Customer Reviews

Blue Meridian : The Search for the Great White Shark

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Glad to see this little gem of a book has gotten a well deserved and long overdue reprinting. This is Matthiessen's true first-person account as a crewmember during filming of the feature length documentary "Blue Water, White Death." Several years before "Jaws" made the name of the Great White Shark a household word, millionaire Peter Gimbal set out to find and film the "white death" taking with him the best underwater photographers and naturalists in the world at that time. The search took them from the whaling grounds off South Africa to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia before they caught a glimpse of the ocean's most feared creature. If you like ocean adventures, or any good story about men and women on a quest for the unknown, then Blue Meridian deliveres. If you're aready a fan of Matthiessen then the only question is: Why haven't you read Blue Meridian yet?

It's wonderful to be able to read the narrative of shark dives from the safety and comfort of home.

This is a great narrative of the expedition to search for the Great White shark...hopefully the numerous "specials" on TV and the recent article in National Geographic will help "save" this treasure of the ocean.

You can't help but get involved with this book, just as exciting and fascinating as any novel.

If you enjoyed this one, try _Snow Leopard_ or _Indian Country_.

In a time when the thought of swimming with sharks was to have a death wish, five diver/photograghers and one expedition historian set to the high seas in search of the ellusive Great White shark. This book follows the expedition from the cold waters of South Africa, throughout the Indian Ocean, and ultimately to Dangerous Reef, South Australia in search of thier quarry. Matthiessen Beautifully portays the ocean environment as one of danger and excitement. Having candid encounters with Oceanic Whitetips, hand feeding a barracuda, playing with sea lions, and finally discovering the Great White Death. This book is an excellent companion to the film "Blue Water, White Death".

Blue Meridian is one of the great stories of underwater adventure and exploration. It's an account of the first substantial expedition to find and film the great white shark, and was conducted long before this type of film became routine (ala any Discovery Channel shark special). As such, not only is the reader presented with a wonderful and fast-paced story, but they are also exposed to a great deal of the (now) history of SCUBA diving and marine science. Because this was one of the first attempts to deal with sharks at close quarters, many of the techniques for filming sharks were tried for the first time during this expedition, and many of these techniques haven't been tried since (such as open-ocean swimming with feeding oceanic white-tips). There are also some charming anachornisms, such as Peter Matthiessen describing Peter Gimble giving him the "ok" symbol; a symbol now known to every diver, but then apparently new. There's a lot to find in this book. Don't be put off by its short length.

Before Peter Benchley scared everyone out of the water with his 1974 novel "Jaws," Peter Matthiessen was writing eloquently about the Great White shark, the apex predator of the oceans. The film "Blue Water, White Death" was based on this book. His writing, along with the journals kept by diver Valerie Taylor, make this a must-have book for anyone interested in marine biology.

I have very much enjoyed reading this book again and again, especially in conjunction with the film that the book describes being filmed, "Blue Water White Death", which so far as I am aware has not appeared in video form or I would surely have it in my collection by now. The film is acknowledged to be one of the better shark films in existence, and the book somewhat pales in comparison, but a worthwhile read nonetheless. I have read the hardback edition and now own the paperback. I must say I miss the color plates which are in the hardback edition. I sincerely hope someone will transfer the film to video at some point. Update 9/14/09: The movie (Blue Water, White Death) is now available on DVD!

Reading Blue Meridian on the beach in Nantucket, not far from the site of the filming of Jaws, I was encouraged that most of the book has to do with searching for, but not finding, the great white shark.

In it Peter Matthiessen tells the story of the making of the film Blue Water, White Death. Quite unlike the author's masterful nature writing, this is a chronicle about a film crew traipsing around the world looking for sharks. Most of the drama deals with interpersonal interactions and the fear of failure experienced by the expedition leader, Peter Gimbel. Son of the renowned merchandising magnate, he is seeking to establish himself as a film maker. If they don't find sharks and put down commercially viable footage he won't make it out from under his father's long shadow.

Here's a paragraph that conveys the kind of observation that Matthiessen sinks to in this particular work:

By now everyone cares about the film, quite apart from his own investment in it, if only because everyone cares about Peter Gimbel, who has his life's work on the line. A great part of the suspense of waiting for "Big Whitey", as the near mythical ruler of these silent seas has become known, is that his failure to appear could be fatal to the film. Therefore the ship is quiet. Against these stark horizons, even the throb of hard rock music has a tinny ring.

How this came to be packaged as a Penguin Nature Classic is anybody's guess.

Anyway, on page 188 of 204 Whitey finally puts in an appearance.

I wish he were as elusive around here. They just closed the beach at Chatham on Cape Cod as a result of repeated sightings great whites, apparently preying on grey seals in the area.

I guess I'll pass on the swim. And you may want to pass on this book. Read The Snow Leopard or The Cloud Forest instead.

Four-and-a-half stars. A fascinating--and yes, suspenseful--glimpse of the great white shark as seen from the dubious protection of an underwater aluminum cage. Peter Matthiessen accompanied sportsman Peter Gimbel and a crew of deep sea diving experts on a ten-month quest to find and capture on film the notorious "white death". The hunt was not easy, and one of Matthiessen's virtues as a writer is his refusal to "cut to the chase" by touching only on the high points. The frustration of Gimbel and the rest of the crew as, month after month, their hunt proves fruitless, is conveyed beautifully by the author, with understanding, irony, and traces of humor. The reader comes to know members of the crew as human beings rather than backdrops to the "main event"--i.e., the sharks. Along the way, we are treated to interesting information about sharks and their feeding habits, terrifying anecdotes of attacks on humans and testimony as to the enormous power of these creatures, and some beautiful descriptions of scenery and underwater life. When the great whites finally make their grand entrance near the end of the book, the reader is appreciative of the time and energy and talent of those who made the expedition a success.

It's a breezy yet literate read, and for that, Matthiessen should be commended. One can see clearly how Peter Benchley adapted portions of this work (and the documentary that is its subject) for his novel "Jaws."

The info on GWS is simply wrong and hyperbolic. The killing of whales and other fish to attract sharks was disturbing. Granted this was written decades ago and much more scientific information is available today. As a fan of Matthiessen's I was surprised and disappointed to see him participate in this 'adventure' and troubled that he didn't speak to shark biologists to get more accurate behavioral info on GWS. This book demonizes them just as Jaws did. I can't recommend it.

This book started off very good, but as I read on the reading became ardious. I found it hard work to finish this book. I don't know why I had such a hard time enjoying the book while all the other reviewser thought it was the best thing since sliced bread, but I would read another shark book, such as Shark Trouble or Close to Shore rather than waste my time on this book.