4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Quite disgraceful!, January 14, 2001
This review is from: The Great Barrier Reef Dive Guide (Abbeville Diving Guides) (Paperback)
I have given this book the lowest possible rating for two main reasons; Firstly it lacks overall credibility and, secondly, the State laws of Queensland have been flouted.
Any book with a title that suggests it is a Diving Guide to the Great Barrier Reef is making a very big claim and I took delivery with great excitement. Sadly, I was very quickly disappointed. The Great Barrier Reef of Australia is over 1,200 miles long and this book covers just 27 dive sites with varying degrees of thoroughness. Starting with 7 sites off Cairns, the author then takes the reader on a quick dash to Heron Island - some 600 miles south, for another 3 sites before returning to those previously visited northern climes to resume and conclude. In short, the title of this book is misleading.
More importantly, however, I did find certain specific content most upsetting.
Pages 11 and 47 contain photographs showing Divers physically touching and manhandling, the Giant Grouper (Epinephelus tukula) commonly known as the Potato Cod. Strangely, the captions for these photographs are at odds with the content - in that they correctly inform the reader that human contact with these fish is detrimental and may leave them open to parasitic invasion by removing the creature's own protective mucus. Clearly a question of do as I say - but NOT as I do when "I" take photographs.
Similarly, page 140 describes how the "State Laws of Queensland" specifically prohibit divers from entering the shipwreck "Yongala." 137 people lost their lives when this vessel foundered in 1911 and, having made those "Laws" quite clear, the author then advises Divers to take a torch and on pages 140 and 141 promptly shows his own images from the ship's interior - a clear demonstration of how Australian laws have been blatantly flouted in the production of this book.
Altogether, quite disgraceful!
NM
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A valuable book on GBR dive sites, October 22, 2000
This review is from: The Great Barrier Reef Dive Guide (Abbeville Diving Guides) (Paperback)
The book contains lots of photos and description of different dive sites around the great barrier reef. However I believe it would be impossible to expect to the book to include all dive sites. Net-net this is a book I enjoy reading it again and again.
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11 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
On target for divers planning a trip to this area., May 2, 1999
This review is from: The Great Barrier Reef Dive Guide (Abbeville Diving Guides) (Paperback)
This book is excellent at providing sample dives along the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Included are reef structure, marine life likely to be encountered, and photography tips specific to the site.
At the back of the book are several pages of color drawings of the most prevelant fish for this area.
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