Add to that the author's outstanding ability with an underwater camera coupled with his equally amazing encounters around the world and, well, you have a pretty incredible book from a man who knows his stuff.. NM

With more pictures than you can wave a frozen tuna at and enough detail about the adventures behind their creation to make Cousteau jealous, this tome on the wolves of the sea will satisfy the shark fan in your life. The chapter on the Great White Shark was my particular favorite with pictures lifelike enough to make me reconsider my upcoming dive trip to South Africa. In fact, the best compliment I can give this book is that the nightmares I have about sharks are illustrated with pictures from this book!