Underwater Wild: My Octopus Teacher's Extraordinary World
- Downloads：9106
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-11-17 06:19:31
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Craig Foster
- ISBN：0358664756
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Eunice R
，
This is a National Geographic-like caliber display of underwater WILD sea life， photographed brilliantly， and liberally shared。 This vibrantly portrayed portfolio， is a work of a lifetime which will enamour one and all who slowly turn the pages， taking in the sea scenes of the Kelp Sea Forest off the coast of South Africa。 There is so much to take in of all these wonders of God's creation that the viewer will want to take his/her sweet time to peruse and digest all the pictures of the teeming l This is a National Geographic-like caliber display of underwater WILD sea life， photographed brilliantly， and liberally shared。 This vibrantly portrayed portfolio， is a work of a lifetime which will enamour one and all who slowly turn the pages， taking in the sea scenes of the Kelp Sea Forest off the coast of South Africa。 There is so much to take in of all these wonders of God's creation that the viewer will want to take his/her sweet time to peruse and digest all the pictures of the teeming life below sea level。Write-ups from both Craig and Ross， which accompany the photographs， will surely have the reader become enthusiastic about all these creatures， many of which he/she may never have seen heretofore。 These include such creatures as the very intriguing limpets， sea hares （the coolest to me）; catsharks， seahorses （I love them）， rock suckers， klipvis， octopuses （extra special to Craig） and so many more。 The reader may also find the hairs on ones' arms do calisthenics at mention of great white sharks hovering silently within mere inches of their dive spot。 Craig and Ross would tell you to respect these creatures， though， not fear them。The authors practiced diving without the usual scuba-diving equipment and over time， felt themselves become more integrated with the WILD world below surface。 They believe， too， that they have gained much benefit personally in life and health。 Being one who does not agree with evolution， and occult-like practices， I would have preferred less mention of those references。 The authors speak of going back to their original 'source' of life but I'd like to briefly remark， that that 'Source' is God， Who created all these creatures， as well as human beings， and it is not from melding cognitively and mingling physically with the creatures from the depth of the sea， nor spending hours （adding up years' worth） under water with them， as marvelous as that 'world' is。 This though， seems to be their praxis。To round up the pages， besides space for acknowledgements and index， is Craig's mental map of the various areas of specific habitat niches in which he was most likely to discover the location where a particular species hung out and/or hunted prey among the kelp forest fronds， nooks and crannies 'below deck'。 Overall， this is a 'chance-of-a-lifetime' book find， in which to gain astounding knowledge and insight of creatures we may never ever have discovered for ourselves， especially by those of us who would prefer to remain on terra firme。 Thanks Craig Foster and Ross Frylinck！ ~Eunice C。， Reviewer/Blogger~ September 2021Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the review copy given by the publisher。 。。。more
Daniel
，
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book。 Rated 4。5 of 5Craig Foster is a diver who， with Ross Frylinck， dives regularly off the coast of South Africa without wetsuits or oxygen tanks。 His experiences with the beautiful underwater forests and creatures that dwell there led to the remarkable and much-talk-about film My Octopus Teacher。Building on the success and interest in My Octopus Teacher， Foster and Frylinck have put together a beautiful coffee-table style book packed with This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book。 Rated 4。5 of 5Craig Foster is a diver who， with Ross Frylinck， dives regularly off the coast of South Africa without wetsuits or oxygen tanks。 His experiences with the beautiful underwater forests and creatures that dwell there led to the remarkable and much-talk-about film My Octopus Teacher。Building on the success and interest in My Octopus Teacher， Foster and Frylinck have put together a beautiful coffee-table style book packed with photos from their underwater explorations and a relatively simple， direct narrative from Foster explaining his journey。 Some of that narrative includes Foster's reflection on some of the more traumatic moments in his life， such as his divorce and leaving his wife and son。 But diving has been his refuge during times of despair and we get the notion that this underwater wild has been a life-saver for him and he passes that on to his son who completes a right of passage in Foster's own chosen world。