Homo Delphinus, The Dolphin Within Man [Hardcover]

Jacques Mayol (Author), Enrico Amaducci (Translator), Steven Sachs (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2000

This book holds appeal for divers, laymen, romantic, and dolphin lovers alike, regarding man's spiritual connection to the sea.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Homo Delphinus, The Dolphin Within MAn" is ultimately about the relationship between man and dolphin. -- SKIN DIVER MAGAZINE, November, 2000

...people who still dive for food, in "apnea" . Talks about the lobster and conch fishermen of the T.C.I.. -- Times of the Islands, The International Magazine of the Turks & Caicos Islands

Book award as Winner and Finalist of the 2001 Independent Publisher Book Award Genre: Inspirational/Spiritual -- Independent Publisher

Homo Delphinus is a beautiful book that tells the tale of an extraordinary man and his love for dolphins. -- Alexandra Cousteau

Mayol's analysis of his spiritual connection to the sea, stresses the benefits Yoga and Zen can have to free divers. -- Times of the Islands,

This large format, gorgeously photographed volume, is the culmination of a lifetime of personal oceanic experiences by Jacques Mayol... -- Michael Lawrence

Language Notes

Text: Italian, French (translation)
Original Language: English

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 398 pages
• Publisher: Idelson Gnocchi Pub; 7 edition (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1928649033
• ISBN-13: 978-1928649038
• Product Dimensions: 13.5 x 9.3 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #683,222 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars interaction between one man and the sea, April 19, 2000

By 

Michael Lawrence - See all my reviews

This review is from: Homo Delphinus, The Dolphin Within Man (Hardcover)

Jacques Mayol launches first book in the United States

Idelson-Gnocchi Publishing is pleased to announce the release of Jacques Mayol's first book published in the United States, "Homo Delphinus - The Dolphin within Man". This large format, gorgeously photographed volume, is the culmination of a lifetime of personal oceanic experiences by Jacques Mayol, easily one of the most accomplished free divers of his or any other generation.

Jacques Mayol, holder of a dozen world breathhold diving records, was the first man to descend to 100 meters (330 feet), a feat he accomplished in 1976. He followed this with yet another record breaking drop to 105 meters (346 feet) at the age of 56. A Frenchman born in China, Jacques Mayol now splits his time between homes on the island of Elba in Italy, the island of South Caicos in the Turks & Caicos and a full life in Japan. He is a practitioner of Yoga, Zen and other Oriental life philosophies, essential disciplines he incorporates into his free diving practices.

Homo Delphinus demonstrates an exceptional personal vision of the interaction between one man and the sea. It also provides a superb explanation of how the separate disciplines of science and philosophy come together to allow these extraordinary free diving explorations of the ocean. This theme goes hand in hand with Jacques' deep abiding love for the ocean and it's inhabitants, particularly dolphins. He spends much of the book exploring both the affection and the similarities existing between man and dolphin, a heartfelt search for "the dolphin dormant in all of us".

The adventures in Jacques' life were chronicled in the landmark Luc Bresson film 'The Big Blue'. He has been the subject of numerous national and international broadcast interviews and print features. Jacques is also one of the world's leading authorities on 'apnea', a phenomenal physical discipline which reduces heart rate and respiratory functions, thus

allowing him to perform his remarkable diving feats. Free diving aficionados worldwide recognize and thank him for his insight, his developments of the sport and for his accomplishments. At 72 years of age, Jacques still revels in the ocean, swimming and diving virtually every available day.

Idelson-Gnocchi Publishing is based in Napoli, Italy where it has been publishing specialized Scientific Publications since 1908. The company now has offices in both Italy as well as in Florida.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Underwater Magic, February 15, 2000

By 

Timothy Ecott "timecott" (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Homo Delphinus, The Dolphin Within Man (Hardcover)

Having struggled to read Homo Delphinus in French it is great to have Jacques Mayol's incredible story available in English. For anyone interested in Free Diving, Mayol is already well known, and in Homo Delphinus he reveals the history of his record breaking dives to 100 metres without air, and his passionate belief in man's connectedness to the marine world. The photographs in the book are stunning. It is difficult to say that the book will appeal to everyone, simply because its scope is so broad, covering everything from mammal physiology to yoga to environmentalism, but for that very reason it is the kind of book you can dip into again and again.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST, December 31, 2001

By 

Corinne Le Gall (Australian living in Venice Italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Homo Delphinus, The Dolphin Within Man (Hardcover)

Being a diver and a fan of the sea, having met Jacques Mayol the guru of breath-hold dives in Oct 2001 in Elba and upon learning that this famous book was now available in English, the next day I procured one from this site. Having since learnt of Jacques's passing on the 22nd of Dec 2001 I feel that anyone who dives or simply loves the sea and its creatures should get hold of this very remarkable book - before it goes out of production.
A fantastic book with lots of beautiful photographs that takes the reader through Jacques' early life, his reactions in the form of questions and answers to the movie "The Big Blue" and his techniques on apnea, his travels and inventions and his views on the purity of the ocean and man's endeavour to demolish anything remotely beautiful. A fantastic book to have and to keep for future generations of a man who seems to much prefer living with the creatures of the sea than with homo sapiens on land.