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Miscellaneous Blogs

Film Review: Thirteen Lives

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Ron Howard’s recreation of the 2018 rescue of a Thai junior football team is impressive. Even though we know what happens in the end the tension and drama played out is palpable.

On 23 June 2018, 12 members of a Thai junior football team, the Wild Boars, and their coach became trapped deep in the Tham Luang cave system by rising flood water. The film details the incredible international rescue efforts that ensue. And Ron Howard has judged the tone perfectly. There is no Hollywood glitz and glamour and the two leading actors: Colin Farrell and Viggo Mortensen, who play John Volanthen and Rick Stanton respectively, capture the intensity of the situation perfectly.

The diving scenes are claustrophobic in the extreme. Although I suspect that the visibility was even worse than the film depicts as you have to be able to see something in the dramatization! All the way through the film I found myself shaking my head in disbelief at the extraordinary feat these divers pulled off. The skill and bravery required still impresses after watching films, hearing them speak in public and reading about the rescue.

I loved that, whilst the divers took centre stage in the film, the heroic rescue efforts of the water engineer and his team was also given the attention they deserve, as well as the incredible Thai Navy Seals and the thousands of people that flocked to the region to help.

Thirteen Lives is a must watch movie about an incredible cave rescue. It’s sober tone hits the mark. The cinematography is skilled and creates an impressively tense experience. It is available on Amazon Prime right now.

Nick and Caroline (Frogfish Photography) are a married couple of conservation driven underwater photo-journalists and authors. Both have honours degrees from Manchester University, in Environmental Biology and Biology respectively, with Nick being a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, a former high school science teacher with a DipEd in Teaching Studies. Caroline has an MSc in Animal Behaviour specializing in Caribbean Ecology. They are multiple award-winning photographers and along with 4 published books, feature regularly in the diving, wildlife and international press They are the Underwater Photography and Deputy Editors at Scubaverse and Dive Travel Adventures. Winners of the Caribbean Tourism Organization Photo-journalist of the Year for a feature on Shark Diving in The Bahamas, and they have been placed in every year they have entered. Nick and Caroline regularly use their free time to visit schools, both in the UK and on their travels, to discuss the important issues of marine conservation, sharks and plastic pollution. They are ambassadors for Sharks4Kids and founders of SeaStraw. They are Dive Ambassadors for The Islands of The Bahamas and are supported by Mares, Paralenz, Nauticam and Olympus. To find out more visit www.frogfishphotography.com

Miscellaneous Blogs

Book Review: Inshore Fishes of Britain and Ireland

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Inshore Fishes of Britain and Ireland by Lin Baldock and Frances Dipper is a book designed for divers and snorkelers to help them identify the wealth of species found near our shores.

What really stands out is how easy this book is to use. One of my favourite things about this book is how it is laid out. The fish are grouped by the habitat you would usually find them in. This really helps the average diver! You can browse the type of dive you were doing, whether it was on a wreck, along a bed of seagrass, or hovering in the blue, you can find the section of the book and then the species that live there. The book is packed full of excellent photos to help you too.

Once you have located the species you are looking for, there is a really handy guide, showing you the habitats that species can be found in, what depth range they usually frequent and a brilliantly easy key to show you their approximate size.

I know this is a book that I will regularly dip into, probably after every dive I do when diving around the UK. If you like to know about what you are seeing underwater, this is a perfect companion for any diver or snorkeler.

What the publisher says:

Fish are a colourful and important part of inshore marine life, much admired by divers and snorkellers. But it can be difficult to accurately identify and record these quick-moving animals underwater. This authoritative, beautifully illustrated photographic guide offers a practical, easy-to-use approach for identifying the fish species commonly seen in the waters around Britain and Ireland, as well as a few vagrant and interesting rare species. The book’s concise text explains how fish can be identified underwater, and is accompanied by numerous photographs of each species in its natural environment and diagrams illustrating key features. The book also clearly indicates the cases when underwater species identification is more difficult. Published in association with the UK’s Marine Conservation Society, the book makes an invaluable addition to the series of marine photographic titles of Seasearch, a species recording project for volunteer sports divers.

  • Features individual descriptions of more than 150 species, with information on size, depth range, habitat and distribution in the Seasearch guide icon format
  • Illustrates every species in its natural underwater environment
  • Emphasises key identification features and possible confusion species
  • Includes a “confidence guide” distinguishing between easily recognisable species and those requiring closer examination
  • Features longer sections highlighting interesting species, behaviours and other topics
  • Provides information on protected species, taxonomy, shifting distributions and conservation status

Additional Information

  • Price £22
  • ISBN: 9780691249018
  • Published: 25th April 2023
  • Type: Paperback
  • Pages: 288
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Miscellaneous Blogs

Book Review: The Deep Ocean

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The Deep Ocean: Life in the Abyss

by Michael VecchioneLouise AllcockImants Priede, and Hans van Haren

The Deep Ocean is an epic excursion into one of the last great frontiers on Earth. The Deep Ocean is a strikingly beautiful hardback book. It is packed with images and illustrations of the life found in this dark and cold environment. The Deep Ocean is defined as anything below 200m. It is said that we know more about the moon than we do about the deep ocean, and it is only recently that deep water exploration has revealed some of its secrets. It is a place that is still full of discoveries and surprises for those that have chosen to study it.

This book brings together current knowledge about the deep ocean: the life that has found a way to survive the harsh conditions; the habitats; underwater topography, currents and finally how man has impacted the deep ocean, both in the past and looking into a somewhat terrifying future. It is packed with information and, for me, is one of those books that I will return to again and again. Perhaps to look up some specific fact, to browse the wonderful images, and at other times just to dip in and learn something new about the abyss.

Whether you just love the ocean and want to learn more, or whether you are a budding marine biologist, this is a book that you are going to want to add to your bookshelf.


What the publisher says:

The deep ocean comprises more than 90 percent of our planet’s biosphere and is home to some of the world’s most dazzling creatures, which thrive amid extreme pressures, scarce food supplies, and frigid temperatures. Living things down here behave in remarkable and surprising ways, and cutting-edge technologies are shedding new light on these critically important ecosystems. This beautifully illustrated book leads you down into the canyons, trenches, and cold seeps of the watery abyss, presenting the deep ocean and its inhabitants as you have never seen them before.

  • Features a wealth of breathtaking photos, illustrations, and graphics
  • Gives a brief and accessible history of deep-sea exploration
  • Explains the basics of oceanography
  • Covers a marvelous diversity of undersea organisms
  • Describes habitats ranging from continental slopes to hydrothermal vents and abyssal plains
  • Discusses humanity’s impacts on the deep ocean, from fisheries and whaling to global climate change and acidification
  • Written by a team of world-class scientists

Book Details

  • Price: $45 / £38
  • ISBN:9780691226811
  • Publish Date: 18th April 2023
  • Pages: 288
  • Size: 8.5×11″
  • 200+ colour photos & illustrations
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