Tuesday, January 31, 2012

David Hall, Beneath Cold Seas: the Underwater Wilderness of the Pacific Northwest

This book is a revelation. David Hall's astonishing photographs show the vibrant colors and teeming life of a part of the world I always thought was rather drab, the oceans off Canada's Pacific coast. Sure, I knew about seals and sea otters and kelp, and killer whales, but I never suspected these spectacular wonders. I have never looked through a book of nature photographs that wowed me so consistently. From brilliant anemones to illuminated squid to rococo sea slugs, Hall has documented an Alladin's Cave worth of visual wonders.

Here is a night time swarm of cross jellies, from the surface and under water.

A sculpin.

Sea stars.

Salmon headed upstream.

 
Sea pens.

A wolf eel.

Most of these pictures are from Hall's web site; I tried scanning other images, but to capture their glory required files of unmanageable size. Look for this at your library, and keep it in mind for any nature lovers on your next Christmas list. Amazing.

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