FISH SHOW THEIR BEST SIDES
Dr Frances Dipper is a well-known scientist, with a well-known passion for fish. In 1987 she published her first book on British sea fish and, as a keen underwater photographer, took the bold step of illustrating it with photographs.
     This proved much easier for keen fish-watchers to use than the more formal, often questionably illustrated, field guides.
     So many divers, as well as snorkellers, sport-fishermen and seashore enthusiasts, found that this was the book for them that their demands led to a couple of reprints. Now, however, improvements in equipment and standards of underwater photography have justified a new edition.
     By collecting great new photographs from the ranks of Britain's most accomplished underwater photographers, the author has illustrated more than 100 species, each accompanied, as usual, by Robert Irvine's excellent line illustrations.
     Each species has been featured within the environment in which it would usually be found, and described by size, distribution, habitat, biology and behaviour - in fact, everything but their telephone numbers! A useful section has been included covering a few rarely seen fish likely to be encountered in British waters - "British" meaning anywhere between Shetland and the Scilly Isles.
     I can recommend this book as a valuable aid to getting to know our common coastal fishes by name, and understanding their world a lot better.
Rico Oldfield

Science made easy
Books about ocean science seem to be fashionable at the moment, and by their nature there is a certain amount of overlap between them. What I liked about Mapping the Deep was Robert Kunzig's relaxed writing style and explanations.
     I can't resist precising Kunzig's explanation of deep-sea specimen collecting. He likens it to a spaceship of aliens arriving in orbit. They can't survive the Earth's atmosphere or gravity, or even see that well. So they lower a net on a long cable to the surface.
     The net touches down one evening, and bounces through a playground, scattering children without snaring one; collects a dog that is studying a bone on the street; and sweeps into a backyard, picking up an azalea, a clothesline bearing lacy underwear, and a patch of lettuce with associated rabbit. Finally it nearly comes to grief in a parking lot, where the weight of a 1979 Chevy and the teenagers in its back seat cause the cable to groan. The aliens reel in their catch: one carnivore; one herbivore with food; assorted mysterious shell fragments; and a large metal crusted animal whose source food remains obscure, but which seems to be serviced by remarkably sophisticated intestinal endosymbionts.
     Mapping the Deep is entertaining to read, even when you already know what Kunzig is explaining. It's the sort of easily readable paperback I would pick up on impulse from the airport shop; inexpensive, portable, and suitable for reading on a long flight, or between dives on a liveaboard.
John Liddiard

SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY
PT509: The Last Patrol chronicles the story of the US motor torpedo boats which harassed enemy fleets around the German-occupied Channel Islands in WWII, and of one particular boat which engaged in a heroic action.
     The diving twist to the tale comes with the nostalgic visit to the Channel Islands of an MTB squadron veteran.
     Shelton Bosley, now 77, was not aboard PT509, but knew the men who were. Bosley dives the remains of the attack craft which, 56 years earlier, had failed to score torpedo hits on a German convoy in poor visibility and elected to close in and use its guns.
     After a vicious gunfight the 24m, wood-built PT509 ended up colliding with one of the ships, catching fire and sinking with the loss of 16 crew.
     Bosley was tracked down by Jersey diver, wreck-researcher and producer of the video John Ovenden. The veteran was flown over for his "awesome" dive in some 18m of water, close to Jersey's south-west cliffs.
     "It's more than I expected," a clearly moved Bosley says to camera. He is also shown ruefully inspecting machinery and shot-up metalwork raised and now on display at Jersey Maritime Museum, which is run by the local diver who first located the wreck.
     Much of the video is concerned with the history of the affair, and the human side of the loss. It is professionally constructed and includes extensive MTB and German-occupation archive footage, and interviews with US and German veterans. The underwater footage of Bosley's dive is brief, if only because there is not a lot left of PT509 except for three enormous engines, a deck gun and a host of smaller metal items.
     Judged purely on its limited diving content, the video might prove disappointing. If you are interested in the history of the MTBs, it comes together as a rewarding whole.
Paul Fenner

