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Deep Sea Odyssey, by Yves Paccalet & Sophie de Wilde
Deep Sea Odyssey, by Yves Paccalet & Sophie de Wilde
Deep Sea Odyssey contains remarkable images from most of the planet's conceivable diving destinations - from Patagonian shrimps to Bahamian dolphins, from nudibranchs in Seychelles to decorator crabs in Tonga.
Unusually, the scientific descriptions and identities are also meticulous, homage to the remarkable diving career of Sophie de Wilde.
De Wilde spent almost 25 years as an underwater photographer, but died in a scuba accident in 1999. This book, pulling together much of her most stunning work, is written by veteran French writer Yves Paccalet, who worked extensively with Jacques Cousteau.
There is a certain poesy to the writing style which English readers might find a little trying. Even so, the book is very well translated and in any case it is one to dip into, reading the passages relevant to these alluring images.
Rather than concentrate on the well-known Indian Ocean, Indo-Pacific and Caribbean or Red Sea hotspots, De Wilde has also produced outstanding shots from Ireland, the Falkland Islands and Madagascar.
The favourites are here too, portraits of lionfish with their graceful filamentous spines, or a moray showing its teeth against a dark backdrop. Perhaps most appealing are the unexpected shots: dogfish egg-cases clinging to a gorgonian, or the vaguely erotic close-up of a giant clam's mantle in the Maldives.
Some of the large-format colour photos are less sharp than they might be, though I suspect this is a repro problem. But these are rare slips, and the layout and typography are attractive. It's a great shame that we have been deprived of further poetic vision from Sophie de Wilde.
Tim Ecott
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| Deep Sea Odyssey, by Yves Paccalet & Sophie de Wilde (Hachette ISBN 1844300544). Hardback, 175pp, £25 |
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