While Foster's narrative definitely rounds out the book， the real appeal here is the beautiful photography。 Sea life is still a great mystery to most people， and the photography here truly opens a window into this world。 The commentaries on the photos， letting us know what we're looking at （as sometimes an animal's camouflage works so well [as nature intended] that we could miss some of the animals or what they're doing） are vastly more interesting to this reader than Foster's story。I will admit that given the cover photo and the tag line at the top of the book "From the creators of My Octopus Teacher" I was expecting a lot more octopus photos in the book。 But of course， this is Underwater Wild， not strictly a companion piece to the documentary。I think that Foster and Frylinck are stepping up and bringing back an awareness to the undersea world。 Not since Jacques Cousteau have we had anyone really promoting ocean life the way Foster is， and we need that right now。The book has a great introduction from Jane Goodall。Looking for a good book？ Underwater Wild by Craig Foster and Ross Frylinck is a beautiful coffee-table style book and you'll want to share these photos and the things you learn with all your guests and friends。I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher， through Netgalley， in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jen
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 My thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for an eARC copy of this book to read and review。Ok， the good， the pictures are STUNNING。 The stories of what was discovered under the water and how the one author navigated under the ocean and how he got to learn the environment how the animals came to trust him in various ways， super interesting。The bad？ I really don't care about the daddy-issues the one guy had。 I was expecting a book about life under the sea， not about how one guy had issues with his My thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for an eARC copy of this book to read and review。Ok， the good， the pictures are STUNNING。 The stories of what was discovered under the water and how the one author navigated under the ocean and how he got to learn the environment how the animals came to trust him in various ways， super interesting。The bad？ I really don't care about the daddy-issues the one guy had。 I was expecting a book about life under the sea， not about how one guy had issues with his dad abandoning him and how he stole his step-dad's gun as a kid， shot and killed a bird with it and then got in trouble about it。 Soooo。。。。mixed thoughts on this book。 I expected a straight up nature book， with the usual， "humans suck and are killing this awesome planet and everything on it" bits， because that's true， but I didn't need a tiny microcosm of examples where humans suck that just barely touches on the nature part。 I think all of the bits about the one guy's life could have easily been cut and made the book better， or at least more on-topic， than it was。 I was waffling between two and three stars and am going to go with 2， since after reading this book a few weeks ago， all I can really remember is my distaste for the biography parts and I can't really remember any of the nature bits。 Recommended if you have an interest in the topic， just beware the navel gazing。 。。。more
Sharon Tyler
，
Underwater Wild: My Octopus Teacher's Extraordinary World by Craig Foster and Ross Frylinck is currently scheduled for release on October 19 2021。 Craig Foster and Ross Frylinck regularly dive together in the awe-inspiring kelp forests off South Africa， without wetsuits or oxygen tanks。 In Ross， he found a kindred spirit， someone who also embraced the ancient methods of acclimating his body to frigid waters， but whose eyes had not yet adjusted to the transcendent wonder Craig saw each time they Underwater Wild: My Octopus Teacher's Extraordinary World by Craig Foster and Ross Frylinck is currently scheduled for release on October 19 2021。 Craig Foster and Ross Frylinck regularly dive together in the awe-inspiring kelp forests off South Africa， without wetsuits or oxygen tanks。 In Ross， he found a kindred spirit， someone who also embraced the ancient methods of acclimating his body to frigid waters， but whose eyes had not yet adjusted to the transcendent wonder Craig saw each time they dove。 In the stories that make up this book， readers swim alongside Ross as he grows from skeptic to student of the underwater wild。 And in the revelatory marine science behind the stunning photos， we learn how to track sea hares， cuttlefish， and limpets， and we witness strange new behaviors never before documented in marine biology。 We realize that a whole world of wonder， and an innate wildness within us all， emerge anew when we simply observe。 I have to admit that I picked Underwater Wild to read because of the photography。 Seriously， the images are stunning and well worth a look at the book all on their own。 They are simply stunning。 The text is well written and talks about much more than the marine life feature。 The narrative style brings readers along for the ride， showing rather than telling about what has been seen and learned。 It is about marine life， exploration， family， relationships， and more。 When paired with the photographs， the text gives an extra layer of wonder and heart to the book as a whole。 I think this book will appeal to a wide range of readers， and some will definitely be taking more time to enjoy the pictures than the text， no mater how moving or interesting the information shared。 。。。more
