Customer Reviews

Indian Ocean Reef Guide

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4 star:		(1)
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Helmut Debelius has really come up with a winner. If you need one book to cover the marine environment, this is it. The guide covers everything one can expect to encounter in the Indian Ocean. Everything is there: marine invertebrates, crustaceans, bony fish, cartilaginous fish, molluscs, corals, mammals and reptiles.

While most reef guides either tend to be limited in their scope, or overly technical, the IORG is a perfect compromise. All entries include both the common name and the scientific name to aid those wanting to do further research. With over 1000 photographs taken in the natural habitat of the subject, identification is a simple process. Where applicable, photographs of juveniles are also included. This book is worth purchasing if only for the fantastic photography!

Each subsection includes a brief description of the class, covering habitat, reproduction and feeding habits. There are also interesting sidebars covering specific creatures, e.g. the Coelacanths and expeditions in the Comoros to film them in their natural habitat.

This book has become and invaluable possession, which I use on a daily basis while guiding divers around the Indian Ocean. Thanks for a truly fantastic book.

Comprehensive, well illustrated and enhanced by interesting anectdotes on the main dive areas in the region. Specific descriptions have good detail on appearence, distribution and habitat as well as distinguishing similar looking species where apropriate. The geographic detail with each picture is a nice idea.

We used this book during a recent trip to the Maldives. We managed to identify with the help of this book about 75 marine species while snorkeling off the beaches and above the reefs. The photographs of the fishes (but also shells and mollusks) looked very much like the ones we saw in the water and it was easy to find the name and a little information about the animals.

The book also has about a dozen short stories (maybe 2 pages each) about various topics related to the region and the life in the ocean. This gives you also a bit to actually read and get some background info.