Customer Reviews

A Guide to the Coral Reefs of the Caribbean

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This book starts off with an excellent discussion of reef formation and processes, followed by reef ecology and a general discussion of geology and weather patterns of the Caribbean. It goes on to discuss human intereactions with reefs and ways ot protect them before launcing into the main section of the book that goes island by island and country by country around the Caribbean (here taken to include the Bahamas and even Bermuda). Maps of reefs are provided that mark significant dive sites. The maps are not sufficiently detailed, for example, to tell you the best snorkeling beaches, but they give a much-appreciated view of the reef system off each shore and are accompanied by discussion of local highlights. Short histories are provided for each area, and the book is full of short box essays on sharks, algae, turtles, indigenous people, hurricanes, volcanoes, bioluminescence, and a host of other topics. The last section highlights some common reef species. Although this section is not as detailed as a typical field guide, it does cover many of the more common organisms one is likley to encounter and may save on the need to bring another book along.