Elmira
，
The pictures in Underwater Wild are absolutely stunning！ What a beautiful book！I enjoyed the many stories about interactions with the wildlife in the kelp forest。 However， I was much less interested in the large portion of the text dedicated to the personal lives of the two authors。 When I picked this book up， I expected it to be about undersea plants and animals and the authors' interactions with them and observations of them。 It did have this component and it was very well done。 However， I did The pictures in Underwater Wild are absolutely stunning！ What a beautiful book！I enjoyed the many stories about interactions with the wildlife in the kelp forest。 However， I was much less interested in the large portion of the text dedicated to the personal lives of the two authors。 When I picked this book up， I expected it to be about undersea plants and animals and the authors' interactions with them and observations of them。 It did have this component and it was very well done。 However， I did not expect （and was not particularly interested in） the many pages dedicated to how these interactions affected their personal lives outside of the water。 。。。more
Brenda
，
Much of this stupendous book takes place in the South Africa kelp forests where two adventurous divers who have trained themselves to dive without wetsuits or oxygen tanks observe underwater nature。 Craig Foster filmed My Octopus Teacher and this book， Underwater Wild， is based on their dives。 Dives occur so often that the two friends are able to tell whether something is out of place or moved or hatched in the kelp forests they know so well。 Some creatures grow accustomed to them and as they ar Much of this stupendous book takes place in the South Africa kelp forests where two adventurous divers who have trained themselves to dive without wetsuits or oxygen tanks observe underwater nature。 Craig Foster filmed My Octopus Teacher and this book， Underwater Wild， is based on their dives。 Dives occur so often that the two friends are able to tell whether something is out of place or moved or hatched in the kelp forests they know so well。 Some creatures grow accustomed to them and as they are not fished they respond to and by touch。 Others remain hidden and wary。 Of course the ocean is constantly pulsating with fish entering and leaving the realm， always a kaleidoscope of things to see wherever they look， a cacophony of sounds， discoveries waiting to happen。 Creatures teach many lessons and Craig and Ross are eager and willing students。Simultaneously， personal stories of these two men are told， both riddled with heartache。 As they grapple with their pasts， they find meaning and healing in the underwater wild。 The amount of information I learned is staggering from the miraculous gender change of the red roman reef fish to the gentleness of pyjama catshark to limpet tracks to peacock klipvis to aggressive false plum anemones to box jellyfish harpoons。 But amongst the most mindblowing to me are the tuberculate cuttlefish capabilities， pointing reticulated starfish and helmet shell snail's hole drilling skills。 And then there are the clever octopuses。 No wonder Craig and Ross are in awe of them。 Creation is a marvelous thing。 Underwater is definitely an entirely different world with more species below the depths than above。 Just think of the known species。。。I reckon the number of those which are unidentified is even greater！Craig's mental maps are so well done， so very captivating！ The vivid photography is stellar and alive。 Personal stories add a special connection。If you are the slightest bit interested in underwater wilderness， do read this beautiful and informative book。My sincere thank you to Mariner Books and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this stunner of a book！ 。。。more
Montzalee Wittmann
，
