Customer Reviews

California Marine Life

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The title may be a bit misleading in that this book isn't simply an identification catalog like some other field guides. The book is organized into chapters describing different marine habitats, and does a good job of providing the big picture. The author describes many species, covering their appearance, behavior, role in their environment, and classification. Most species that are discussed are accompanied by photographs, but not all. While this book can serve as a reference, I enjoyed reading it cover to cover.

As an active scuba diver on the California coast, I wanted to learn more about the species of fish and nudibranchs I encounter while diving. This book filled the bill. First off, it's lavishly printed. Nearly every page sports several glossy, full-color photographs. While this wouldn't be such a big deal for your average nonfiction work, it's incredibly helpful to have large, color photographs when you're trying to get a feel for a what a species of fish or invertebrate looks like. Second, the book is well-organized. It's separated into sections covering the various California marine environments (Rocky Reefs, Sandy Flats, etc.). I think this organizational scheme works well -- better than organizing by taxonomy, for example -- because on any given dive you're usually exploring only one discrete environment (given the constraints of breathing gas and bottom time). That said, this book isn't perfect. For one thing, it was published in the late 1990s, and the reality of diving in California has changed a lot since then, owing to everything from climate change to new fishing restrictions.