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The Shark Watcher's Handbook by Mark Carwardine & Ken Watterson
The Shark Watcher's Handbook by Mark Carwardine & Ken Watterson
Some divers hope never to meet a shark. Others spend every dive hoping for the opposite. I'm of the second persuasion. I want to see sharks and I want to see them within an arm's length, because if they are any further away I won't get good photographs. They are fascinating creatures and a close encounter always gets the adrenaline pumping.
Too many books dwell on sharks' ability to eat people. It's like reading about buses ploughing into bus queues - it can happen but, thankfully, rarely does.
The BBC Shark Watcher's Handbook is a sensibly written book by well-informed authors. Although laced with some classic examples of good shark photography, this is not for the armchair enthusiast. It is in fact a diver's guide to sharks and where to see them.
The volume comes in three sections. The first 80-odd pages are full of general information about shark-diving, attacks, photography, general biology and conservation. This makes an interesting read but it is the other two sections that guarantees this volume a place on my bookshelf.
First, three pages on shark identification is followed by a 48-page catalogue of common species. The illustrations are clear and included is a check-list, descriptions of lifestyle and distribution, and locations where divers commonly enjoy encounters.
Finally, 146 pages are devoted to a very useful shark-watcher's directory which, assisted by world maps, lists virtually all the places where sightings are almost guaranteed. I dip-tested this information and none of the places I know to be good were omitted.
You will recognise sections that have been influenced heavily by parts of other volumes, but the authors have had the good sense to borrow from the best. Well done Mark Carwardine and Ken Watterson. This book is a useful initial source of information, and post-dive it can clarify exactly what you have seen. It's a perfect companion for every travelling diver who refuses to believe that sharks eat people.
John Bantin
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| The Shark Watcher's Handbook by Mark Carwardine & Ken Watterson (BBC Worldwide, ISBN 0563537949). Softback, 288pp, £16.99 |
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