Book review by Margie Chadwick

REEF – EXPLORING THE UNDERWATER WORLD

Written and photographed by Scubazoo

Plunge into the world’s most beautiful underwater landscapes without so much as getting your toes wet! Here is a book that will transport you to the rainforests of the deep. Every page surprises and delights, with vivid colours and fascinating creatures in their wondrous habitats. From delicate sea horses to majestic whale sharks. Dorling and Kindersley have published a book which sits proudly on any coffee table.

Scubazoo is a team of professional photographers, marine biologists and conservationists, based in Sabah, Malaysia, a setting of significant marine biodiversity, whose work is dedicated to preserving these areas of great natural beauty. The book also has a section on reef conservation and maps indicating coral reefs and mangrove swamps and their importance in the environment.

Their work has been featured on the BBC, Discovery Channel and National Geographic and the book includes a DVD which adds another dimension to this visual treat. Sales of the book support the work of the Marine Conservation Society, who have included a foreword.

Alongside the spectacular photographs are captions identifying the sea creatures and giving an insight into the thoughts of the photographer.

Reading about the playfulness of the Australian sea lions, while looking into those big brown eyes staring out at me from the page, reminded me of the acrobatic cavorting of the pups that I had been lucky enough to swim with.

Eye-popping bright pink, yellow and orange corals and I’m back on the Barrier Reef thinking of those zinging blue starfish. The graceful ray scenes reminded me of a trio who I thankfully didn’t land on as I jumped off the side of the boat!

Scuba divers will love Reef. Each close-up surprises you, as if the fish were actually swimming up to your mask with every page turned. There’s also that wonderful feeling of being in deep, clear water and gazing up at the sun through a school of fish, only you don’t have to worry what type of shark that is swimming with them because you’re really in your own living room.

Alongside the beautiful lurk the predatory and poisonous. Colourful coral snakes… very much like the one that swam in front of me while snorkelling off Phi Phi Island in Thailand… Reef’s blue ringed octopus…a dead ringer for the one I spotted in a Sydney rock pool! Mangrove swamps and jungles of Kalimantan… watch out for the crocodiles that glide alongside your boat while monkeys crash through the canopy overhead.

It’s a book to remind you of places and creatures you might have seen but also to inspire you to reach out into the unknown. Challenging you to seek out new adventures in the underwater world. (Still have to swim beside those giant whale sharks)! Reminding you what is below the depths and that it’s worth preserving.

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