Feel free to disagree…
UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHERS Nick and Caroline Robertson-Brown have been diving with their cameras for a little over 20 years, and in that time they have amassed an enviable photo-library from destinations around the globe.
Twelve months ago the pair were asked to undertake the mammoth task of producing a book detailing the world’s best wildlife dive-sites; places where the emphasis is on the species, or natural events that can be found in specific areas or single sites.
Well-travelled as they are, this husband-and-wife team can’t have been everywhere, so it should be stressed that the destinations included are those they believe to be the best among those they have visited.
And as Nick writes: “The title of this book is emotive in itself, and I can guarantee that there will be chapters which readers will challenge as being worthy of inclusion”.
With this in mind, the couple have included what they see as alternative top sites (if applicable) at which similar species or events can be encountered.
With a foreword written by fellow underwater photographer Paul Colley, this hardback includes five main chapters covering Africa, Europe, Asia, Australasia and the Americas.
Thirty-two sub-chapters then each detail a specific dive-site or area and highlight the key species, events or phenomena to be found there.
A full-page factfile in each sub-chapter carries essential information relating to the best times to visit, tips for visitors, equipment to take and alternative sites.
The book is written in a relaxed style – it’s as if Nick and Caroline had joined you on the sundeck of your liveaboard, passionately sharing their diving experiences over a post-dive glass of wine.
As expected from these talented photographers, the images are outstanding and numerous, lending the book a coffee-table ambience. They showcase the captivating events detailed in the text, culminating in a pictorial tour of the 32 destinations.
If you’re like me, you’ll dive right into the pages relating to destinations that you’ve already visited, bringing back the beautiful memories of your own adventures and experiences.
Then it’s on to the encounters that may have been on your wish-list for what seems like an eternity.
For me it’s leafy sea dragons that loom large, but I now know not only where to find them but what exposure protection to take and how to go about looking for these beautiful creatures of South Australia.
Nigel Wade
Reed New Holland
ISBN: 9781921517723
Hardback, 288pp, £19.99
Reviews by Nigel Wade
Appeared in DIVER September 2016
