Photo Guide to Fishes of the Maldives [Paperback]

Rudie H. Kuiter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1998

Despite the reputation of the Maldives as being a world-class diving destination, this is the first really comprehensive fish guide specifically aimed at these islands. More than 50 new species for the Maldives are published for the first time and, with over 1100 superb underwater photographs that include almost every fish that divers are likely to see, this book is the perfect guide to check on that mystery' fish after each dive. The book is compact, easy to use and a handy size to carry to dive locations. The introduction explains the basics of fish-science, behaviour and evolution and there are detailed drawings on fish features, shapes and colour patterns. To assist divers, an innovative concept is used to allow easy retrieval and identification of species. Small silhouettes of the families are distributed as thumbprints throughout the book and families are color coded for quick access. Whilst text for each species is brief, it describes points of interest and differences between similar species. This book portrays the fishes from this respected author's practical point of view and divers can expect to learn a great deal from this valuable reference.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Rudie Kuiter is a well known fish expert with a number of books to his credit. He accepted Atoll Edition's invitation to visit the Maldives and during the course of his visits was able to photograph all the known species of reef fishand more. His work was complemented by the efforts of Toshi Kozawa, Neville Coleman and Jrg Aebi and he was able to utilise the efforts of other expert photographers including: Mustag Hussain, Roger Steene, Charles Anderson, Jack Randall, Jerry Allen, Scott Michael, Helmut Debelius and Herwarth Voigtmann. Between them, 50 new species of fish for the Maldives were recorded. Rudie was determined to compile the book from his own expert point of view and everything, from the selection of photos to the layout and scanning, is the result of Rudie's own efforts. The result, Photo Guide to Fishes of the Maldives' is the first really comprehensive book on reef fishes of the Maldives. The book has been well received and Rudie's informative and easy to read style has struck a cord with both beginner and expert divers. Divers these days are more educated and Rudie's eye for detail and thorough research has made this book an extremely useful reference book for divers.

About the Author

Rudie H. Kuiter, the author & principal photographer, is Dutch born, and has always had a passion for fishes. He started diving in Sydney, Australia in 1964, where he began drawing and photographing the various species, most of which were unknown at the time. As research associate with the Australian Museum and Museum of Victoria, his scientific papers on biology and descriptions of new taxa were published. His articles on seahorses, seadragons and various other subjects of aquatic life have appeared in magazines around the world. He is the author of several identification books on fishes of Australia, Indonesia and other areas of the Indo-west Pacific. He has dived temperate and tropical waters around Australia, as well as in many other parts of the Indo-Pacific as far as Japan and the Maldives. He moved to Melbourne in 1980 where he has continued to work full time on fishes.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Atoll Editions; 1st edition (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1876410183
• ISBN-13: 978-1876410186
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #360,557 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > History > Asia > Maldives
  • #6 in Books > Travel > Asia > Maldives
  • #31 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Zoology > Ichthyology

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome, January 7, 2011

By 

whatsthatfish - See all my reviews

This review is from: Photo Guide to Fishes of the Maldives (Paperback)

I agree with Scuba Steve.
The first and best book I ever used for the Maldives, other books come and go but this stays! A must have for any diver!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have!, November 14, 2010

By 

N. Brennan "Scuba Steve" (Poole, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Photo Guide to Fishes of the Maldives (Paperback)

The first and best book I ever used for the Maldives, other books come and go but this stays! A must have for any diver! This and the Maldives were the inspiration for the web site! reviewed by [...]

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, thorough, comprehensive..., August 25, 2002

By 

Stephen Armstrong (Hadley, Ma USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Photo Guide to Fishes of the Maldives (Paperback)

I am not a marine biologist, but I would guess that the professionals would be delighted with this offering. This book is well organized, thoughtful, clear, and well done. Scuba divers will appreciate it, I am sure, and I anticipate seeing many of the creatures pictured here myself in the not-too-distant future, on a holiday dive. Good job! This book makes one's anticipation more eager.