The Ocean Speaks

Matt Porteous and Tamsin Raine created the Ocean Culture Life ( OCL) charity aiming to bring attention and focus on life in the remotest oceans of the planet and the impact of human activity and climate change.

This beautiful book of photographs shows the wonders beneath and above the tide. The images are accompanied by powerful messages from some of the world's renowned conservationists, photographers and marine experts.

The stories they tell describe the beauty of the oceans but also the very immediate and imminent threat to the survival of the oceans. The descriptions of travels, locations and dives are breathtaking and moving .

This stunning book is a celebration of the marine world but also 'a call to arms '; a recognition that much of what has been observed, described, photographed may well disappear in the coming decades. By increasing all of our understanding The Ocean Speaks is a vital book to educate more widely what is happening across the globe whilst celebrating this unique world hidden from the eyes and awareness of the human race.

Let's hope this book and OCL can bring even more attention to the plight of oceans and its millions of sea creatures and their ultimate survival.

Highly recommended.

Wow! What beautiful photography. Even familiar ocean landscapes and animals appear alien and intriguing. Gorgeous.

If there is one thing to know about me it is that my biggest dream is to live in the ocean. Is it realistic? Definitely not. Do I still occasionally cry about not getting to be in the water and swim with whales every day? Absolutely. So when I saw this book I jumped at the opportunity to check it out.

This collection is an amazing effort from over 45 ocean life enthusiasts to bring the wonders of the ocean into people’s homes. This book is split into geographic regions which makes it easy for you to follow and learn where these photos were taken (or more easily find what could be spotted in your own backyard!). This book not only has GORGEOUS photos, but also stories that accompany each one. These stories range from personal stories about how the photo was taken, about the animals themselves, or about the region in which the photo was taken. This would make a beautiful display on any shelf or coffee table- and you’ll want it in reach because you won’t be able to put it down.

Oh, my. What can I say about this? It is a must. A must for any ocean lover, shark lover, earth lover, conservationist, and person who cares for the earth and the sea.

Oh, and anyone who cares whether or not we have a future on this planet. The photography is achingly beautiful, the concept heart-rending, and the fact that there are people out there who are doing this is one of the few things that gives me hope for the human race. Do we deserve to survive? Some of us perhaps, most no. And if we carry on this way, we won't. But hopefully, the earth will endure, and the magnificent ocean world that is so breathtakingly beautiful - and vital to our survival - will live beyond us and our sickening greed and selfishness.

I cannot recommend it enough. For yourself, for a friend, as a gift, as a reminder. Especially as a reminder.

Absolutely gorgeous photography and compelling stories, categorized by the different oceans around the world. I sometimes wish I had become a marine biologist, so I've pored over many underwater photos through the years. These are beautifully presented, and varied enough between not only region but also topic, framing, perspective, and size of the creature, that the book manages to illustrate what a truly wide variety of life our oceans contains. Of course, the variety of life in the oceans is actually SO vast that it would be impossible to really represent it in a single book, but this one does an excellent job of showing us a sliver of that enormous reality.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC.

Gorgeous photographs, interesting article. I liked that this was broken down by each ocean with the focus on one subject .
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Top quality and stunning photos of the oceans accompanied by curious facts about the lives in the ocean and how the oceans speak. A crucial book in understanding why oceans matter and why we shall do more to preserve them. A book for everyone who loves oceans, nature and a good reference to share with your children.