Wild Sea

‘Written with intensity and excitement, Wild Sea is a poetic exploration of a vast, wondrous ocean and a ripping yarn. TOM GRIFFITHS


‘An apparition of an adult wandering albatross comes into view. A small flutter and powerful wings arch upward in a slow, poised descent to feed the waiting mouth. Fluffy chicks, half-grown, huddle close to the grass. One strides over to a neighbouring giant petrel chick and picks a fight. They remind me of bored teenagers filling in time between snacks.’



Latitude 54° 02′ South, Longitude 37° 14' West: 

Prion Island, South Georgia


Unimpeded by any landmass, the mysterious Southern Ocean flows completely around Earth from west to east between the seasonally shifting icy continent of Antarctica and the coastlines and islands of Australia, New Zealand, South America and South Africa.


Weaving together sea captains’ journals, whalers’ log books, explorers’ letters, scientific research and ancient beliefs with her own voyage of discovery, Joy McCann reveals the secrets of a little-known ocean and its importance as a barometer of climate change.