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The Shark-Watcher's Handbook: A Guide to Sharks and Where to See Them
 
 
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The Shark-Watcher's Handbook: A Guide to Sharks and Where to See Them [Paperback]

Mark Carwardine (Author), Ken Watterson (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Book Description

March 16, 2004

Hundreds of thousands of people have an intentional encounter with sharks every year, and shark-watching has become a multi-million dollar business. The ultimate shark-watcher's guide, this comprehensive and ground-breaking book is essential reading for any marine enthusiast who wants to navigate the waters of those who consort with sharks.

The Shark-Watcher's Handbook covers everything you need to know about sharks and shark watching: the history, techniques, risks and controversies; a thorough overview of shark natural history and biology; the many threats facing sharks and how snorkelers and divers can help; and even how to get good shark photographs, safely. There is also an extensive, fully illustrated directory of the twenty-four species most commonly encountered by shark watchers. Each entry includes important information on natural history, classification, diet, reproduction, behavior and range; and there are special sections on identification, the potential danger to divers and good places for a close encounter.

The book includes the first detailed directory of more than 250 of the world's shark-watching hotspots, with a detailed description of each site and information on everything from the species most likely to be seen and the best time of year to visit to contact details for further information and travel notes.

Whether you're a professional diver, someone contemplating your first close encounter with a shark, or the sort of person who prefers to view these extraordinary animals in the pages of a book, The Shark-Watcher's Handbook is an attractive, invaluable, and utterly fascinating guide to the underwater world of sharks.



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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Following 2001's Summer of the Shark, when reports of attacks up and down the Eastern seaboard seemed weirdly frequent, this slim volume, a kind of Audubon guide to the deep, comes to clear the water. Zoologist Carwardine and research scientist Watterson compile a bevy of maps, drawings and information-rich essays in a single package for the shark-curious. (Or the shark-serious: to identify a silvertip shark, one presumably must swim quite near him.) Part reference book and part travel guide, the writing at times borders on the dryly academic, with sections devoted to topics such as "Origins and ancestors," and "Shark repellents and protection." The images are generally good, a combination of crisp underwater photography and well-rendered illustrations. A world directory of prime shark-watching locations takes up much of the rest of the page-count. For those so fascinated by the thought of the deep-sea killers that they actually want to confront one, this book will take them far towards achieving that goal.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Every diver should have a copy of this book. It's the most comprehensive and best-researched guide to diving and snorkeling with sharks--providing everything you need to know in order to experience some of the most awe-inspiring and breathtaking underwater encounters anywhere in the world.
(Graeme Gourlay, Editor in Chief, "Dive" ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 232 pages
  • Publisher: Princeton University Press (March 16, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0691096376
  • ISBN-13: 978-0691096377
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,171,331 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb resource!, October 8, 2004
By 
W. Chen "circusoflife" (TiERRA / EARTh / TERRAin) - See all my reviews
My first experience of diving with a shark nearby was in Port Douglas, Australia in 2001. That was a single lonesome reef shark not moving much at all. Fortunately since then I have been able to dive in a few more places. Most recently in Palau (Feb 2004) where many of the dives had several sharks nearby. But, none more than the infamous Blue Corner.

It was then and there I gained a new appreciation and fascination for sharks. In total there must have been twenty+ sharks sighted in that dive alone including several that were no more than a couple of meters away swimming against the current with me. There was also a swarm of a dozen or so in the distance. This has to be one of the best experiences in my life. And that trip came amidst 7 months straight of traveling around the world.

Since then I've learned about Cocos Island, Galapagos, and South Africa as other places. High on my list too is to swim with whale sharks. To my great luck I came across this book on Amazon.

This well formatted book begins with sections on shark diving, history and public perceptions, then into tips on photography. The book then presents two page foldouts of all the major sharks that divers are likely to encounter and/or want to see. Hand drawn color pictures as well as the silhouette appearance (Cool!) of the shark underwater are shown too. On each foldout is a box with cross-references to the rest of the book which consists of maps and descriptions of 267 sites around the world. Every region of the world is covered. Each site is described in detail with weblinks to major tour operators. Appropriate "best season" info is also shown.

Now - I know where to dive with whale sharks and when to go! Prior evidence I found on the web was never complete and I am always leary of bias. Now there is a more objective resource. The great thing about this book is that places where sharks are located are usually great diving spots/areas. This book functions as a quasi diving guidebook.

Unfortunately, the picture isn't all pretty as described in the shark conservation section which talks about shark finning. I'll add sharks caught as by-catch of fishing for tuna too (BBC's Blue Planet book has a disturbing photo of 100 dead sharks on a purse-seine fishing boat). Do a google IMAGE search on SHARK FINS and you are bound to find more articles. National Geographic has good articles and disturbing photos on the shark finning industry.

I understand that the Blue Corner has been known to have up to 70 sharks. Perhaps I just wasn't there at the right time. Or perhaps the relentless overfishing of the ocean is affecting Palau too. It would be a shame to see such magnificent creatures be more or less wiped out save for a few remote areas by greed and ignorance (Palau is remote and it is under pressure too from the news I have read), if they aren't already in some areas.

This book is a great complement to BBC's Blue Planet video series and book as guides to understanding our world's oceans.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Like the Title Says..., April 22, 2003
By 
Nick Nalepa (Greenville, SC, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
The Shark Watcher's Handbook lives up to the odd title. Shark diving is rapidly becoming a major attraction in the world of Scuba diving, as more dive operators have added "shark dives" to their retinue of dive sites. Some of these dives involve the proto-typical divers in cages observing the Great White, others feature divers tucked against coral walls observing reef sharks in a feeding frenzy upon fish treats served up by the dive boat above. This book gives a brief discussion of sharks and shark diving in the first third. In the second third it lists illustrations of the world's most common sharks and basic facts about each. In the last third lists all of the major dive operations in the world that offer shark dives and the type of sharks they routinely find and the type of dives they lead. An excellent resource for the Scuba-holic addicted to the thrill of shark watching.
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5.0 out of 5 stars sharkwatching as it should be, October 6, 2004
Let's say you want to meet a special shark-species face to face,for example silvertips and you want to know where the best chance of seeing them is-just use this book.
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First Sentence:
Diving with sharks is one of the world's great wildlife experiences and quickly becomes an all-consuming lifelong passion. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Shark Point, South Africa, New Providence Island, Walker's Cay, New Zealand, Shark Reef, North Island, Papua New Guinea, Baja California, Costa Rica, San Diego, Red Sea, Shark Alley, Fort Lauderdale, North America, Koh Phuket, New South Wales, Solomon Islands, Western Australia, Cocos Island, Coral Sea, Distribution Warm, Glover's Reef, New Ireland, Viti Levu
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