FROM SEA TO SHALLOW SEA
The Bahamas are among my favourite diving destinations, not least because, within a week's time-frame, they are so easy to get to and from. Not to be confused with the islands of the Caribbean, they lie well out into the Atlantic, north of Cuba and east of Florida.
     Their name comes from baja mar, Spanish for "shallow sea", and many islands are surrounded by the vibrant turquoise effect that you get with such waters. However, other islands lie in very deep water, so Bahamas diving offers a tremendous degree of variety. And being so close to the deep waters of the Atlantic, the shallow seas get more than their fair share of visiting pelagics.
     This is not one but several diving destinations. There is something for everyone, but it's important that you choose the part that suits you.
     This is where the new Lonely Planet guide comes in useful. It covers sharks, dolphins, wrecks, reefs and walls; and the Bahamas offers all these types of dive, though not necessarily in the same place. There are also blue holes and bluewater dive sites for those with the skills and inclination to tackle them.
     The book might look a bit American in its presentation but the USA must represent the primary source of business for Bahamas dive-centre operators, who are among the most switched-on to the advantages of publicity in the world. I'm sure they have all given maximum assistance to the author, Michael Lawrence, in his collation of the material. It all seems to be accurate and little seems to have been omitted.
     The book follows the usual Lonely Planet diving and snorkelling guide format, listing sites by their suitability for various levels of diver, and the author has plenty of his own photographs to whet the appetite. These give a very fair impression of what you might expect to see.
     Few of the dives are classified as being "advanced". If you are not interested in diving close to sharks or disappearing into a cenote-style cave system, you might find the diving rather tame. It is generally easy and often not very deep, but what's wrong with that? Get a copy of this book before choosing your island, and avoid disappointment when you get there.
John Bantin

WHIMSY OR WHIMSY
What a pity. The first few pages of this elegy to marine biologists working and diving in an Irish backwater some 40 years ago are so beautifully written, you settle into the cushions for what promises to be a pleasurable experience. Sadly, it doesn't last.
     Trevor Norton received many plaudits a couple of years ago for his first diving history book, Stars Beneath The Seas. A marine biology professor at the University of Liverpool, he was dubbed, rather recklessly, "Bill Bryson underwater".
     Now, in Reflections On A Summer Sea, he looks back nostalgically to his formative years as a budding biologist, assigned to study a particular water-plant on summer field trips to a private research facility beside Lough Ine.
     The trouble is, unless Trevor Norton has a photographic memory or made verbatim notes of everything his colleagues said at the time, what he has done is to reconstruct their "reminiscences and tall tales", chock-full of Irish whimsy, and then place them awkwardly back into their mouths.
     The book is full of quaint stories told in direct speech, but nobody speaks like that, or ever did, even back in the mid-20th century. Whatever interesting material there is soon gets lost in monologues too indigestible even for the most patient reader.
     My only thought was that if I ever got stuck in a research facility having to listen to the endless reminiscences of those "two eccentric ecologists, the vivacious Jack and the placid John", I'd be out of there on the next available pony and trap.
Steve Weinman

SOLID STUFF, BUT STICK TO VOICEOVERS

Remarkable new film of U-boats sunk in the Channel in WWII takes pride of place in Innes McCartney's latest video.
     Wreck-divers will envy the clear viz that made such filming possible, but will also realise that to provide the underwater footage of these German wrecks, McCartney has dived on more subs than anyone else in Britain.
     There were 157 submarines lost in the Channel, 39 of those between 1944-45. McCartney has dived, or plans to dive, all of them and promises at least three more U-boat videos.
     This one covers U-772, 741, 678, 1195, 413 and 480. After watching his reports on these six, the viewer is left in little doubt that McCartney is now "the man" in Britain. His diving reports will also mean that corrections must be made to some official histories of the sinkings, and his work should have changed the view of naval historians on the value of amateur divers!
     If there is any criticism of this video, it must be that McCartney gives too many full-face-to-camera recitals of facts. The time would be better filled with the same information spoken over further footage of the wrecks under water.
     These war graves were treated with respect at all times and it is clearly stated: "No human remains were seen or disturbed during the making of this film."
Kendall McDonald

NIGHT TIME IS THE RIGHT TIME
I must admit to receiving Diving Into Darkness with a slightly negative preconception. The previous book in this American series from Best Publishing had been awful (Reviews, May).
     Diving Into Darkness has a different author and, I am pleased to report, is a much better volume. What immediately caught my attention was the cover photo (there I go, judging a book by its cover). It would have been nice if it had been reproduced slightly larger, and the snorkel worn prominently on the left side of the diver's mask is distracting, but it's a good shot. I would like to have read some explanation of how it was achieved.
     For the beginner contemplating a first night dive, Diving Into Darkness has a fair bit to offer. The sort of things many experienced divers take for granted as "common sense" about night dives need to be explained somewhere.
     For the more experienced diver there are still some sections of interest, but it is not written in a way that provides amusement, and I soon found myself browsing rather than reading. I had to force myself to dig deeper and conclude that it is actually quite a reasonable little book.
John Liddiard

