Customer Reviews

Last of the Blue Water Hunters, Revised

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In a lifetime of reading I can honestly say that only three books have had a profound impact on the way I look at the world. They are 'The True Believer' by Eric Hoffer, '1984' by George Orwell, and 'The Last Of The Blue Water Hunters' by Carlos Eyles. My view of the natrul world and man's place in it has been enriched by Mr Eyles' work. Though this may sound like hyperboly, it is not. While I could not say that he is a great writer in the sense of a Joe Conrad or Charles Dickens, he is a more than competent journalist who is able to tell the stories of the early days of spearfishing in an engaging and informative way. The strength of this book lies not in it's style, but in its content. On one level, it is a series of entertaining fishing stories. On another level, it is a view of nature through the eyes of a hunter.

Dont be put off by this. The very word 'hunter' has acquired a negitive connotation over the past half centuary and I must confess that in some sense I too had begun to internalize this bias. Mr. Eyles is not an apologist for what some may view as a bloodsport, he is a writer and natrualist who communicates the beauty of the natrual world and preindustrial man's place in it.

I keep a copy of this book on my nightstand and read from it at least three times a month. I can open it up to any page and escape the worries of the day. It is especially nice to read when work keeps me from the ocean for long weeks at a time. I would (and have) recomend this book to everyone, diver and non-diver alike. No one has been disappointed.

I am an avid diver and my underwater hunting has been limited to using the Hawaiian sling spear in S. California and the waters off Okinawa. This wonderful book has opened a world of possiblities to me. In the '70s the author anchored his boat in the Channel Islands to see if it was possible to sustain himself by spearfishing alone. There was a belief that the nurishment gained by eating fish could not make up for the energy lost in the effort of spearfishing. The author takes us into the kelp beds of the Channel Islands and then flashbacks to the early historty of spearfishing. Carlos tells of the exploits of the first spearfishermen and how they developed their gear. This book will make you long for the early days of exploring Baja in the 1960's and you'll wish you were there. This book will help you realize, I think, what's really important in life. keep this book because you'll want to reread it.

I'm a water enthusiast and addicted to scuba and apnoe diving. The first time I saw speargun-fisher in Thailand back in 1995 I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw them 60feet down and not struggeling but stalking and waiting for the right moment to ...
I was captured right away by the deep feelings of the author and the philosophie he describes which is truly part of speargunfishing. It is not a sport but more like a way of life.
I was wondering thought why I didn't read anything about the huge variety of equipment. But when I finished the book after 4 days I realized, to get lost in such details would have missed the point. But maybe Mr. Eyles should have gone more into the physics and the danger that comes with apnoe and speargunfishing as well. Expecially since he repeatedly discribes how he hyperventilated to stay down. This gave me 3 days in coma and I merely survived, even though I knew theoretically about the danger of passing out. So I think you can't strecht this point far enough and to my consideration there should be no book about this activity which doesn't highlight this inherent lifethreatening risk. It still enjoy the ocean and surely I dived with the same pleasant feeling into this book.

I'm a water enthusiast and addicted to scuba and apnoe diving. The first time I saw speargun-fisher in Thailand back in 1995 I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw them 60feet down and not struggeling but stalking and waiting for the right moment to ...
I was captured right away by the deep feelings of the author and the philosophie he describes which is truly part of speargunfishing. It is not a sport but more like a way of life.
I was wondering thought why I didn't read anything about the huge variety of equipment. But when I finished the book after 4 days I realized, to get lost in such details would have missed the point. But maybe Mr. Eyles should have gone more into the physics and the danger that comes with apnoe and speargunfishing as well. Expecially since he repeatedly discribes how he hyperventilated to stay down. This gave me 3 days in coma and I merely survived, even though I knew theoretically about the danger of passing out. So I think you can't strecht this point far enough and to my consideration there should be no book about this activity which doesn't highlight this inherent lifethreatening risk. It still enjoy the ocean and surely I dived with the same pleasant feeling into this book.

This is a book based on the personal feelings behind Carlos Eyeles and his adventures of breath hold underwater spearfishing. I was not into spearfishing when I read this book, but it inspired me to take up this sport, taking me into his world as only Carlos can describe. This in not a "how to" book, but it teaches the reader how to be proficient in the water as a breath hold diver. This book truely expresses the true essence of being in the magical aquatic world. This book is masterfully written and it was a real joy to read.

I read a quote once that said "When you sell a man a book, you don't sell him 12 ounces of paper, ink and glue - you sell him a whole new life." I should stop typing right now, and just say 'buy this book and prove that quote true.' I keep coming back to this book, mesmerized by the images it conjures up in my mind, and finding in it the unspoken reasons for my rediscovered love of the ocean. For those who love the sublime reality of the life and death world under the waves, who long to find their place as hunter and adventurer in the deep blue, this book will profoundly move you and leave you with the taste of a whole new life. Read it, and see what I mean.

I would recommend this book to anyone that likes fishing, the ocean, or nature in general. It was very touching in the end with his final sentences. I am sad to say that 9 out of 10 times it was not a page-turner. I learned so much, but you have to stick with it to enjoy it. I absolutely loved the writing style used in this book. Carlos takes things from the beginning and middle of the story and puts you on hold, and then wraps it up in the end. Sometimes the book got boring and other times you wish it didn't end. The author gave many details about life under the sea and the journey of a hunter.

Carlos Eyles' book is a great narrative on how he was able to live the life of an adventurer, foraging off of the sea while maintaining respect for its inhabitants. It is amazing to realize that his stories are true, and that there was once a day when lobsters were everwhere, abalone were crammed into every available crevice, and white sea bass were available 100 yards offshore. It is sad when one realizes what humanity has done to our pristine ocean that God has given us. These stories are a must for everyone to remember how things once were, and so that we don't repeat the mistake of over-gathering. It is great to read about the days when lobsters could be gathered by the barrel-ful, but it is also precisely the reason that they are no longer in abundance.

I had a bit of trouble starting this book. It began in Eyles's past and it wasn't always first person, so obviously it lacked a little something. As the book progressed a little it bacame present day and this is where Eyles writing comes alive. He describes the things he see as a hunter, but he must think like a fish. He describes things that I see when I hunt fish that I have only begun to see after 20 years of diving, and then he opens my eyes more.

Whenever I need a spiritual lift, I reach for this book.

Man is shown for what he really is, a part of nature. It is our self-created civilization and conventions that really work to alienate us from our natural selves. Carlos Eyles knows that this is wrong and unhealthy for our spirit. Man is happiest in a state of nature where life is lived in the here and now. If you make yourself just another being in the kelp bed, you will be rewarded. There is an underlying philosophical bend here not unlike the great Romantic philosopher J.J. Rousseau's Discourse on Inequality, or a zen like sense of being if taken from the perspective of eastern thought.

This is a great book, and I would encourage all who come across it to read and cherish it for its insights into the human psyche.