The Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes: Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Whales, and Seals [Paperback]

John P. Hoover (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

This comprehensive guide to Hawaii's marine vertebrate animals is based on my bestselling book Hawaii's Fishes, a Guide for Snorkelers and Divers. Although Hawaii's Fishes remains in print and continues to satisfy the basic needs of fish watchers in the Islands, I have long wanted to create a larger, more complete reference for the serious underwater naturalist. There is so much more to say! Almost daily I get questions from readers who are seeing species not included in the original book, or who want information on marine mammals, or strange fish behaviors they have observed.



To satisfy these advanced snorkelers and divers--and those who want to be--I have added over a hundred rare and unusual fish species to the original book (for a total of 386--far more than any other popular guide), plus hundreds of extra photos showing all kinds of color variations and interesting behaviors, fascinating first-hand accounts of encounters with marine ani­mals, new chapters on Hawai`i's whales, dolphins, seals, sea turtles and sea snakes, and a wealth of information on how all these animals eat, live, and reproduce.

From the Back Cover

The Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes, Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Whales, and Seals features more pictures, more stories, and more species than any other softcover field guide. Clear underwater photos and scientifically up-to-date descriptions make it easy and fun to identify 386 Hawaiian reef and shore fishes. The ten whale, dolphin, and turtle species seen most often in Hawai`i are included too. Indispensible for snorkelers, divers, teachers, students, and anyone else interested in the sea, this is the ultimate identification book for Hawaiian marine vertebrate animals.


But there's more. It is also a gold mine of behavioral information, legends, trivia, and fun facts. Have you ever wondered why spinner dolphins spin? Or how manta rays mate? (see pages 373 and 235) What does it feel like to be stung by a lionfish? (see page 250) Or attacked by a shark! (see page 267) Do you know the smartest fish on the reef? Or why eels tie themselves in knots? (see pages 114 and 196)

Crammed with stories, picture galleries, sidebars, and 965 full-color photographs, this book takes the concept of a fish identification guide to a whole new level. Enjoy!

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Mutual Publishing; 1st edition. 3rd printing (revised) edition (November 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566478871
• ISBN-13: 978-1566478878
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #10 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Fish & Sharks

More About the Author

Hi,

Thanks for stopping by. In a nutshell, I'm a retired librarian who majored in English and loves diving and photography. Combine those four and how can you not get fish books? How many fish books have I written? Perhaps too many, but it's rewarding and fun, so why not? For many years my wife Marcia and I lived in Honolulu. In 2007 we both retired to the village of Volcano, on the Island of Hawaii, where we live just 3 miles from one of the world's most active volcanoes. I still do a lot of diving and underwater photography. Oh, and hiking too. Visit my website at

http://hawaiisfishes.com

Or, even better, if you want to see what I'm up to these days, check out my Picasa galleries:

http://picasaweb.com/jphoover
http://picasaweb.com/jphoover2009

Aloha,

John

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars outstanding guide to Hawaiian fishes, November 24, 2008

By 

R. M. Sills (Castro Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes: Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Whales, and Seals (Paperback)

For many years, there have been two excellent guides to the fishes of Hawaii -- "Hawaii's Fishes" (by John P. Hoover) and "Shore Fishes of Hawai'i" (by John E. Randall). These are invaluable to divers and snorkelers; unlike other less complete books, they document virtually every fish that you'll ever see in Hawaii.

In this new book, "The Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes", Hoover has really outdone himself. Some species are illustrated with multiple photographs -- for instance, six photos of the Undulated Moray eel, including color variations and a young specimen. The other books have photos of three or five species of flounders and soles, but this one has photos of eight species. Since most of these are uncommon, this completeness could be confusing to beginners, but it's great for more advanced fish-watchers.

Most fish ID books are somewhat dry -- a series of photographs, each accompanied by a brief description of the fish's appearance and behavior. This book has that information, but what really sets it apart is the many sidebars with information that will be interesting to both beginners and experts -- e.g., cooperative hunting between peacock groupers and moray eels, the feeding habits of eagle rays, and the dangers of stroking a porcupinefish or eating pufferfish. The book is full of interesting anecdotes that you won't find in other books.

Even the "dry" descriptions are a bit more informative than those in other books. For instance, the description of Thompson's Butterflyfish mentions that it often aggregates with Thompson's Surgeonfish. The latter is a very nondescript fish, but this description will help you find and identify it.

Finally, there is a short section about other vertebrates you might see underwater -- turtles, dolphins, whales, and seals. (For invertebrates, you need another book such as "Hawaii's Sea Creatures", also by Hoover.)

The only drawback is that this book weighs twice as much as the other fish books mentioned above. If weight is an issue, you might prefer to pack one of the other fish books in your luggage, but you'll want to look at this one before and after the trip.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential for Hawaiian fish lovers, January 1, 2009

By 

Rick J. Long "Honu Boy" (Kihei, HI, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes: Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Whales, and Seals (Paperback)

With internet notification of this new book, we began searching the book stores on Maui for copies. I eventually ordered it direct from the author, hoping it would be just as useful as his previous fish and invertebrate identification books. Yes, it meets my expectations with beautiful photographs and species descriptions, and adds "talk story". I'm in the ocean several times a week for reef surveys, and John Hoover's books are a comfortable companion. For correct species identification, we learn first hand from local fish experts. But, we have to study the photograph's in John Hoover's books, along with other sources. The Ultimate Guide goes beyond a single photo of a single fish for each species. He has added photos of their behaviors and story boxes, to teach the reader there is more to fish identification than colors and shapes. The story boxes are in the Hawaiian style of "talk story". For visitors to the scuba and snorkel sites around the Hawaiian Islands, they will find the addition of sea turtles, sea snakes, and marine mammals a bonus feature. This is the first book you will pick up to identify near shore reef fish. Beginners and experts will find the book useful. I find it useful and fun to read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just like it says...The Ultimate Guide, December 1, 2009

By 

fish illustrator lucid-hawaii.com (Kauai, HI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes: Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Whales, and Seals (Paperback)

There are quite a few books out there on Hawaii's reef fishes, but Hoover is one of the top authors. The photos in this books are spectacular and the number of species included is unparalleled. This is the underwater guide you don't want to be without especially if you are on a dive trip to Hawaii. Great for academic research, or just the casual marine enthusiast. I use all of Hoover's books on a weekly basis and I'm a marine biologist...but it's great to have references like his with great pictures for comparison of different species and to explain something to the lay person with pictures. This book also includes multiple photos of many of the species. The value of this is that there are often many different color morphs, and the juveniles, females and males may differ in color. The descriptions are accurate and helpful, both for identification and coloration as well as more technical biological information, behavior and feeding habits. If you are a diver or marine enthusiast. This is the book for you.