BREATHING LIFE INTO A SEAHORSE
Attempting to show a pygmy seahorse to a diver uninitiated in the visionary skills of the macro photographer is futile. It is too small and too well camouflaged. Show any non-diver a photograph, lit in a full spectrum of colour and greatly enlarged from the size of less than a quarter of your pinkie fingernail, and they will marvel at this colourful wonder of nature.
     Constantinos Petrinos' book Realm of the Pygmy Seahorse provides a bridge between the actuality of the weird and wonderful animals that dwell in the only recently discovered, diminutive world of muck-diving, and those of us who are prepared to marvel at the diverse life on our planet, but who have neither the access nor the quality of eyesight to enjoy it first-hand.
     The Lembeh Strait in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, provides the source material for this compendium of pictures of animals that are, in appearance, beyond the most fanciful imagination.
     Frogfish, devilfish, scorpion leaf-fish, hairy frogfish, ghost pipefish, cockatoo waspfish - they are all there. Then there are the nudibranchs in all their multiplicity of variety and colours, shrimps, crabs and clingfish.
     Even a couple of larger and more mundane (!) subjects such as a Spanish dancer manage to squeeze into this luxuriously produced tome and, of course, the star of the underwater show, the mimic octopus, gets good coverage.
     It's a coffee-table volume that almost represents a catalogue of muck-diving species, vividly brought to life by the macro photographer's art.
     John Bantin

IDENTIFICATION PARADE
This book breaks new ground in terms of identification guides to UK marine life, with its photographic coverage of a huge range of species - more than 500 in all.
     This range includes seaweeds, all the familiar animal groupings such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs, starfish and sea anemones; and also less-familiar groups such as the bryozoans and non-segmented worms.
     Previous books that have described such a large range of species have been based on paintings or line drawings, while those based on photography have been more selective, or have restricted themselves to the more common creatures.
     The book's layout is well thought through: the section on each species includes a colour photograph (with an accompanying small line drawing in most cases), a list of key identification features, a map showing its distribution across northern Europe and descriptive text on its appearance, habitat and ecology, plus a useful mention of similar species with which it could be confused.
     There are typically three species to each double-page spread. The book includes so much information that the photographs have to be quite small, but for the most part they are admirably clear, and the line drawings also aid identification.
     Other nice touches are the introductory text on subjects such as tidal zones and habitat types, and a pictorial guide to the book's contents inside the front cover.
     This is a valuable guide for divers and those who love to explore the shore, at a very reasonable price. The fact that there are further species not covered even by this excellent book is a testament to the often under-estimated richness of our seas.
     Paul Naylor
    

EATING FOR WRECKS
Did you know that Tony Blair supports wreck-diving, and is a devotee of All-in-One Chocolate Sponge? William Hague has helped historic wreck exploration too, and is keen on Traditional Damp Yorkshire Gingerbread.
     This vital information comes from Dishes To Dive For, a book of recipes donated by celebrities in support of amateur divers working on an historic wreck 26m down in the cold, viz-poor waters of the Firth of Forth.
     Beneath the mud lies a wooden vessel that might contain all the treasures used in the crowning of Charles I as King of Scotland.
     Archaeologists believe the ship is the Blessing Of Burntisland, a ferry lost in a sudden squall in July 1633, when taking the king's coronation silver from Burntisland to Leith en route to Edinburgh. Many of his personal belongings went down with her.
     This excellent book, produced by the Burntisland Heritage Trust, is a triumph for the fund-raisers, with a good mix of famous names, their recipes and a seasoning of history for local flavour.
     You'll find Gordon Brown sharing his recipes for Real Tomato Soup and Apple & Rhubarb Crumble. Could there be tax-free benefits for wreck-divers in the next Budget? But it's not all politicians - Cilla, Wogan, Vorderman, Smillie, Titchmarsh and a rolling boil of chefs including Gary Rhodes and Ainsley Harriot are among a big TV contingent.
     Actresses, actors, snooker-players, mountain-climbers, and Burntisland folk have all put their favourite foods into the pot, making 190 recipes in all. Support respectful wreck diving. Buy your copy now.
Kendall McDonald

HEAVYWEIGHT ENTRY
With the recent news that the frequently updated US Navy Manuals which are the bible for many serious divers are no longer to be published, the latest NOAA Diving Manual from the States takes on new significance. This hefty volume is aimed principally at diving scientists, but it is so comprehensive and well written and illustrated that it could be usefully employed by any diver who wants to expand his or her knowledge.
     The NOAA is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the US agency responsible for managing marine resources.
     More than 100 specialist divers have contributed to this fourth edition over a period of three years, so the book represents a major rewrite.
     Apart from chapters on diving physics, physiology, techniques and so on, there are authoritative sections on more unusual subjects such as rebreathers, polluted-water diving, diving under special conditions and habitat diving.
     Surprisingly, the historical introductory section has not been updated to correct the long-held misconception that Augustus Siebe invented the diving helmet in 1819. Perhaps the Deane brothers will receive their rightful recognition in the fifth edition!
     The book includes plentiful colour and monochrome photographs and well-designed colour diagrams, and for such a big volume is very user-friendly.
John Bevan