Underwater WildMy Octopus Teacher's Extraordinary Worldby Craig Foster; Ross FrylinckThis is such a wonderful feel good book！ Foster grew up near the ocean and was naturally drawn to it。 He was away from it doing his filming and photo shoots and it became stressful。 He needed to get back to himself。 He came back to the ocean。 He decided to start swimming and diving again but without diving gear。 He wanted to do it like the ancestors did。 He got a friend named Ross to join him， as crazy as the gu Underwater WildMy Octopus Teacher's Extraordinary Worldby Craig Foster; Ross FrylinckThis is such a wonderful feel good book！ Foster grew up near the ocean and was naturally drawn to it。 He was away from it doing his filming and photo shoots and it became stressful。 He needed to get back to himself。 He came back to the ocean。 He decided to start swimming and diving again but without diving gear。 He wanted to do it like the ancestors did。 He got a friend named Ross to join him， as crazy as the guy thought Foster was at first it didn't stop him from joining in。 The water there is also very COLD！ But with some doing， they managed！ Then the experiences began！Foster felt like filming again！ He filmed the many creatures living in the area。 We get to meet them too。 The photos are stunning！ Sharks， fish of all kinds， and forest of kelp。 But the main object finally presents itself。An octopus is the main focus。 Curious， amazing， and creative！ The octopus showed Foster her many tricks of travel and camouflage among other things。 Octopus only live about a year。 Foster went down daily to see her。 He watched her whole life unfold。 Wonderfully writing， photography， and very lovely presented。 Goodbye little octopus。I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this delightful and wonderful book。 Millions of people can live and visit this little octopus vicariously through this book！ I know I did！ 。。。more
Kyle Erickson
，
This book was very breezy to get through and the pictures were amazing！ If you've seen My Octopus Teacher or just like ocean stuff， this book is definitely worth it。 Craig and Ross's journey into the waters is inspiring， and some of the things they've seen make me jealous I don't live near an ocean。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review！ This book was very breezy to get through and the pictures were amazing！ If you've seen My Octopus Teacher or just like ocean stuff， this book is definitely worth it。 Craig and Ross's journey into the waters is inspiring， and some of the things they've seen make me jealous I don't live near an ocean。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Tanya E
，
I think I’m the only person that hasn’t heard about My Octopus Teacher！ You could say， I’ve been living under a rock。 Get it？ （wink， wink）After reading Underwater Wild， I now have put My Octopus Teacher on my discovery to-do list。This was an amazing read！ Both in the beauty and dangers of the ocean uncovered and described as well as the heartfelt， emotional stories that were shared with the reader by the authors。The pictures are beautiful as well。 Some are the bright， colorful shots you’d see on I think I’m the only person that hasn’t heard about My Octopus Teacher！ You could say， I’ve been living under a rock。 Get it？ （wink， wink）After reading Underwater Wild， I now have put My Octopus Teacher on my discovery to-do list。This was an amazing read！ Both in the beauty and dangers of the ocean uncovered and described as well as the heartfelt， emotional stories that were shared with the reader by the authors。The pictures are beautiful as well。 Some are the bright， colorful shots you’d see on National Geographic magazines and some are more dark， filled with the true wonders of the ocean。 They are all spectacular in their own right and will bring you straight into the world of the oceans of South Africa。In this day and age where humans are trashing our Earth and depleting all of our planet’s natural resources， it’s researchers like Foster and Frylinck that remind us what we all need to be fighting for。 The natural beauty and health of our oceans。This beautiful book would make a wonderful addition to any ocean lovers’ home。 Releasing in November， this book could be perfect for a Christmas gift！Thank you to #NetGalley for providing this book。 I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy and all views expressed are only my honest opinion。 。。。more
Terrie Case
，
A fantastic coffee table book。 The authors of My Octopus Teacher are back with an amazing book about their experiences diving off the coast of South Africa。 What makes this unusual is that they dive without wetsuits or tanks。 As a diver， I cannot imagine how difficult this must be。 The reader gets to enjoy the road Ross travels in acclimating his body to this type of diving。 In doing so， the duo can truly see the underwater wonders。 The stories they are willing to share are intimate， including C A fantastic coffee table book。 The authors of My Octopus Teacher are back with an amazing book about their experiences diving off the coast of South Africa。 What makes this unusual is that they dive without wetsuits or tanks。 As a diver， I cannot imagine how difficult this must be。 The reader gets to enjoy the road Ross travels in acclimating his body to this type of diving。 In doing so， the duo can truly see the underwater wonders。 