Customer Reviews

The Blue Edge

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Now for something different. This is a breath-hold diver recollection book and one where scuba doesn't always looks so good. It's as different from the stack of northeastern wreck diving books I've recently read as is possible, and so is the author, Carlos Eyles. Eyles was born in Hawaii where he began his love affair with the sea, then relocated to Southern California where he never was quite happy. Born in 1941, Eyles' life meandered here and there, with far more extreme undulations than most. He was a family man on a career path, a dedicated spearfisherman, a near-drifter living on a small craft in a marina, went back to a successful career and the conventional American dream, dabbled in Timothy Leary-like explorations, gave it all up again to live in and on the sea, sailed and explored for years in hermit-like fashion, lived on a beach in the Fiji islands, returned, got married again and sort of settled into a career as a writer and underwater photographer. Whew.

The Blue Edge chronicles his life in an interesting fashion. Presented as a day-by-day diary of a two-month journey in the mid 1990s through the Sea of Cortez, the wild waters between Mexico and the Baha California, and the island of San Benedicto Eyles uses the trip as a framework for reflections on everything he experienced, everything he saw and felt and believes in. Much revolves around his lifelong fascination with breath-hold diving and spearfishing. We witness his development as a man, never quite finding himself, or finding undue obstacles in his way, like dwindling funds, friends and partners who do not understand, and, perhaps most cruelly, a near-fatal fish poisoning that leaves him permanently limited and unable to ever eat seafood again. An ironic fate indeed for a man who hunts and lives off the sea. Eyles also presents a disconcerting account of how commercial fishing and other activities by men have ravaged and nearly eliminated the once teeming variety of nature found under the sea. The wilderness he had witnessed in his early days vanishes before his very eyes, and he is angered and deeply concerned.

Scuba diving readers will find in Eyles a man completely dedicated to breath-hold diving, one convinced that this is the only way to become one with nature and truely experience it all. Scuba is just another excess of technology, one that slows us, separates us from nature, and squelches our natural instincts and senses. In that sense, The Blue Edge reminds of Cousteau's constant praise of the freedom and weighlessness the "aqualung" provides over the clumsy, ponderous gear that weighs down helmet divers. Only this time it's scuba equipment that is robbing the diver of freedom. Depth gauges and such, bah, humbug.

The shark is a constant theme in The Blue Edge. Eyles fears them as a child, and only gradually overcomes the fear, never being comfortable with sharks. That is, of course, in part due to the spearfisherman's very difference experience with sharks. When you battle a bleeding fish, sharks will come; you're practically bait. So Eyles tells us a lot of sharks, what they do, how they move. And unlike most scuba books that describe sharks as a non-issue as long as you behave properly, Eyles relates many dangerous and potentially fatal encounters, even without bleeding fish. Yet, he seeks them out, even becomes "one of the pack" in beautifully described sequences of encounters with hammerheads.

The Blue Edge is interesting reading. There's adventure, wonderful description of sealife (mantas, whales, sharks, numerous others), different species and their behavior, the essence of spearfishing, and, always, the philosophy behind it all. It's tempting to view Eyles as a man of the 60s, a hippy who never quite got over it, but that's not it. What he describes is simply the life of a man hopelessly dedicated to the sea, and his struggles to be one with it, regardless of the cost which, at times, is high. There is a good degree of mystical elaborations, but it never takes over. There is much bitterness over the commercialization of once pristine lands and seas, and especially the shortsighted exploitation that threatens to leave the oceans barren, lifeless dumps. But that, too, never completely takes over and certainly never mars the enjoyment of this remarkable book that is both the diary of a diving trip and a diary of a lifetime. -- C. H. Blickenstorfer, scubadiverinfo.com

I have a bias towards this book: I have met Carlos Eyles and taken his free dive class in Hawaii. Relating to a book is different once you have met the author.

For this review, I'll assume there are three categories of readers who may find this type of book worthwhile: ocean adventurers, armchair explorers, and environmentalists.

The ocean adventurers will be inspired by this book to go deeper into their ocean forays, that is, to challenge themselves by pushing their comfort zones. The armchair explorers will enjoy the ride, vicariously experiencing the thrills, chills and amazing insights Carlos shares along his journey. The environmentalists may be moved to take action to help protect the sea when they read about the mindless destruction some humans have caused (and are still causing) and what this portends for the ocean ecosystem.

As for the writing, it mirrors the author's moods based on what he's sharing with the reader during any particular passage: the story drags during the parts where Carlos himself dragged on his journey, and it shines when Carlos himself was inspired and living on the edge, literally and metaphorically. He's not an experienced writer, but his storytelling can be compelling.

To own the book for the last section, which chronicles the author's explorations around San Benedicto Island, is reason enough. In that section his descriptions of sea life encounters (sharks, dolphins, mantas, etc.) are so vivid that the reader cannot help but be gripped, transported, and enlightened in the process.

Carlos is a unique person, a true pilgrim. This book is a gift from a "life artist" who has gone places and done things that few humans have. And if you as a reader fall into one of the three categories mentioned above, it's a gift well worth receiving.

The Blue Edge is Carlos Eyles latest book. It is a pseudo-diary of the authors sixty-five day journey aboard the Nirvana with his friends Jack and Pam. He journeys through the Sea of Cortez to the San Benedicto islands. The journey is on one level a journey from the once bountiful Sea of Cortez to near pristine San Benedicto islands. On another level it is a journey through man's impact on the ocean in the infinitesimal slice of geographic time that man has populated the planet. On an introspective level it is a journey through one man's search for balance and his link to the ocean, and to himself.

