Book Review: Coastal Seas

Coastal Seas by Frances Dipper and Paul Naylor

Anyone who is remotely interested in our coastline is going to enjoy this book. And its release is perfect. It is a great idea for a Christmas present for divers and ocean lovers in the UK!

The book covers a huge range of topics. All laid out in easy to navigate fashion. So you can browse particular topics, or read through, and dip and and out. Whilst it covers different ecosystems, marine life groups, environmental conditions, and conservation. I particularly loved that it highlighted people and organisations that have been key to our understanding of our incredible coastline. And it highlights particular locations or dives that provide readers ideas on where to explore next.

It also encourages the reader to take part in activities, whether beachcombing or diving, giving suggestions of how the reader can learn more and be involved in citizen science projects. Bringing communities together with their passion for the ocean.

It is illustrated with wonderful underwater images. But the thing that comes across best, and makes this a very special book, is that it has been written by authors clearly passionate about the British coastline. It has personal stories and insights. It draws you in, makes you want to learn more, and then go out an experience it for yourself.

If you are looking for a beautifully written book to inspire you to learn more about the marine life on our doorstep, then this book is a must.

What the publisher says

A lavish exploration of habitats, communities and species hidden just beyond the shorelines of the British Isles.

The shoreline around these islands provides tantalising, twice-daily glimpses of the wonders in our seas, but reveals very little of the lives of the dazzlingly colourful fish, exotic-looking corals and thousands more creatures that are just out of sight. Marine biologists and lifelong divers Frances Dipper and Paul Naylor draw on their personal stories to build a vivid picture of the ocean on our doorstep – what lives there, why it’s important and what’s happening to it.

Coastal Seas provides a window into the immensely varied and picturesque habitats beneath the waves, from kelp forests and reefs to seagrass meadows and the open water, as well as the fascinating behaviour and intricate relationships of the fish, cephalopods, invertebrates and other residents within them. The book explores the unique opportunities and challenges that come with living underwater (How do you stay afloat without being swept away? How do you find food and a mate if rooted to the spot?) and reflects on the state of our seas, and what we must do to conserve them.

Including around 300 colour photographs, this latest addition to the British Wildlife Collection is a vibrant celebration of the richness and importance of our marine life.

About the Authors

Frances Dipper is an independent marine biologist, author and lecturer and has been diving and studying marine wildlife for over 40 years. She writes both children and adult books on marine life and ocean environments, contributes a regular marine report to British Wildlife magazine and wrote the award-winning DK Guide to the Oceans. Her most ambitious (and largest) recent book is The Marine World: A Natural History of Marine Life. Although no longer scuba-diving, she still finds plenty to fascinate her along Britain’s wonderful shoreline.

Paul Naylor – Britain’s undersea world and its amazing inhabitants have fascinated Paul since his first adventures snorkelling on the Norfolk coast as a teenager. This led him to a career in marine biology and environmental protection, with a lifelong love for diving, underwater photography and espousing the joy of meeting and studying marine animals. He is also the author of Great British Marine Animals.

Book Details

Publisher: Bloomsbury