UW PHOTOGRAPHY
THE WORLD BENEATH
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF UNKNOWN SEA CREATURES AND CORAL REEFS A NEW RELEASE BY DR RICHARD SMITH | WWW.OCEANREALMIMAGES.COM
ABOVE: A tiny juvenile hogfish comes face to face with a hidden frogfish. Negros Island, Philippines. RIGHT: Male blue flasher wrasse, measuring just 2.5 inches long. West Papua, Indonesia.
Meet the sea’s most fascinating creatures – see the lives and curiosities of charmers and tricksters – many newly identified and some on the verge of extinction. From one of the world’s premier marine biologists, an award-winning underwater photographer, and a leading expert on seahorses, comes a spectacular guide to hundreds of the ocean’s fish and coral reefs. In this richly informative volume, brimming with new discoveries and more than three hundred colourful images, you’ll swim in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans; you’ll be dazzled in the Coral Triangle and amazed in Triton Bay. Up close you’ll meet the Cenderawasih fairy wrasse, with its florescent yellow streak; the polka-dot longnose filefish; and the multicoloured seadragon. There are scarlet-coloured corals, baby-blue sponges, daffodil crinoids, and all sorts of mystifying creatures that change colour at the drop of a hat. The whale shark is almost larger than life and the author’s beloved pygmy seahorse, unless photographed, is almost too tiny to see. The wondrous creatures inside excel in the arts of seduction and deception, and you’ll have the 76
DIVERS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT | MARCH 2020
rare chance to see and delight in their antics. You’ll also learn what they eat, how they play, and how they care for one another, live on one another, and mimic others when they’re afraid. There is also compelling insight into the naming process, which creatures are facing extinction, and how we can help them before it’s too late. Dr Richard Smith is a British underwater photographer and writer who aspires to promote an appreciation for the ocean’s inhabitants and raises awareness of marine conservation issues through his images. A marine biologist by training, Richard’s pioneering research on the biology and conservation of pygmy seahorses, led to the first PhD on these enigmatic fish. Over the past decade, Richard’s photographs and marine life focused features have appeared in a wide variety of publications around the world. Richard organises and leads marine life expeditions where the aim is for participants to get more from their diving and photography by learning about the marine environment. His book ‘The World Beneath: The Life and Times of Unknown Sea Creatures and Coral Reefs’ is now available on Amazon.