The word "mystical" has been used to describe the writing of the book. "Mystical" implies something apart from the human experience. The Blue Edge is experiential. It is about experiences that we all face. It is apropos that the boat is named Nirvana, which is the Buddhist term for "enlightenment." Some of the things that the Buddha realized on the road to enlightenment were, that the world is suffering, all things are impermanent, and that there is no Self. The Blue Edge takes us through part of that journey. It shows us the pain, and the joy, as one man struggles with finding his place in the world. As he tries to balance his love for the ocean, his love for his family, and his love for himself.

Carlos leads the reader through the fragile, and thus transitory, illusion of the permanence of job, family, possessions, and our natural resources. He describes how man's greed, and ego, has affected the balance of the once pristine waters of the Sea of Cortez, and how it also is taking its toll on the San Benedicto islands.

For the spearfishmen this is the journey that some of us go through in our diving careers. Our pictures of full stringers of fish on our desks and walls. Our attempts to give permanence to a moment in time. Our attempts to catch the "most" fish. As our diving careers progress we find we take fewer and fewer shots looking for the "right" fish. The contrast Carlos paints with Jack, who is struggling to find his place in his relationship with Pam and with the ocean, and the spearfishermen aboard the Ambar III that are dumping the carcasses of the filleted fish into the water, to Brian Yoshikawa not taking any shots waiting for the 200 pound tuna.

The Blue Edge may be difficult reading for people who have no ties to the ocean, since the sixty-five day journey is aboard a boat. It, however, is must reading for anyone who spends any time with the ocean. The book encapsulates our life journey in those sixty-five days. It gives us glimpses of Nirvana (enlightenment) through Carlos's eyes. It is this poignant glimpse which is what wraps us up page after page, because we feel from the very beginning of the book that Nirvana is not to be attained for Carlos at this time. The struggles through the grinding teeth of sharks, and lawnmowers, is something the ocean takes us through. The longing to play in the ocean, the longing for wealth, the longing for pleasure, the longing for the kill. The experiences Carlos goes through in The Blue Edge shows us that "Nirvana", on one level, or more simply the struggle to find balance with the ocean, on a lower level, is unattainable as long as we long to possess it.

A fantastic journey which explores the landsape of the underwater world as well as ourselves. Carlos Eyles does a terrific job of documenting the changes he has seen in the ocean and himself while traveling down the Sea of Cortes to Revillagigedos. The power of nature and mans connection to it weaves its way through the pages and I could not put the book down. One does not have to be a diver to enjoy this book because the stories relate to far more than just fish in the sea. Anyone who enjoys nature, adventure, exploration of unknown lands and exploration of self should read this book. Valid questions are raised about emotions and how the environment reacts to them through stories sharks, manta rays, whales and dolphins. This book will keep you on the edge of seat while sharks circle, and make you smile when dolphins jump.

I absolutely loved this book, and am looking forward to reading it again. Carlos' narrations combined with his twist on words paints a picture even the most land locked reader can imagine. As a marine enthusiast and student, it is wonderful to read works from hunters who also appreciate the undersea world and respect its power and importance.

In a book that falls under the radar of anyone that cares about the natural world because of its diving subject matter, Carlos Eyles' "The Blue Edge" is one of the most important books of this generation for numerous reasons. First of which is that Carlos is one hell of a writer. His snappy, clear yet deeply descriptive writing echoes John Steinbeck at his best.

It is, on first glance, a first rate adventure, but like many works of art that survive through the generations, it is multi-layered and multi-faceted. Woven into the main narrative is the parallel story of Carlos life. This is where the heart of the book lies, for in these biographical sections, we learn that Carlos through trail and error, but especially with great introspection, came to realize simple truths that lie dormant within us all buried in the mire of fear, noise and the seductions of the material world.

Like famed marine biologist/philosopher and pal of John Steinbeck, Ed Ricketts, Carlos lacks the excess baggage of high-falutin' university degree in science, and because of this finds much greater profound truths than any marine biologist and for that matter, psychologist or philosopher could.

I confess that I'm a fan of Carlos Eyles. This is the first of his several books that I've read. His writing is simple yet engaging. And his accounts are amazing. He writes of freediving with schooling hammerheads, leapfrogging among the territories of various sharks with each coming to "greet" him, and of the adventures in simply sailing to and from the Sea of Cortez where much of this book is set. Perhaps equally importantly, this book is set in the not so distant, but very different past. I read this book before heading to the Sea of Cortez and was struck by the impact upon the life which we've wrought. Put simply, but sadly, this is not an account which could be written today, or by anyone other than Mr. Eyles.

Carlos Eyles is a master of relaying the underwater world to divers and land-dwellers alike, and reveals his experiences, his thoughts and soul in his writing. On a single breath, he truly becomes part of the underwater seascape and -- to me -- makes the ocean seem a better place by having HIM in it. His stewardship of conservation, his unflynching narrative of his own life and his interactions with denizens of the deep make him and exceptional storyteller, author and teacher. I would give this book TEN stars out of five.

A good book for nearly anyone. There is plenty of excitement and it is full of sea knowledge. My only complaint is that there are dreary sections filled with the author's life philosophy that I found quite boring, and ended up skipping over.

Books should have a central theme, and the philosophy blurred whatever the theme was supposed to be. A good editor would have removed most of it.