The stories they are willing to share are intimate， including Craig’s disclosure of his traumatic reaction to his divorce and leaving this wife and son。 The narration is moving and vast。 It makes the reader feel as if they are enjoying the same experiences。 For instance， Craig tells of riding the backs of giant tiger sharks in the open ocean and swimming freely among five great white sharks， “…learning how to interact with the world’s largest predators。 His next film took him ‘into the dragon’s lair’， where he pioneered the world’s first film of diving with Nile crocodiles in the Okavango Delta。”The photographs are incredible and beyond description。 The photo of the pyjama catshark’s eye reflecting the underwater world is something very few people get the opportunity to experience。I received an ARC from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt through NetGalley。 This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book。 I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so。 。。。more
Janet
，
Date reviewed/posted: March 17， 2021Publication date: October 19， 2021When life for the entire galaxy and planet has turned on its end， you are continuing to #maskup and #lockdown to be in #COVID19 #socialisolation as the #thirdwave （#fourthwave #fifthwave？） is upon us， superspeed readers like me can read 300+ pages/hour， so yes， I have read the book … and many more today。I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley， the publisher and the author i Date reviewed/posted: March 17， 2021Publication date: October 19， 2021When life for the entire galaxy and planet has turned on its end， you are continuing to #maskup and #lockdown to be in #COVID19 #socialisolation as the #thirdwave （#fourthwave #fifthwave？） is upon us， superspeed readers like me can read 300+ pages/hour， so yes， I have read the book … and many more today。I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley， the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review。 From the publisher， as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews， I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸。From the creators of the Academy Award-winning documentary My Octopus Teacher， an immersive journey into the underwater world that inspired it—and holds transformative lessons for us allCraig Foster and Ross Frylinck regularly dive together in the awe-inspiring kelp forests off South Africa， without wetsuits or oxygen tanks。 Craig had dived this way for years， including alongside the octopus that inspired My Octopus Teacher。 In Ross， he found a kindred spirit， someone who also embraced the ancient methods of acclimating his body to frigid waters， but whose eyes had not yet adjusted to the transcendent wonder Craig saw each time they dove。 In the heart-wrenching stories that make up this unforgettable book， we swim alongside Ross as he grows from skeptic to student of the underwater wild。 And in the revelatory marine science behind the stunning photos， we learn how to track sea hares， cuttlefish， and limpets， and we witness strange new behaviours never before documented in marine biology。 We realize that a whole world of wonder， and an innate wildness within us all， emerge anew when we simply observe。 My Octopus Teacher has captivated millions who long to connect with the natural world。 Now， with Underwater Wild， the divers behind the film reveal a new vision of the sea， one full of wonder， new insights into marine biology， and life-changing teachings for even the most landbound of us。This is a beautiful book with a beautiful message， but it is just too darn expensive for me to buy it for our library as it would be about $80CAD and we can buy a lot of books with sea life photos in it that are more appealing to our ESL-prominent crowd。 They would love the photos but few would read the text， but I do have a nephew who would LOVE this book so I would buy it for him。 The photos are beautiful as is the story and I will recommend it to people outside of my job who I know that it would appeal to。As always， I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I simply adore emojis （outside of their incessant use by "🙏-ed Social Influencer Millennials/#BachelorNation survivors/Tik-Tok and YouTube Millionaires/snowflakes / literally-like-overusers etc。 " on Instagram and Twitter。。。 Get a real job， people！） so let's give it 🐙 🐙 🐙 🐙 🐙 （it deserves 5🐙 despite it not being purchased by us…。。） 。。。more
Luisana Fuster
，
Me quiero tatuar un pulpo。。aprendí tanto 。。no pensé que iba a llorar y me iba a quedar con la sensación lo insignificantes que somos los humano y lo magnifico y mágicos que son los animales
Jennifer
，
Fantastic！ My kind of project！ "So much we still need to discover" Thank you for documenting your journey and for sharing it with the world Fantastic！ My kind of project！ "So much we still need to discover" Thank you for documenting your journey and for sharing it with the world 。。。more
Grazielle Ernestine
，
i never thought i’d be crying over an 🐙 until now！ 😭
Renata Riva
，